The involved agencies of the state are at their maximum operational readiness in order to deal with the fires, said Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Maria Panagiotou, in her greeting at the forest fire extinguishing exercise "Volcano 2024" held at the National Forestry Troodos Park, in the location "Pampatzia" in Agios Nikolaos Stegis, in Kakopetria.
Mrs. Panagiotou underlined that the adequate preparation, the strengthening of the professional training of the staff and the increased operational readiness is a strategic investment in the face of environmental threats, adding that "the 'HEFAESTOS 2024' exercise highlights our commitment to strengthening the response capacity of the management system fires, ensuring a comprehensive and coordinated effort in responding to and extinguishing fires".
He explained that the exercise, under the coordination of the Department of Forestry, includes the participation of all Services and agencies involved in fire protection and acting in real forest fire conditions.
He indicated that the main object of the exercise is the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Special National Plan "HEFAESTOS" for the suppression of large forest fires, the upgrading of the operational readiness and efficiency of the personnel and the optimization of the cooperation of all the agencies involved in forest fire fighting.
"We are already going through the period of high risk of fire occurrence and all the involved services of the state are at their maximum operational readiness", said the Minister of Agriculture noting that "as a Government, we have supported this effort with determination and political will, doing everything possible, so that this summer finds us ready, but also to provide a definitive solution to problems that have been lingering, such as understaffing and the absence of privately owned aircraft".
He also underlined that the Republic of Cyprus utilizes cooperation, both at the level of the European Union and with neighboring states, especially in the field of aerial firefighting, and a tangible example is the presence in Cyprus since May 5 of two firefighting helicopters and their 18-member crew from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, after the immediate and positive response to the call addressed to the neighboring country, to strengthen the operational capabilities of aerial firefighting in Cyprus.
He also stated that new planning and implementation of new measures are constantly required to manage forest fires saying that "to this end, we are focusing on a coordinated and integrated approach, promoting the creation of an effective road map for forest fire protection".
Ms. Panagiotou analyzed measures to reduce fires, saying, among other things, that increasing the resilience of natural landscapes to fires relies on smart land use planning and natural resource management practices. In the same context, he continued, further support for not abandoning the cultivation of the land in the countryside and the reduction of biomass through controlled grazing are some of the ways that are being considered to start being applied in Cyprus as well.
Ms. Panagiotou explained that in the scenario of the exercise, the operational stages of dealing with a forest fire which develops into a crisis will be followed, starting from the announcement of the fire, the gradual development of the operational plan, until its complete extinguishment.
At the same time, the Minister expressed her thanks and gratitude to "the people on the front line, the Forestry Employees, the forest firefighters, the firefighters, the pilots as well as the volunteers" assuring them that "the Government of Nikos Christodoulidis is always by your side, strengthening your every effort to protect our forests and natural environment from fire. The problems you are facing, such as understaffing, the need for reinforcements in equipment, etc., have not only been identified but have been put on track for implementation, as evidenced by the recent decision to reopen the forestry college and the strengthening of our ground forces."
Ms. Panagiotou thanked in English the partners and guests from Jordan, the United Nations and the British Bases who attended and watched the exercise.
Source: KYPE
