Kikilias: Climate Crisis Ministry starts joint forest fire training for all agencies

A training session for all agencies involved in fighting forest fires began at the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry on Monday, in the context of preparations for summer fires.

It was the first of four seminars, and it was attended by 250 members of the Fire Brigade and the Forestry Service from all Greek regions. Police officers will join the trainings next week.

The participating officials will work as 'core' reference points, conveying their know-how to all agencies and security officers in each prefecture, where additional joint trainings will include local government officials and the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator.

"We are doing something pioneering - we are sitting in class," Minister Vassilis Kikilias said. A total of 16,000 firefighters in Greece will be trained, including volunteers, while the seminars will be followed by field exercises. "The effort focuses on managing forest fires in a holistic way and providing emphasis on prevention in order to manage the threat, not the result of the threat," Kikilia added.

Some of the issues in the trainings include the profiles of forests and protected areas in Greece, projects and actions to prevent forest fires, how fires behave, the role of combustible material and topography, and the influence of weather conditions, among others.