“This year’s firefighting doctrine is not to have human losses. To be able to limit natural disasters as much as possible from the phenomena that will erupt. To be able to have fewer fires, their rapid delineation, with a holistic approach from all with the relevant bodies, “the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said. Giannis Kefalogiannis when informing the Committee on Production and Trade on the Public Convention Plan for the “Supply of Eight Medium Fire Helicopters”.
Mr. Kefalogiannis emphasized that “Greece’s big picture of the Civil protection In recent years it is very different. There will always be room for improvement, but this year we are entering a good preparation in the fire season. “
The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, referring to overall opposition observations on civil protection and fire protection, pointed out politically that “by 2019 the country’s civil protection was a part of a comprehensive Secretariat, two rooms in the building on Evangelistria Street, with 10 politicians”.
About recruiting FirefightersMr Kefalogiannis said that this year the firefighting battle will be fought by about 5,500 people from volunteers’ associations, plus 5,000 firefighters, along with 18,000 men and women of the Fire Brigade (of which 15,500 are permanently staffed with their 5 -year -olds and 2,5 -year -old duration). Number larger than when in 2019 firefighters were only 13,000 plus 950 seasonal firefighters. At the same time, they have doubled through sponsorships that DEDIE has made the surveillance drones and this year will reach 82 of the 40 we had last year, and their use is expanding throughout the territory.
Mr. Kefalogiannis pointed out that the measure of cleaning of the plots It started last year and stated open to proposals to improve the framework.
For the “Anti-Nero” program, the minister said it would reach 580m euros and including firefighting zones, forest cleaning, tank maintenance.
He clarified that the coherent program of AEGIS is about four axes and includes 41 total actions that concern not only fire fighting, but all the political protection of the country and public administration bodies.
For air means, Mr Kefalogiannis said that this year as well as last year we will have about 49 rented aircraft and helicopters, in dispersed throughout Greece, where together with our national fleet We will have a total of about 80 to 85 volatile mediaplus those that will be added by the program to replace aging aerial means by the AEGIS program. Greece, the Minister noted, In 2028 we will be with France from the first countries in the world to receive the seven new Cananders from the Canada plant.
Mr Kefalogiannis rejected the dilemma “renting or buying new aircraft”, saying that “until we get our own capable national fleet of fire brigades we want, there will be this rental process”. It made it clear that the cost of about € 580 million for renting flying aircraft relates to the whole five -year and not one year.
For the international competition concerning the Supply of 8 mid -type helicopters Mr. Kefalogiannis said that it was in collaboration with HRIP, began a year ago and was completed at a rapid pace, having high standards on the operational capacity of the eight helicopters, as well as the three -year, after the delivery of the last helicopter, the obligation to provide service their support by the contractor. At the same time, there is also the right to supply two other helicopters.
These eight medium -type helicopters, he noted, aimed to help them to aircraft, but also with the possibilities of using staff and rescue.
The project, the minister said, was entrusted to the only consortium that expressed interest at a total of a price of 311.199,000 euros. The plan of the contract was approved by the Court of Auditors. The supply will be funded by both the Recovery and Rules and the NSRF through the Sectoral Program. In particular, the six helicopters will be funded by the NSRF and the other two by the recovery fund.
The Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Citizen Protection Evangelos Tournas on the necessity of supplying the 8 helicopters of the middle -type helicopters said the Fire Brigade and the Planning Council and not by the political leadership. The cost, said, is not high if the technical means and systems added to the staff needs expressed by the mixed working groups made to meet the full range of firefighters’ missions. Mr Tournas said about a helicopter type that will make aircraft, bodies, rescue, transportation of 19 personnel (12 arsuit with their equipment), but mainly what it has is a built -in tank of 4,300 liters of water which made the difference and one of them was one of them. The second reason was the strict delivery timetables so that the money can be disbursed by the recovery fund. Their delivery will be quickly, the first two helicopters will be delivered within two years and the rest within four years, as their production line is active.
Mr Tournas, responding to the opposition, said that the ministry’s actions place an equally burden on prevention and the fires. He made extensive reference to the implementation of the Anti-Nero program, the increased funds given to municipalities and regions for preventive actions and AEGIS. Regarding human resources staffing, the Deputy Minister focused on 20 forestry units, with 1,500 people who will exist this year and will be distributed on a new four bases, in Chalkida, Zakynthos, the Pyrgos of Ilia and Chania. This is, he said, for a multiplier of forces.
HRIP Advisor Panagiotis Stamboulidis, for his part, answering opposition questions about the 8 mid -type helicopter supply competition, said that for the first time an open public competition was followed (not through the Ministry of Education. And the comments, which have been from the market in the consultation phase, were incorporated into the issue of the notice. The competing companies that eventually decided and did not participate in the competition sent letters explaining the reasons for their abstention, noting that they had nothing to do with the terms of the competitions and praised the transparency of the process. The Court of Auditors was not controlled once, but twice. Mr Stamboulidis, on the forest protection programs, said that the Fund has implemented half a billion -euro competitions, there is no forest ecosystem that the Forestry Directorate has indicated that cleaning or firefighting zones need to be made and not. The third phase of firefighting zones throughout the country is currently being implemented. More than 70,000 acres of influence zone have become fire zones, and water tanks are also created.