Meeting looks at management of wildfires

Wildfire management decisions were made on Tuesday during a high level meeting at the presidential palace ahead of the summer season, when fires increase.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the discussions “focused on wildfire management and natural phenomena”.

The meeting was chaired by President Nikos Christodoulides and also included the ministers of interior, defence, agriculture and justice, as well as by the chief of police, the head of the Fire Service and representatives of the Joint Rescue and Command Centre (JRCC).

The defence ministry called for the gradual integration of the airborne firefighting unit into the National Guard to better combat wildfires.

The reopening of the forestry college in 2025 was also discussed, as was the installation of additional sensors for early wildfire detection.

Other topics mentioned were the gradual state acquisition of ten aerial firefighting vehicles within the next five years, the completion and submission of draft laws amending arson penalties to the Legal Service by the end of March, the clearing of wild vegetation by district administrations by the end of May, and the submission of a proposal by the interior ministry for the training of volunteers.

It was also decided that what is considered to be the summer wildfire season, and therefore state services on a higher state of alert, will be extended to eight consecutive months, from April to November, up from the previous six months.

According to Letymbiotis, during the summer period, six to eight fire stations will be manned across the forested areas, of which two to three will be in the Paphos forest, two to three in the Troodos forest area, and two in the Nicosia, Larnaca, and Famagusta districts.

Asked whether the issue of timely wildfire notifications on mobile phones was discussed during the meeting, Letymbiotis replied positively.

“It has been discussed, as well as measures that can expedite its effective implementation in the shortest possible time,” he said.