The government should be congratulated for formulating a ‘holistic’ plan for dealing with forest fires. This was finalised at a meeting on Friday under President Christodoulides, attended by several ministers as well as the chiefs of the police and the fire service. The plan will be implemented in the next few months, said the government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis after the meeting.

“Our aim is the establishment of an up to date, operationally effective, inter-operational National Mechanism of Political Protection,” said Letymbiotis after the meeting. Through legislative initiatives, strengthening of institutions, securing of vital means and infrastructure, as well as regular training, the government was building the foundations for “a Cyprus that was more secure, readier and more resilient to current threats he said.”

This is not just theory or wishful thinking. As the spokesman said, from last April 11 aircraft would be available for the fire fighting season, while the Forestry Department has been provided with 127 new vehicles with another 29 to be delivered soon. In addition to this 1,200 people have received firefighting training while local authorities have been given €1 million to clear illegal rubbish dumps that pose a fire threat and another million for fire protection measures.

Other initiatives were also undertaken such the passing of laws tightening the legal framework government regarding the starting of fires, while in September the Forestry College will reopen, for the training of forestry officers and for providing communities close to forests with training seminars and programmes. Education in prevention is almost as important as firefighting training and buying equipment and the government made the right call in investing in the cultivation of a ‘prevention culture’. Everything helps because the threat of forest fires will not go away any time soon.

It is commendable that a government is, for the first time, prepared for the ‘fire’ season and will not be rushing at the last minute to lease a couple of firefighting aircraft, relying instead, when fires break out, on help from the British Bases and neighbouring countries. The help from abroad and the bases has always been provided, but we should only be seeking it as a last resort and not as part of our firefighting plan. We have now almost doubled the number of aircraft available for firefighting – there were never more than six in the past, whereas this year we will have 11 when the fire season starts, according to Letymbiotis.

We hope that we will not need any firefighting aircraft this summer and no volunteers would have to be called into service, but it is reassuring to know that if there are forest-fires – which cannot be ruled out in these climatic conditions – we would be much better prepared to deal with them.