Donation of personal protective equipment from the Ioannis S. Latsis and Athena I. Martinou Foundations to 3,000 volunteer firefighters

In view of this year’s fire season and with the aim of timely preparation of volunteer firefighters who are on the front lines of forest fires, the Ioannis S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and Athena I. Martinou Foundation made a significant donation to Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection for the supply of necessary personal equipment in order to cover the increased clothing needs of its volunteers Fire Department.

In particular, the Ioannis S. Latsis Nonprofit Foundation donated 2,500 service uniforms, 2,500 forest firefighting helmets and 2,500 forest firefighting helmets (with a budget of ~€980,000) to the Fire Brigade, while, respectively, the Athena I. Martinou Foundation donated 500 uniforms. services, 500 forest firefighting helmets and 500 forest firefighting units (budget ~€220,900), with the number of benefiting volunteer firefighters to reach 3,000.

The personal protective equipment delivered to the Fire Brigade has been manufactured to specific high technical specifications and is expected to significantly upgrade the operational capabilities of volunteer firefighters, enhancing their safety within the forest environment. It is worth mentioning that this donation, which is carried out under the auspices of “Initiative ’21”, covers 22 Volunteer Fire Stations and Volunteer Fire Brigades, as well as a large number of Volunteers serving in all Fire Services across Greece. The institution of “Volunteer Firefighter” was established in 1990 as an honorary and unpaid work and operates within the Fire Brigade, with the mission of protecting the life and property of citizens and the State, the natural environment and the forest wealth of the country.

The Chief of the Fire Brigade Lieutenant General, Georgios Pournaras, handed over to the representatives of the volunteers of P.S. the personal equipment of the donation and stated: “The support of the Ioannis S. Latsis Public Foundation and the Athena I. Martinou Foundation constitutes practical recognition of the work of the Fire Department and the offer of personal equipment for the protection of our volunteers greatly facilitates our work. Especially in recent years, volunteering has emerged as a key pillar in dealing with disasters. The high degree of preparedness of our volunteers strengthens the Fire Brigade which is the main operational arm of Civil Protection in our country».

For his part, the President of the Executive Board of the Public Beneficial Foundation, Ioannis S. Latsis, Dr. Petros Kalantzisemphasized: “Climate Change remains one of the major contemporary challenges, bringing irreversible consequences to many aspects of our lives, such as the environment and health, making it clear that joining forces to tackle it is a one-way street. This donation is one such example and is linked to a long tradition of offering by our Foundation to the Fire Department with the aim, among other things, of upgrading the mechanisms for preventing and dealing with natural disasters, meeting basic and long-term equipment needs, but also generally strengthening the readiness and effectiveness of the National Civil Protection System.

The Foundation, since its inception, is governed by a deeply collaborative philosophy and always remains ready to join forces with public and private bodies in order to contribute to more effective crisis management. In this context, with a sense of duty, we responded to the call of the Greek State by collaborating with the Athena I. Martinou Foundation to upgrade the personal protective equipment of volunteer firefighters, in view of the role they perform as a critical link in the national forest fire protection system. The aim of this collective effort is for these interventions to make a key contribution to the preparedness, prevention and early suppression of possible forest fires.

On behalf of the Ioannis S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, I would like to warmly thank the leadership of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Fire Department, but also individually its executives and the professional and volunteer firefighters who are constantly and selflessly in the field, defying all danger. We hope that this equipment will make a decisive contribution, so that volunteer firefighters can continue their valuable work smoothly and safely».

On behalf of the Athena I. Martinou Foundation, the President of the Executive Committee, Mrs. Ioanna Martinoustated: “2022 was for Greece one of the hottest years in the last 30 years, with obvious signs of the effect of climate change on forest fires. In order to keep the natural environment alive for generations to come, partnerships are needed, with all parties involved, to develop action plans that work both in response and prevention. In this context, the donation to the Fire Brigade is included, with the aim of meeting the needs of volunteer firefighters, early preparation and strengthening their safety, thus facilitating their difficult work.

The Athena I. Martinou Foundation has at the core of its mission the practical strengthening and development of organizations, seeking to multiply the benefits of the donations it makes. For this reason, it prioritizes the creation of development synergies. The valuable partnership with the Ioannis S. Latsis Charitable Foundation in this donation demonstrates in practice that through partnerships the multiplication of the social and environmental footprint is achieved.

On behalf of the Athena I. Martinou Foundation, I would also like to warmly thank the leadership of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Fire Department, and the volunteer firefighters for their invaluable and selfless work».