We are expecting a heat wave, difficult days are comingsaid the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, speaking to SKAI, Vassilis Kikilias.

Note that the ministry in question is at the tip of the spearthe arm to protect lives, properties and the country’s wealth, our forests.

Note that EMY will make announcements about the heat wavewhich is expected to start on Wednesday or Thursday and we’ll see how it goes.

For tomorrow at 11 am a meeting of all competent bodies for the elderly has been planned to see how the municipalities will take care of them, and how the whole machinery will be organized in all that has to do with fire protection.

Asked if the state apparatus is ready to deal with fires, he said: “We have 89 aerial firefighting vehicles, more than at the beginning of four years and in all years. Nevertheless we are at the level of the climate crisis”.

Mr. Kikilias gave the example of Canada where hundreds of fires are burning and 900 million hectares were charred.

“Obviously we are a hot spot in the Mediterranean, the climate crisis is here and it will concern us because care and education of the citizens is required for what is coming to the planet.

“We have thousands of firefighters, an organized structure, volunteers, citizens and municipalities and great mobilization, but nothing is ever enough when there are extreme weather events with such high temperatures” he said and continued:

“The evacuation culture has been established as a strategy and it is showing that it is working. Attention must be great. But I have to tell you and we will have fires and we will have floodswe will do our best to address them. We have to learn to live with these phenomena.”

Then Mr. Kikilias announced the change of administrative fines “which will be in line with what we have seen in recent years in the fines imposed for companion animals. Announcements will be made in the coming days.

Note that as of 1/1/23 we had 90 arrests for causing fires, 86 of which were negligent. “However, some people set fires on purpose, negligence in causing fires takes on criminal dimensions and citizens must bear the burden of their responsibility.
The fine cannot be the same for someone who made a mistake once and for someone who sets fire on a regular basis. It won’t be 200 and 300 euros, that has to change” he said characteristically.

Purchase of aerial vehicles

The Climate Crisis Minister also announced that “We are also running a program to upgrade our fleet, the aerial vehicles. The Canadair CL-215s are 45 years old. We will buy new Canadairs, helicopters and fire trucks and equipment.”

Mr. Kikilias added: “However, aerial means help extinguish, our firefighters and ground forces are the ones who ultimately put out the fires. I would like to ask everyone to support our front line people, who risk their lives for us,. It is patriotic work. To help the people on the front line.”