The topic of fires and the limits of the municipalities’ responsibilities and responsibilities for dealing with them, were the central topic of discussion at the meeting of the Board of Directors of KEDE, after yesterday’s “fires” received by the Local Self-Government regarding the lack of exercise of its responsibilities and the management of its grant for fire protection.

The president of KEDE, Lazaros Kyrizoglou, responding both to relevant statements of competent ministers and relevant critical publications, characterized as “unfair” the accusations and the attack received by the Municipalities, a fact that is repeated over time and every time a problem arises, which touches the responsibilities of the State.

Mr. Kyrizoglou reiterated that “the fires did not start from Syntagma Square and went to the forests, i.e. they did not start from areas of responsibility – according to the law and common sense – of the Municipalities, but they started from forest and rural areas, the responsibility for cleaning which is not borne by the respective Municipalities. The responsibility lies exclusively with the Forestry Service, DEDDIE, etc.”

Also responding to publications that refer to an alleged funding of 150 million euros to the Municipalities, he characteristically said that “this is not true. It’s inaccurate.”

The money given in 2023, Mr. Kyrizoglou said, is 23,400,000 euros to the Municipalities and 1,860,000 euros to the Associations of Municipalities, a total of 25 million euros, while in 2022 16,910,000 euros were given to the Municipalities and 1,490,000 to the Associations of Municipalities, a total of 17,400,000 euro.

“It is positive that there was an increase in the grant, we acknowledge it, he emphasized, but in no case are the specific funds sufficient.”

He also noted that indeed this year the contracts for hiring seasonal fire protection personnel became five months from four months, but it is necessary to make them six months so as to coincide with the fire protection season. As regards civil protection personnel, the contracts should be eight months.

“This, emphasized the president of KEDE, is the real truth and we are “shouting” it, because in no case do we want to be the culprits. Where we lag behind, where we are wrong – if we are – we will come out and say it. But if we are not guilty of anything and are unjustly accused, we will come out in public and put things in their place. The municipalities in their overwhelming majority have done their work and have carried out the cleanings in the areas within the plan. We are not responsible for the non-planned areas, nor for the forest areas.

With the money given, for example to my Municipality (a purely urban Municipality), I can clean up the forty abandoned plots I have. But can the Municipality of Agrinio, with its 150 settlements and 1,247 square kilometers of land, carry out the required cleaning with the money it receives? Where do we live? Who are we talking about? And some come and position themselves in an inappropriate and unacceptable manner against us.”

Finally, Mr. Kyrizoglou pointed out that “life itself has shown that since 1998, when dealing with forest fires was transferred to the Fire Service, we have had 200 dead fellow human beings, over 3,000 houses, countless animals and thousands of acres of forests and agricultural land burned. Unimaginable numbers with huge financial costs and many relentless reasons. Of course precious human life is priceless.

As a result, there is an immediate need to change the strategy and planning of the prevention and suppression of rural fires, with the immediate reorganization and re-staffing of the disorganized and understaffed Forestry Services, with the assignment to them of the management of forests, the prevention and extinguishing of fires in forests and woodlands, and with the involvement of local communities and the agricultural, forestry and membership shareholding cooperatives and resin growers.

The Fire Service has the responsibility of the so-called urban fires and when required will assist the Forestry Service.

This is what life itself has shown. And because we had and will have fires and we are experiencing the effects of climate change, we must change our strategy in dealing with them.”

The Board of Directors of KEDE unanimously agreed with the position of the president of KEDE.