THE FIRE Service yesterday launched its annual Fire Safety Week, running from May 12 to 18, to raise awareness on the disastrous consequences of fire, as well as inform the public on ways to eliminate fire risks.
The campaign has been running for 12 consecutive years, while this year the launch ceremony took place at Saittas, one of the sites of last summer’s catastrophic fire.
“The prevention of fire is an ideal target for the Service and we can only achieve this through the removal of the factors that directly or indirectly cause fire,” said Andreas Nikolaou, Director of Fire Service.
Firemen will work voluntarily as part of the campaign, distributing information material to schools, communities, hotels, factories, houses and military camps. The Fire Service will also give talks and presentations on fire risks and ways to prevent fire. The campaign is held under the auspices of the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Kypros Chrysostomides, and is sponsored by Laiki Insurance.
“We will send the message that we can reduce to a minimum the chance of fire breakouts, as it is proven that the human element is the main cause of fire,” said Nikolaou.
The prevention of fire is particularly imperative this summer season, as the fire risk is high and the water shortage will further complicate the work of the Fire Service. “All indications show that this will be a difficult year, a hard summer, due to the prolonged drought and high temperatures during winter, as well as the water cuts. For this reason we must be well-prepared.
“The new state of affairs developing from climate change in the Mediterranean region and worldwide are getting worse year by year and are causing high temperatures and drought. It is imperative, therefore, that we take measures for the strengthening of the capabilities of relevant services, so they can deal with fires more effectively,” Nikolaou said.
The large-scale fires of last summer caused considerable damage, burning a record area of land, particularly in Sykopetra, Kalavassos, Kritou Terra, Saittas and elsewhere. The cost of this damage has been estimated by the Fire Service at £5.2 million, while the destruction to the natural environment will take decades to balance out.
To deal with the long summer ahead, the government has rented three additional helicopters, which will be operational by May 15 for use by the Fire Service. The Service has also announced it will be hiring 120 temporary firefighters for the summer season.
“Recognising and appreciating the value of the work provided by the Fire Service the government has put in motion a series of measures for its strengthening in terms of means and staff, so that they can effectively and flexibly deliver firefighting services in rural and urban areas,” said Minister of Justice and Public Order, Kypros Chrysostomides.
The state plans on giving the Fire Service a degree of departmental autonomy in a bid to empower and enlarge the Service. “The main measure of this strengthening process is the political decision made by the current government for an ‘Autonomous Fire Service’, which will be in place within 2008,” Chrysostomides added.
Nevertheless, the Fire Service is well aware of the difficulty of the task ahead this summer, given that freshwater dams are almost completely dried out. This may impact the speed with which the Fire Service can respond, as their helicopters will have to take water from the sea, or from scattered sources of water such as ponds maintained by the Forestry Department, and non-drinking water reservoirs.
In 2007, the Fire Service responded to 10,985 calls for help, 5,993 of which involved putting out fires. Agricultural areas are particularly vulnerable, as 47.2 per cent of fires took place on farmland. The Fire Service also responds to other emergencies and in 2007 it responded to 4,992 cases of human rescue, saving 2,365 people from lifts, cranes and vehicles involved in accidents.
