Photographs: Ministry of the Interior

 

Forest fires have been burning for days in several areas in Greece, and according to the media, they are the largest recorded fires on European soil in recent years. Media also state that more than twenty people lost their lives, hundreds were evacuated, over 70,000 hectares of forest burned, and several people were arrested on suspicion of starting the fires.

During that time, hundreds of brave firefighters, volunteers and soldiers are working to suppress the fire and save the population. Among them, there are thirty members of the team from Serbia, with six vehicles and equipment for work, and upon arriving at the location, they found a large burned area, according to the statement of the Ministry of the Interior.

Members of the Department for Emergency Situations of the Ministry of the Interior were engaged in the Provatonas area yesterday.

“We worked at two locations and did our best to prevent the spread of the fire,” said the team leader, Milorad Spasojević.

This is not the first time that firefighters-rescuers from Serbia help their colleagues in Greece; Serbia sent similar help at the end of July, and support was provided during the past seasons as well. Such activities are organized through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

It is an important instrument of the Civil Protection sector for humanitarian aid operations, the aim of which is to preserve life, prevent and alleviate human suffering and protect the population affected by disasters and crises.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) facilitates cooperation in emergency response, preparedness and prevention between member states, as well as several other European countries. Serbia became a member of the Mechanism in 2015, but even before that, during the devastating floods in May 2014, Serbia felt the benefit of European solidarity through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. That operation was one of the largest since the mechanism was established.

The support of the European Union to the Civil Protection sector in Serbia is worth more than 250 million euros for the period from 2014 to today.