Greece is preparing for a challenging wildfire season by deploying its largest-ever number of firefighters and nearly doubling its drone surveillance fleet, officials announced Thursday. This move comes in response to the escalating wildfire risks fueled by climate change.
Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis revealed that 18,000 permanent and seasonal firefighters, along with thousands of volunteers, will be mobilized this summer. Wildfire damage in Greece has steadily increased over the last twenty years.
Speaking after a firefighting drill near Athens, Kefalogiannis said, “It is clear that conditions this year will be especially tough.” He pointed to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall as key factors worsening fire risks in recent years.
Greek Fire Chief Lt. Gen. Theodoros Vagias said additional elite firefighting units will be dispatched to areas considered high-risk throughout the May 1 to October 31 fire season. He emphasized that the climate crisis demands improved surveillance, readiness, and resource mobilization.
Data from the European Union’s Forest Fire Information System shows wildfire damage surged to over 1,300 square kilometers in 2021 and climbed further to 1,745 square kilometers in 2023—approximately triple the average annual damage seen between 2011 and 2020.
On Thursday, firefighters conducted an exercise to test Greece’s upgraded wildfire response system, which increasingly incorporates advanced technologies like drone monitoring and mobile command centers. During the drill, fire planes flew low over forests, dropping coordinated water plumes while ground commanders monitored real-time drone feeds on tablets. The exercise also involved the coast guard and military, simulating the evacuation of a children’s summer camp endangered by fires on several fronts.
Officials highlighted that the number of firefighting personnel has risen by about 20% in the past two years, and the fleet of fire-surveillance drones has expanded from 45 to 82.
Additionally, around 300 firefighters from countries including the Czech Republic, France, Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria will assist Greece under a European Union prepositioning program, providing crucial support for the upcoming fire season.
