ESEPA
The ESEPA ( Greek Ε.Σ.Ε.Π.Α., Εθελοντικό Σώμα Ελλήνων Πυροσβεστών Αναδασωτών Ethelondiko Soma Ellinon Pyrosveston Anadasoton , "volunteer unit Greek firefighters and re Forster") is a nationally recognized organization and operates under the umbrella of the Greek Civil Defense which since 2014 no longer actively participated in extinguishing operations.
The objective of ESEPA was to establish the idea of volunteer fire brigades in Greece , where until now professional fire brigades have been known almost exclusively . The rural areas and villages often have no organized fire brigades at all and are dependent on overland help from the larger cities. As a result, small fires can initially get out of control and devastate large stretches of land, combined with loss of forest and agricultural land, the destruction of houses and deaths.
General
On the one hand , to improve the fighting of forest fires during the main fire season in the summer months, especially in the inaccessible and rural areas north of Mount Olympus, and, on the other hand, to increase the training of local helpers, ESEPA organized a forest fire camp in the village of Rizomata in the summer months up to 2014 , Located in the mountains north of Olympus and about two hours' drive from Thessaloniki . Volunteer firefighters from all over Europe took part in their annual vacation, with the helpers paying for the journey out of their own pocket. The focus of the camp was the fight against forest fires throughout Greece, the patrol activities to observe endangered forest areas and the training of local helpers. Above all, the fire protection , the technical rescue service and the medical first aid on the streets and in the villages around the forest fire camp were ensured, because the next professional rescue service has an approach time of approx. 50 minutes. The ESEPA was also used nationwide in the event of major damage (for example, several times in the holiday region of Chalkidiki in 2004 ).
Aims and tasks of ESEPA
In Greece there are no professional fire brigades under local administration, but a professional fire brigade as a fire brigade organization organized at national level. Even relatively small towns in Greece have a professional fire brigade station - but then usually only with one or two small vehicles and a few firefighters. The smaller communities and villages, especially on the islands and inland, often have no organized fire brigades. Here, the population depends on regional help in the event of fires, accidents and other emergencies. In the summer, especially in rural areas, there are frequent and severe forest fires and bushfires. The rural population is largely defenseless at the mercy of these fires, and local aid is often inadequate. As a result, bush fires not only destroy valuable agricultural land (e.g. olive groves ), but also dwellings. In the event of traffic accidents and house fires, supra-local help often arrives too late. ESEPA would like to change these conditions in the long term by advocating the establishment of a nationwide network of volunteer fire brigades. Depending on the local conditions, the first responder / rescue service area is also covered, as the travel times of the rescue service in rural areas of Greece are often considerable.
The ESEPA forest fire camp
ESEPA's international forest fire emergency camp and training center "Giannis Alevras" was opened in Rizomata in May 2001 and put into operation in June 2001. This camp served several purposes: on the one hand it formed the basis for the international emergency team during the main forest fire season from the beginning of June to the end of September, on the other hand it served as a training center for training local volunteers to become fire fighters. There was a 24-hour standby during the main forest fire season. Until 2014, the forest fire camp represented the largest operational unit of ESEPA and had a capacity of around 55 people and around twelve emergency vehicles. From this camp, at the request of the professional fire brigade, civil defense or regional administrations, deployments to fight forest fires and other major damage situations (storms, earthquakes) were driven within a radius of 400 km, if necessary also over longer distances. Of course, “normal” fire-fighting operations were also carried out in the vicinity of the camp. The camp consists of living containers with accommodation for approx. 55 emergency services, a first aid station, an office building, a storage building, a workshop and a building with a kitchen, dining room and training room. The various buildings and containers are spread over a plot of 10,000 m², which the municipality of Rizomata has left free of charge for 20 years. In the previous years, more than 1200 volunteers from Greece, Germany, Austria , Switzerland , the Netherlands , Luxembourg , Liechtenstein and South Tyrol had registered with the organization and participated in the camp.
In 2011 there were a total of 5 watch shifts:
- Guard Shift 1: July 7th - July 21st
- Guard Shift 2: July 21 - August 4
- Guard Shift 3: August 4th - August 18th **
- Guard Shift 4: August 18 - September 1 **
- Guard Shift 5: September 1st - September 15th
The third and fourth watch shifts were reserved exclusively for comrades who are respiratory protection compatible and who had already completed training at ESEPA. With these two watch layers, the ESEPA formed a fully trained special unit. The special unit was then deployed across Greece as needed.
Guard shifts one, two and five were open to everyone again. Here, as in previous years, the comrades were trained in Rizomata. After the training was completed, operations and patrols were carried out as required. "
In 2012 there will be a total of 3 watch shifts:
- Guard Shift 1: July 19 - August 2
- Guard Shift 2: August 2 - August 16
- Guard Shift 3: August 16 - August 30
No forest fire camps have taken place there since 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Martens: Fire brigade that is not allowed to put out a fire. In: FAZ.net . Retrieved July 25, 2018 .