The Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment informs the public that the period from 8 to 14 May has been designated as the Forest Fire Protection Week for 2023.
The start of the Week will be declared by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Petros Xenophontos, at an event to be held at the offices of the Troodos Forestry District, in Platanias, on Monday 8 May 2023, at 11:30 a.m.
During the Week, with a series of planned events and activities, a great effort will be made to intensify the awareness of our entire society in relation to the protection of our forests from fires and to pass the message that only with a sense of responsibility can they be protected.
Banners have also been displayed in municipalities and forest areas, while a text on the importance of the Week has been sent to all educational institutions, as well as to all government departments and services, as well as to all communities on the island, in cooperation with the Union of Cyprus Communities. Earlier, and specifically since May 1, the broadcast of the forest fire danger by radio and television stations on a daily basis began.
On Wednesday, May 10, at 9:00 a.m., the map exercise "HFAISTOS 2023" will take place at the "ZION" Coordination Centre, in Larnaca. The aim of this exercise is, through the activation of the Special National Plan "Hephaestus", to test the readiness of the services involved, the utilization of equipment and facilities and the use of the Center "ZION" as a Coordinating Center for Crisis Management in the event of a forest fire.
Also, within the framework of the Week, a voluntary blood donation by forestry officials and staff of the Forestry Department will take place, focusing on the Egomi Health Centre on 11 May, at 8:00 a.m. All the above events are part of the state's efforts to educate and raise public awareness about the importance of forests and the greatest danger that threatens our forests, the fires.
All the above events are part of the state's efforts to educate and raise public awareness about the importance of forests and the greatest danger that threatens our forests, the fires.
The message of Forest Protection Week is that our forests are an invaluable national wealth and heritage, and their effective protection can only be achieved through the collective effort of the state and the public. It is required from each of us individually to be particularly careful in our daily activities in the countryside, as well as in our visits to forest areas, so as not to cause a fire by thoughtless actions. Our attention is also drawn to the other category, deliberate fires, which are a major problem. "Only with a sense of responsibility[/B]" we can and will succeed.
EP/EXP
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