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- Ελληνικά
Tonight's gathering is a continuation of the effort to develop and implement actions and strategies for the prevention and response to fires, which every summer season seriously threaten our country, endangering not only our forest wealth and the property of all of us, but even human life itself.
The choice of Larnaca District to launch this year's campaign of the Fire Service to inform and raise awareness of citizens on fire prevention and response issues, as well as their active involvement and contribution to this effort, is certainly not accidental. The communities of Mountainous Larnaca have been severely affected by the devastating fires of recent years, culminating in the deadly fire of July 2021, which in just a few hours caused irreparable damage and losses of tens of millions of euros, and worst of all, even cost human lives.
From your overwhelming presence here today, for which I would like to thank each and every one of you individually, I see that in this effort to protect our country, the state fire-fighting and fire-protection services are not alone. This, my friends, indicates, on the one hand, that protecting our country from the ravages of the fires is a matter of national security and as such requires the assistance of all of us, and on the other hand, it is proof that the contract we have concluded as a Government with civil society is being redeemed in the best possible way.
The Neighbourhood Watch Institution, which has been successfully implemented in almost all Municipalities and Communities since 2011, with over 110,000 registered observers, having indeed contributed effectively both to crime prevention and to increasing the sense of security of citizens, I am confident that it can contribute equally positively to the prevention and response to the serious problem of catastrophic fires.
Building on the successful operation of this institution and always keeping in mind the public interest and the safety and protection of citizens and their property, the security of the country's critical infrastructure, as well as of our forest wealth and natural environment, as a primary concern, we have decided to extend the Neighbourhood Watch Institution to a Fire Safety Watch, inviting all of you, the thousands of registered Watchers, but also all those who wish to acquire the status of a Watcher to assist, in a safe and secure way, as the representative of the Fire Service will explain later, in the preventive actions and actions of the Fire Service.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are already at the beginning of the fire season, which started much earlier this year due to the particularly high temperatures for the season, with the result that the first fires have already appeared. Both the Fire Service, the Forestry Department and other services, which assist in the work of fire protection and fire fighting, have been properly prepared and are in full operational readiness. Any weaknesses and delays observed in the bidding process, whether they relate to the process itself or to the failure of bidders to show interest, have been of great concern to the Government and planning has begun for the purchase of ten privately owned aircraft within the next few years. Acting promptly and methodically and taking advantage of the bilateral synergies and partnerships we have developed with neighbouring countries, we have secured the assistance of two Jordanian Royal Jordanian Air Force fire-fighting helicopters, which, together with their crew, will remain in the country at least until the arrival of the aircraft leased by the Republic of Cyprus.
Dear friends Observers,
Protecting our country from the fires, and from any other form of danger, is the responsibility of all of us. Therefore, the contribution of each and every one of us in developing preventive actions and actions to prevent either deliberate, or negligent and reckless human actions and activities, which unfortunately constitute the main cause of fires, is crucial.
I therefore appeal to everyone to work and cooperate to protect our country from the nightmare of fires. At the same time, I express the hope, but also the expectation, that the human factor will not be the main source of fires this year.
In closing, I would like to thank the President of the Zygios Community Council for hosting tonight's event.
Again, I would like to thank all of you for your presence here and wish you a safe and happy summer.
Thank you.
(AF/NZ)
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