Fire Fighting Services are well staffed and the means at their disposal are ready to tackle any fire incident, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Wednesday, following a meeting in Nicosia with representatives of competent authorities. More staff and equipment is available, compared to last year, Ioannou said ahead of the summer season.
The Ministers of Agriculture and Defense, the Deputy Minister to the President and the Justice Ministry Permanent Secretary also attended along oher officials from the competent services and departments.
After the meeting, the Minister of the Interior stated that the committee essentially functions as a preventive mechanism so that “we can assess the degree of preparedness of the various departments.”
Asked whether the services are well staffed to deal with fire incidents, Ioannou said they have been staffed with additional personnel compared to last year as well as with additional equipment, such as small fire trucks, individual or other equipment.
Responding to a question as to whether management centers in rural areas are expected to be coordinated during the summer, the Minister clarified that, based on operational plans, the Department of Forestry is responsible for mountainous areas, while for rural and urban areas the fire service is responsible.
The Minister also explained that “Zenon” Coordination Centre, the central operations center of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center, is activated in case of a crisis, implementing contingency plans, depending on the emergency.
Source: Cyprus News Agency