It is announced that today, the 30th of August 2007, ground forces, air means and machinery have been allocated to the appropriate services of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, to face the on going fires all over the country.
The Armed Forces responding to their role of contribution to fire fighting, fulfilled 100 % of all requests submitted by the authorities involved, allocating the following personnel and means :
• Prefecture of Aetoloakarnania: 11 persons
• Prefecture of Arkadia : 74 persons
• Prefecture of Attica : 102 persons
• Prefecture of Evia : 115 persons
• Prefecture of Ilia : 671 persons
• Prefecture of Ioannina : 43 persons
• Prefecture of Corinth : 115 persons
• Prefecture of Lakonia : 99 persons
• Prefecture of Messinia : 184 persons
• Prefecture of Preveza : 11 persons
• Prefecture of Florina : 15 persons
• 286 mounted patrols for forest fire protection with 997 persons
• The 596th Airmobile Infantry Battalion (350 men ), based at Kilkis, moved early on the 29th of August 2007 to Peloponissos, Pyrgos and Kalamata areas, to reinforce operating personnel.
• Tank Carrier “IKARIA” sailed to board, at the port of Keramoti, an Engineers Company and appropriate machinery (bulldozers etc.) to transfer at the affected areas.
• 17 veterinaries have been forwarded to the Prefectures of Messinia, Ilia and Arcadia
• TOTALLY : 3.540 persons
• Surveillance flights for forest fire protection : 23 exits with 44 flight hours
• 18 firefighting aircraft CL-215 (11) and CL-415 (7), which conducted 30 sorties with 91 flight hours, and 600 water-bomb drops, equal to 3.900 tons of water (86% availability of air means)
• international fire fighting aircrafts (4 French, 4 Spanish and 1 Croatian CL-415, as well as 1
Portugese CL-215) : 14 sorties with 42 flight hours
• 1 helicopter from Sweden and 1 B-200 from Russia also arrived to reinforce operating forces, while the Italian CL-415 departed.
• 4 CHINOOK helicopters
• 8 UH-1H
• 2 U-17 aircraft
• 4 Super Pumas
• 2 Sikorsky helicopters
• 1 P-3B aircraft
• 4 Ambulances
• also buses, fire fighting vehicles, water carriers, Steyer vehicles, generator units, and other equipment, as requested by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection
• Additionally, 1.010 kg of ready made food, 350 kg of bread, 1008 bottles of drinkable water have been distributed to the fire struck population, while distribution is continued from the deposited supplies, amounting to 85 tons.
Finally, it should be noted that additional forces and equipment remain in full readiness, in order to intervene and contribute to the fire fighting, when called upon.
LTC Charalambos Laloussis
HNDGS Spokesman