The large-scale tactical forest fire field exercise “AINEIAS 2024 – Hymettus” took place on Thursday morning.

The exercise, which was carried out with complete success, took place on the borders of the Municipality of Paiania with the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi, in the Holy Monastery of Agios Ioannis Kynigos of the Philosophers. The exercise was held under the organization of the Civil Protection of Attica Region with the participation of the Civil Protection of the Municipalities of Paiania and Agia Paraskevi, the Fire Service, SPAY (Union for the Protection and Development of Hymettus), the Red Cross, the Volunteers’ Association of the Northeast Sector of Hymettus, the National Emergency Centre and other organizations. Its aim was to strengthen prevention and readiness actions in the event of a fire.

The scenario focused on a potential fire in the valley and the coordination of all involved agencies with the participation of aerial means to deal with the fire immediately before it spread further. The place where the exercise was held was chosen because of its proximity and the activities it hosts nearby.

Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius in late March and large forest fires are already breaking out weeks earlier than expected.

To deal with the crisis, Greece is pursuing a 2.1 billion euro program to upgrade its tanker fleet and build an artificial intelligence-driven sensor network to detect smoke early on in a fire outbreak.

However, delivery of the new equipment won’t begin until next year, so officials are scrambling to find alternatives to shorten response times. Last summer, Greece was again in the spotlight with the worst fire in the history of the European Union. Last year, the fires burned about 1,750 square kilometers.

Deliveries to Greece of seven new Canadian-made DHC-515 firefighting aircraft, part of a larger European Union order from six member states, will begin in 2027.

Also read: Greece | Signs contract for DHC-515 firefighting aircraft