AS 2009 FIRE SEASON COMMENCES, CONCERNS CONTINUE OVER LEVEL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001393

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE PASS U.S. FOREST SERVICE
STATE PASS TO USAID/OFDA
STATE PASS FEMA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID PREL SENV SOCI GR
SUBJECT: AS 2009 FIRE SEASON COMMENCES, CONCERNS CONTINUE OVER LEVEL
OF GREEK PREPAREDNESS

REF: 08 ATHENS 851; 08 ATHENS 1660

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Summary
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1.(SBU) Two years after the devastating 2007 fire season that saw
more than one million acres of land destroyed and nearly one hundred
lives lost to wildfires, concerns continue over the government's
ability to respond to a similar crisis. Hot summers, little
rainfall, the natural flora, and arson make Greece particularly
susceptible to wildfires. The GoG was largely overwhelmed by and
unable to respond to the magnitude of the problem during the 2007
fire season. While a good deal of training and foreign assistance
ensued, the 2008 fire season was low in its intensity and did not
provide ample opportunity to test the GoG's newly developed skills
and capacities. As the 2009 season gets under way, the media has
raised concerns about the preparedness of the Hellenic Fire Service
(HFS). As of the end of June, there had already been more than 200
hundred small and medium-sized outbreaks of wildfires in mainland
Greece and throughout the islands, resulting in the destruction of
more than 2000 acres of land. In a recent meeting with EconIntern,
Ioannis Kapakis, the Press Officer for the HFS, advised that he sees
this summer as having the potential to be another difficult one but
is optimistic that the lessons learned from past summers, foreign
training and assistance provided thus far, and preventative measures
adopted will combine to lessen the severity of fires and decrease the
potential damage. Kapakis indicated, however, that he remains
concerned about the ability of the GoG to coordinate between agencies
and allocate responsibilities and tasks in the face of catastrophic
fires. End Summary.

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The 2009 Fire Season:
Continued Capacity Concerns
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2. (SBU) Traditionally, the fire season in Greece begins during the
final week of June and lasts until the end of August (and can even
continue into September if temperatures and dry conditions persist).
The Hellenic Fire Service (HFS) goes into an intense state of
readiness during this period, prepared to fight wildfires whenever
and wherever they may break out. As of the end of June, the total
number of wildfires in Greece had already climbed to over 200,
resulting in the destruction of more than 2000 acres of land.
Recently, two major forest fires occurred on the islands of Skopelos
and Evia. Planes, helicopters, and 80 firefighters were called into
action to combat the two separate blazes, which together destroyed
123 acres. During the last week in July, the HFS heightened their
alert level even further in response to large blazes that broke out
on the island of Crete as a result of a spike in temperatures. Greek
media have criticized the preparedness of the HFS and, in particular,
expressed concern about the lack of adequate operational airpower.
Members of the HFS reassured EconIntern that this year's helicopter
fleet has been increased by 15 percent from the 2008 level, and it
will be fully operational during the more serious fire season in July
and August.


3. (SBU) Coordination between the various agencies responsible for
handling wildfires has been problematic in the past for the GoG.
According to Kapakis, there continues to be a lack of urgency and
senior-level attention, and communication regarding the potential
outbreak of large scale wildfires and how to combat them remains
inconsistent. During the devastating fire season of 2007, assistance
and funding poured in from several nations, including the US.
However, Greece was unprepared to facilitate or direct this foreign
assistance. The resulting struggles and frustrations even prompted
some countries to cut off assistance altogether. U.S. assistance has
continued in spite of these difficulties and organizational
challenges. Kapakis indicated to EconIntern that, even at present,
integration and coordination between the relevant GoG actors
responsible for preparing for and dealing with wildfires are still
not seamless. He remains hopeful, however, that, as situations
arise, the appropriate individuals and agencies will rise to meet
challenges.

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USG Assistance Efforts
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4. (SBU) Following the devastating 2007 fires, USAID's Office of
Foreign Disaster Assistance(OFDA) granted USD 2.2 million to fund a
multi-year cooperative effort to exchange information and technical

ATHENS 00001393 002 OF 002


expertise in wildfire management (see reftels A and B). The majority
of these funds have been spent on activities that included addressing
immediate needs in the aftermath of the 2007 fires, and on technical
assistance and capacity building in the two years following the
fires. More recent USG efforts have focused on training exercises
and include a recent visit by members of the HFS to the US in March
and May of 2009. In his recent conversation with EconIntern, Kapakis
specifically attributed improvements in HFS's capacity to investigate
the causes of fires and to track down and bring to justice those
responsible for starting fires as a direct result of USG training.


5. (SBU) The U.S. Forest Service (which was tasked with implementing
programs with the majority of the funds) is currently focused on
working with the GoG to program the remaining funds (USD 276,000) on
activities such as "Burned Area Emergency Recovery" (BAER) with the
Forestry Department and/or Ministry of Environment & Public Works,
senior-level exchange visits with the GoG, continued US-based
training with the HFS, and/or follow ups to the fire investigation
and fire prevention training already held. In addition, the U.S. has
been working with the GoG to construct programs targeted at Forest
Management Programs at universities and public schools in the
Peloponnese and Epirus regions. FEMA is working with the GoG to
execute an MOU to visit Greece in November to train approximately 30
employees of the Interior Ministry's General Secretariat for Civil
Protection (to be partially funded by the GoG).

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Public Awareness
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6. (SBU) Greek media often dramatize the causes of wildfires,
assigning blame to arsonists working for commercial and residential
developers. While Kapakis did not provide statistics to back his
claim, he stated that the vast majority of wildfires in Greece are
caused by accident rather than by arsonists. Unfortunately, Kapakis
explained, inaccurate press reporting that casts the blame on
arsonists masks the fact that these fires are largely caused by human
carelessness and are, therefore, preventable. Because of this, HFS
recognizes a need for increased public awareness on the issue. HFS's
focus has been and will continue to be on educating students in
primary and secondary schools about certain activities that are
inherently dangerous and likely to spark wildfires. A recent
wildfire outbreak on the outskirts of Athens, for example, was caused
by the discharge of a pistol in a field ripe with low brush - an
accident that could have been prevented through awareness and
education.

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COMMENT
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7. (SBU) Kapakis was very thankful for the assistance that the U.S.
has given in the areas of fire assistance and prevention,
particularly the training of HFS personnel. While this assistance
has made some inroads by providing Greece with technical expertise at
an operational level, it remains to be seen if the GoG is yet capable
of mounting a well-coordinated and well-managed policy in the face of
fires of a catastrophic magnitude as in 2007. The fact that Greek
fire officials continue to express concerns over coordination and
communication and hope that, should disaster strike again, the GoG
will rise to the challenge indicates that Greece still has some way
to go before it is capable of mounting an effective response to fires
that reach a catastrophic magnitude. Kapakis pointed out that the
single largest factor that will determine the severity of this year's
fire season is the weather. He made clear that, as much as HFS's
ability to cope with disasters has improved as a result of more
training, resources, and a better understanding of the most effective
ways of dealing with large fires, an exceptionally dry season could
be devastating. Post joins Kapakis in praying for rain this summer!
End Comment.
SPECKHARD