Olympic Training

By Gwen Beavans

After devastating 2007 wildfires in Greece, three U.S. Forest Service personnel had the opportunity to visit the country to share and exchange information.

There has been a history of large fires in Greece, however recently these have been increasing, specifically fires caused by arson, smoking and fire-use for agricultural purposes. Wildfires threaten homes, people and natural resources, particularly valuable forestry land in the country.

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Many of the wildfires are located in or around urban-interface areas, the area where cities and urban areas are adjacent to wildlands. The terrain is very mountainous and in the valleys between the cities and mountains, the land is used for agricultural purposes such as olive and pistachio groves. Burning the land to create plantations, prepare the field for farms and create grazing areas for sheep creates a very high risk in these areas.

Preventing wildfires and reducing relative economic and environmental losses are issues facing the country and the Hellenic Fire Service. The 2007 wildfire season in Greece was the worst on record, killing 76 people and causing significant human, agricultural and economic damages. Because of the widespread damage, the Greek government declared a state of emergency.

To show support and allow for U.S. emergency assistance to Greece, the U.S. Embassy in Athens declared a disaster situation. The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance provided funds to address immediate short-term needs, including the provision of additional emergency relief supplies and fire fighting equipment, as well as to initiate a longer-term program to building Greek fire management and disaster response capacities.

Greece, particularly the Hellenic Fire Service through programs supported by the USAID, requested a team from the U.S. Forest Service visit Greece for two purposes:

To study techniques used by the Greeks for fire investigation; and,

To share information on fire investigation and fire prevention techniques used in the United States.

A team of three Forest Service specialists (two special agents and one fire prevention education specialist) traveled to Athens in May 2008 to study fire investigation and fire prevention techiniques used by the Greeks and to instruct the Hellenic Fire Service and Forestry Department personnel about fire investigation and fire prevention techniques used in the United States.

The team spent one week investigating sites, visting with various agencies and discussing prevention and investigation techniques used. The second week was spent reviewing instructing components of National Wildfire Coordination Group fire investigation and fire prevention courses with our hosts.

As part of the longer-term building effort, the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Greek government have initiated a two-year cooperative program to address emergency and wildfire management needs in Greece. The U.S. Forest Service is collaborating with several ministries in Greece, including the Hellenic Ministry of Interior, the Hellenic Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, and the Hellenic Ministry of Rural Development and Food, to support their efforts to mitigate damage from future fires and improve capacity in wildfire suppression, prevention, and rehabilitation in Greece.