VZCZCXRO3270
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHTH #1393/01 2151305
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031307Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0519
INFO RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS

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 
 
-------- 
Summary 
-------- 
 
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. 
 
---------------------------- 
The 2009 Fire Season: 
Continued Capacity Concerns 
---------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------ 
USG Assistance Efforts 
------------------------ 
 
¶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). 
 
----------------- 
Public Awareness 
----------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
---------- 
COMMENT 
---------- 
 
¶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