First 20 firefighters from Moldova left for Greece on mission

Chisinau, July 14 /MOLDPRES/- Moldovan firefighters will take part in firefighting missions in Greece, a country with a high fire risk in summer. The first 20 employees of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) of the Ministry of Interior Affairs left on 13 July for the Hellenic Republic. The program is organized within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The deployment ceremony was attended by Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Interior Minister Adrian Efros, Greek Ambassador to Chisinau Nikolas Krikos and IGSU leadership.

The team will become part of the European effort in training intervention forces according to European standards in case of forest fires, which will contribute to the protection of communities and the environment.
In 2024, the countries requesting support are Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

President Maia Sandu: "In Europe of solidarity, countries help each other. I want to thank you for taking on this mission. This mission is further proof that the Republic of Moldova not only receives help, but also gives help. It is important to continue to strengthen the capacity of the emergency service to act in complicated situations. It is important to help citizens learn how to behave in such situations. I have every confidence that you will do well. Of course, I want to ask you to be careful, because we are waiting for you home in good health. This mission will also help further improve our relations with the Hellenic Republic, which we already have very good relations. You are our ambassadors in this country. The role of savior will only increase in the years to come."

Minister of Internal Affairs Adrian Efros: "Today, the Republic of Moldova is taking another step forward to demonstrate that it is a reliable partner for EU countries. The Republic of Moldova is the only country admitted to the Civil Protection Mechanism in this mission, alongside Bulgaria, Malta and Romania. You have a very difficult mission and a very difficult task and I am convinced that you are ready to face this task. I wish you success and do not forget that you represent not only IGSU and MAI, but also the whole country. Thank you for the courage and dedication you show by participating in such missions."

Colonel Alexandru Oprea, IGSU head: "The team of the Republic of Moldova is in front of us. Colleagues, you have passed all the physical and practical exercises, you know all the procedures applicable in such missions. The Republic of Moldova joins the basic principle of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and solidarity."

The Republic of Moldova's team totals 40 firefighters and 7 technical intervention units. Twenty IGSU staff with 5 technical units left for the Hellenic Republic on July 13. On July 29, another 20 rescuers will be deployed to NEA Makri region with 2 technical units for rotation.

As forest fires have become an increasingly frequent and devastating threat all over the world, including in EU member states, the IGSU was selected to contribute to this joint effort to manage and reduce the risks associated with this phenomenon. In total, intervention teams have been selected from 12 countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Austria, France, Spain and Moldova, with a total number of over 500 firefighters.

The program is funded by the European Union and part of the costs will be borne by the Republic of Moldova. The mission is managed by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), aimed at improving response capacity and interoperability between equipment and intervention teams from different European countries.