The regular meeting of the Local Civil Protection Operational Coordination Body (TESOPP) was held at Kythira City Hall. Among the topics discussed, preparations for the fire season stood out, and the officials each addressed issues of readiness and operational capacity from their respective perspectives.
Opening the discussion, the mayor addressed the issue of the Fire Safety Regulations for properties located within or near forested areas, stating that they are completely unenforceable. He also submitted a proposal to the coordinating committee, in which he endorsed the relevant decision of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), which he attached. More specifically, he said: «The position of the Municipal Authority, which I am also recording here, is that we align with the KEDE decision of April 10, 2024; we consider the regulation completely unenforceable, because the Municipality of Kythira does not have the staff to form three-member committees and go out to issue fines. It does not even have the specialized personnel required by the regulation. Amendments have already been made, and several provisions that were originally included have been removed from the regulation. In any case, however, we will support the appeal to the Council of State that K.E.D.E. will file, because once again the central government is passing the buck to the municipalities, imposing responsibilities we do not have and without considering whether the municipalities have the staff and resources to carry out these duties. We will not accept this under any circumstances. I am adamant on this issue, and this is the response we will give—and are already giving—to all citizens who come to the Technical Department and bombard us with requests asking us to form committees and rush around to find the properties that haven’t been cleaned up. This simply cannot be done; there is no way for the Municipality of Kythira—or even larger municipalities—to do this, and the KEDE press release dated April 10 will be attached to today’s minutes.».
It is worth noting that representatives of the law enforcement agencies reported at the meeting that their departments are so understaffed that even carrying out their duties presents significant difficulties. More specifically, there are issues regarding both personnel and vehicles for the Fire Department, the Police Department, and the Kythira Coast Guard Station.
The mayor promised them that he would submit written reports to the relevant authorities with the aim of addressing the issues immediately.
Also during the coordination meeting, the head of the Kythira Fire Department, Fire Chief Spyridon Fountoulakis, reported on the Antinero II project, noting that in Gerakari, despite the cleanup of the area, debris such as branches has been left on the ground, increasing the risk in the event of a fire. The Mayor of Kythira responded by saying that he would contact the Forest Service and the contractor who cleared the area to ensure that the site is restored.
