With intense concern for the chronic pathologies of the state mechanism, but also with specific planning for this year, the 1st regular meeting of the Local Operational Coordinating Body for Civil Protection (TESOPP) of the Municipality of Kythera for 2026 was held.
The meeting, chaired by the Mayor, was attended by representatives of the Fire Brigade, the Police, the Coast Guard, the Forestry Department of Piraeus, the Hospital, the Ambulance Service, the Region of Attica, as well as the presidents of the local communities. The statements highlighted critical issues that threaten the security of the island.
1. The “thorn” of the cleaning of private plots
One of the most important issues of the meeting was the implementation of the new legislation (Law 5281/2026) that gives the Municipalities the power to impose fines for gross land. The Mayor made it clear that the Municipality of Kythera is practically unable to implement the measure.
At the same time, both Mr Koukoulis (Hospital Administrator) and the presidents of the communities stressed the financial inability of citizens (e.g. pensioners of 520 €) to bear the huge cleaning costs, which often reaches 800-900 €. The problem is complicated by the fact that less than 50% of the island's properties are registered in the Land Registry, while many owners are expatriates (e.g. in Australia). As a temporary solution, the Municipality intends to charge one mechanical lawnmower each to community chairmen for voluntary use.
2. Shortages in Hospital, Ambulance and Forestry
The understaffing of the island's key services has been at the centre of attention:
- Ambulance & Hospital: The island is essentially served by a single, old ambulance (the second one is often out of service due to breakdowns), while the request for a new vehicle is pending. The hospital faces serious shortages of medical staff and has only one person in the technical service, making it impossible to deal with a scenario of mass injuries or respiratory problems in the event of a major fire.
- Forestry: As revealed by the Piraeus Forester, since 2018 the service has no forest ranger, only an electrician.
- Coast Guard: It has only 9 crew members to cover all shifts, while the only floating vessel is inactive due to mechanical failure.
3. Coordination and “nightmare” in Kapsali
There was strong criticism from the Chairman of the Domestic Property, Mr. Venardos, and local presidents, for the lack of coordination in the field during major fires. The need to create a local, mobile “Operations Centre” was stressed, where the Fire Brigade chiefs would be assisted by locals who know the morphology and the road network, avoiding the “mess” with the forces arriving from the rest of Greece.
Special mention was made of the Kapsali, which was described as a “trap” due to its dense pine vegetation and limited escape routes. The fire brigade clarified that in an extreme scenario, people should take refuge in safe buildings near the sea, closing doors and windows. Another “high risk” area was designated the inaccessible zone west of Logothetianika.
4. Fire protection projects and funding
The Municipality of Kythera is proceeding with fire safety projects amounting to 349.000€ (exceeding the state grant of 228.000€).
- New Zones: The Forestry Department's study for 180 acres of fire protection zones (in Karavas, Aroniadika, Gerakari, Potamos etc.) was approved, with a completion date of the end of June.
- Firehouses & Airborne assets: A new fire station will be set up in Agia Elesa (for surveillance of the South), while the implementation of the government's commitment to park an aircraft at Kythera airport on days with a risk index of 3 and above is expected.
5. The conclusion of the 2017 fire and the DEDNO
The mayor made special reference to the big fire of 2017, stressing that his lawsuit against the then Fire Department leadership is ongoing, with felony charges pending. At the same time, spikes were expressed about the role of the BPA network in starting fires, with references to the ongoing investigation by technical consultants into incidents of medium-voltage cable cutting.
