“The First Minutes Decide the Battle”: Manos Konsolas Calls for a Permanently Based Firefighting Aircraft on Kos
Dodecanese MP Manos Konsolas is calling for an Air Tractor firefighting aircraft or a firefighting helicopter to be permanently stationed on Kos throughout the annual wildfire season.
In a parliamentary intervention addressed to Greece’s Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Mr Konsolas stressed the need to strengthen the island’s immediate aerial firefighting capability.
His intervention follows the recent wildfire in Pyli, which, he said, once again demonstrated the need for a dedicated aerial firefighting asset to be based on Kos during the months of heightened fire risk.
The Dodecanese MP placed particular emphasis on response time, noting that the distance an aircraft must cover before reaching and operating over Kos can be crucial to the course of a dangerous wildfire.
“When a dangerous fire breaks out on an island such as Kos, the first few minutes are critical,” he stressed, arguing that the immediate deployment of a firefighting aircraft or helicopter could make a decisive contribution to containing the blaze.
Mr Konsolas also referred to the Civil Protection service’s current operational planning for Rhodes. Three single-engine Air Tractor firefighting aircraft, he noted, are permanently stationed at Maritsa Airport during the wildfire season and are ready for rapid deployment.
He is therefore asking the government to consider revising its operational plan for the islands and stationing either an Air Tractor aircraft or a firefighting helicopter at Kos Airport throughout the wildfire season.
The proposal once again highlights the particular challenges faced by Greece’s islands, where distance and the time required for aerial resources to arrive can determine whether a wildfire is contained quickly or develops into a major emergency.
