The Hellenic Fire Service ( el, Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα, Pyrosvestiko Soma) is the national agency of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
for
fire and rescue service
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish conflagration, hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisd ...
. It is part of the
Ministry for Citizen Protection.
[''Αποστολή - Αρμοδιότητες ''](_blank)
(
History
![Fête nationale grecque (Athènes) (30595740062)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/F%C3%AAte_nationale_grecque_%28Ath%C3%A8nes%29_%2830595740062%29.jpg)
In 1833, with the establishment of the
Greek Kingdom
The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label=Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, where ...
, the fire responsibility was given to the individual
prefectures
A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
and
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
. In 1854 a Firemen Company (Λόχος Πυροσβεστών) was formed in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, as part of the
Greek Army
The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...
, expanded in 1861 into a two-company mixed sapper and firemen formation (Διλοχία Σκαπανέων και Πυροσβεστών). It was not until 1914 that the corps, now again known as Firemen Company and still under military control, was expanded to other cities outside Athens, covering also
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
,
Patras
)
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and
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...
.
In 1926, the Fire Service was formed as a separate branch within the military, but proved ineffective, so that in 1929, a Greek
émigré
An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French ''émigrer'', "to emigrate".
French Huguenots
Many French Huguenots fled France followi ...
from Russia, the former head of
St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
Fire Service Alkiviadis Kokkinakis, was tasked with reforming the service. In 1930, the Fire Service was reconstituted as an independent national authority under the
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
. Until 1975 the chiefs of the service were transferred from the
Gendarmerie
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
or the
Cities Police
The Cities Police ( el, Αστυνομία Πόλεων) was a Greek police force extant from 1921 to 1984, responsible for policing urban areas. It complemented the Hellenic Gendarmerie, which was responsible for rural and suburban areas.
Histo ...
.
From 1998 the Fire Service has also the responsibility for
forest fires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
, taking over from the Forestry Service.
Operation
![HFS_THE2_014_tow-crane](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/HFS_THE2_014_tow-crane.JPG)
Its mission is to provide safety for the citizens and their property. It operates during fires,
forest fires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
, car accidents, other natural or man-made
disasters
A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources ...
and during
rescue
Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation.
Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...
operations. Other duties include the collaboration with the other Greek security forces, prevention measures and information and/or education of the public. The various legal and regulatory texts describing the organization and operation of the Fire Service were
codified in 1992 in Presidential Decree 210.
Organization
![Hellenic Fire Service Super Puma](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Hellenic_Fire_Service_Super_Puma.jpg)
# The central body is located in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
# Regional Fire Services Administration
# Fire station of four grades (a,b,c,d) throughout the country
# Smaller fire stations (), plus voluntary fire stations and voluntary
# Special Units for disasters (EMAK)
# Special services:
## Firefighting Academy
## Coordinating Center (tel.199)
## General Warehouse Material
## Confrontation of arson crimes
Voluntary Corps
In 1991, a new Voluntary Corps was formed for
volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
[''Ο Θεσμός του Εθελοντή Πυροσβέστη'',Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα (www.fireservice.g]
/ref> (today the 15% of the strength). Volunteers act as a support force and they have to be officially recognized and trained by the Greece, Greek state. The legal and regulatory framework for volunteers in the Hellenic Fire Service and the Hellenic Coast Guard was updated with Law 4029 in 2011.[Law 4029, Government Gazette A 245, 2011-11-22]
Equipment
Since the 1930s, the Fire Service has used more than 3,500 vehicles. Today it owns about 2,500 trucks and cars (1,500 fire engines and fire tenders, 800 auxiliary and 200 special), 44 firefighting aircraft, 20 helicopters (5 belonging to the House and 15 leased) and 10 firefighting vessels.
Training
The training takes place at the Firefighting Academy () which is located in Kato Kifissia () with an annex at Villia Attikis. The first "Firefighting School" was established in 1936 at Sarri Street (an outpost of the 1st Fire Station) in Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, while the Academy was established in 1968.
Ranks
Gallery
File:International Loadstar fire truck in Thessaloniki.jpg, Old TEMAX fire-fighting vehicle
File:HFS THE2 DEH 6.jpg, Fire in ultra-high voltage transformer
File:2nd Fire Station Thessaloniki.jpg, Fire station in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
File:HFS THE2 003 pickup.JPG, HFS automobile
File:Hellenic Fire Service Jeep Cherokee.JPG, HFS Jeep
File:HFS THE2 015 tow-crane.JPG, HFS vehicle
File:Patras Feuerwehr.jpg, ELVO
The Elvo (Piedmontese: ''Elv'') is a torrent (an intermittent stream) in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy and is the principal tributary of the Cervo. It runs through the communes of Sordevolo, Occhieppo Superiore, Occhieppo Inferiore, Ce ...
fire engine
File:HFS THE2 012 Fire Pump.JPG, TEMAX fire engine
File:Mil Mi-26TC.jpg, A Mil Mi-26TC in firefighter role in action
See also
* Hellenic Police
The Hellenic Police ( el, Ελληνική Αστυνομία, ''Ellinikí Astynomía'', abbreviated ) is the national police service and one of the three security forces of the Hellenic Republic. It is a large agency with responsibilities ra ...
* Hellenic Coast Guard
The Hellenic Coast Guard ( el, Λιμενικό Σώμα-Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή, Limeniko Soma-Elliniki Aktofylaki, Port Corps-Hellenic Coast Guard) is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a par ...
* List of fire departments
This is a list of fire departments in the world. A fire department or fire brigade also known as a fire and rescue service or fire service is a public or private organization that provides firefighting, rescue and emergency medical services for a c ...
Notes and references
External links
* http://www.fireservice.gr
{{Greek security forces
Fire departments
Emergency services in Greece
1926 establishments in Greece