Fare-ravaged Greece has offered “holiday vouchers” to hundreds of firefighters from foreign countries that responded to the call for assistance to tackle the raging inferno.
Grateful Greece Offers “Holiday Vouchers” to Foreign Firefighters
Last Friday, grateful Greece offered “holiday vouchers” to hundreds of firefighters from foreign countries that responded to the call for assistance. According to the Greek Reporter, the move is a gesture of gratitude to the hundreds of foreign firefighters from 11 EU countries and 12 non-EU countries that rushed to help their Greek counterparts to contain the catastrophic fires that burned more than 100,000 acres in the country throughout the month of August. According to the decision, the holiday vouchers allows them to receive touristic services in Greece.
Foreign Firefighters eligible to a holiday voucher
A joint ministerial decision was legislated on Friday, August 13, 2021, as a form of gratitude for the foreign aid.
According to the legislation, members of the foreign missions of the fire brigades, who helped in the difficult task of firefighting, are eligible to a holiday voucher.
The voucher allows them to receive touristic services.
- The joint decision – Article 28 – by the Ministers of Tourism, Finance, Development & Investment and Digital Governance, specifies the type of financial facility (voucher), its beneficiaries, the manner of its issuance and credit, the amount, the duration of provided services, the conditions and the period of use of the voucher as well as the necessary documents that need to be submitted by the beneficiaries.
The decision was published in the official gazette on August 13.
Source: KeepTalkingGreece
Romanian firefighters Return to Greece
Hundreds of firefighters from 11 EU countries and 12 non-EU countries went to Greece to help it combat the big fire fronts that burned down thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land, destroyed livestock and wildlife, houses and businesses since the beginning of the month.
While the majority of the foreign firefighters have since left Greece, a team of 143 firefighters from Poland are still fighting the blaze in Villia, north-western Attica.
Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrychoidis said on Thursday that Romania had offered to send firefighters with vehicles once more, after the more than 100 who had been operating in Greece earlier this month returned home.
Greece had accepted the offer “with gratitude,” the minister said. He did not specify how many Romanian firefighters would be involved or when they would be arriving.
Friday afternoon, however, the Romanian Embassy in Athens announced that the firefighters had left for Greece.
Source: KeeTalkingGreece
The international response to Greek wildfires included:
The EU member states that responded to Greece’s request to the European Civil Protection Mcchanism were Cyprus, France, Croatia, Sweden, Romania, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Austria.
A score of countries outside of the EU also sent help to Greece, showing how serious the situation is at the present.
The US, the UK, Switzerland, Israel, Ukraine, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Moldova, and Serbia also sent manpower, vehicles, planes, and equipment to Greece.
Source: GreekReporter
DONATE TO GREECE
Hellenic Red Cross, the Greek arm of the International Federation of Red Cross, has opened a fundraiser for both financial support and food for those affected by the fires. The team has been documenting its efforts to deliver food to victims and to help dogs who may have been separated from their owners during evacuation on Twitter. The organisation is currently taking donations via bank transfer (click through for details). To ensure the money is used for the desired cause, deposits should be marked “Pyrkagies”.