Firefighters from France have arrived in Greece to assist their Greek colleagues to combat the numerous wild- and forest-fires ravaging the country. The French contingent consisting of 25 firefighters will be stationed in Attica throughout the month of August. 27 firefighters from Norway and 48 firefighters from Finland are expected …
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“Heroes” in August, “troublemakers” in November: Riot police attacks firefighters (videos)
With tear gas and water canon, riot police attacked firefighters who staged a peaceful protest on Friday demanding better pay and working conditions as well as permanent work contracts. One protester, a seasonal firefighter, has been injured from sound flares and may have one finger ambutated. Five protesters were detained. …
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Greek President thanks Austrian volunteer firefighters
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expressed the country’s appreciation for the help Austrian volunteer firefighters and other volunteers provided with the multiple fires in Greece, on Monday. Sakellaropoulou is in Austria to attend the European Alpbach Forum and met at Innsbruck with a group of volunteer firefighters. She told them that …
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Greece offers “holiday voucher” to foreign firefighters
Greece has offered “holiday vouchers” to firefighters from foreign countries that responded to the call for assistance. A joint ministerial decision was legislated last 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, …
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Greece shows its gratitude to foreign firefighters (videos)
Officially and unofficially Greece showed its gratitude to the foreign firefighters who assisted the country in the battle against the devastating wildfires in Attica, Evia and Peloponnese. Local communities danced together with the foreign firefighters, local teams took souvenir pictures and the convoys departed with a hell of a noise. …
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54 firefighters transferred out of rescue unit EMAK for refusing to get vaccinated
A total of 54 firefighters who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 have been transferred out of the fire service’s Special Disaster Management Units (EMAK). The transfer takes place a month after the deadline for vaccination of EMAK members expired. In May, the Fire Service leadership decided in May that …
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Two firefighters injured in operation against big wildfire in Mani
Two firefighters were injured while they were struggling to extinguish a big wildfire in East Mani, South-West Peloponnese. According to local media, one of the firefighter suffered severe burn injuries on the legs, while the other fell and injured his chest on rock. In a rescue operation with the help …
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Efforts to extinguish the fire continue, as ferry leans to one side
Efforts to extinguish the fire in the passenger ferry Eleftherios Venizelos are in full power at the port of Piraeus still at 3 o’ clock Wednesday afternoon. With water and foam firefighters try to get the fire under control. However, conditions are difficult due as the garage in fully loaded …
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Australian Firefighters send heartwarming solidarity message to Greece
Heartwarming message of solidarity to Greece from far-away Austria. Firefighters in Newtown in New South Wales send a message of solidarity not only to their Greek colleagues but to all Greeks and especially those hit by the deadly wildfires in Attica this week. A sign of solidarity posted on the …
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Greek court acquits Spanish firefighters, Danish NGO members of smuggling refugees
A criminal court on the island of Lesvos acquitted three Spanish firefighters members of the NGO Proem-Aid, and two Danes of Arab descent, members of the NGO Team Humanity on Monday. In a session that lasted nine hours the court acquitted the NGO members and ordered return of the bail. …
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Lesvos: Spanish firefighters, Danish NGO members accused of smuggling refugees
Three Spanish firefighters and two Danes, all members of non-governmental organizations, stand trial on the island of Lesvos on Monday. Greek authorities accuse them of smuggling refugees into the island of Eastern Aegean Sea and into the European Union in January 2016. The accused say they were only trying to …
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Fire Brigades rescue dog from rushing river waters (video)
A shepherd spotted a dog swept away from the waters of the river Alfeios in Peloponnese. The poor animal had somehow manage to save himself from the rushing waters on one of the rocks of the river bed rock under a bridge. But it was trapped. The shepherd called the …
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Heroes of Greece: A Tribute to Firefighters – Video by Luke Brown
Hundreds of firefighters have been fighting all through the summer against the wildfires across Greece. Every summer the same story. They spend exhausting hours and even days inside the fire fronts that burn down hundreds of thousands of acres every year. They do more than just their best to prevent …
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Athens: Anti-austerity police protesters against riot police VIDEO
Tension between protesters from police, fire brigades and coast guard on one side and riot police on the other side broke out short after 8 o’ clock in the evening on Wednesday when the angry protesters tried to break the police cordon and enter the Greek Parliament. Riots policemen and …
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Athens: Angry firefighters raid ministry protesting labor contracts
Angry firefighters broke the main entrance of the Greek Ministry for Administrative Reforms on Wednesday and forced themselves into the building demanding a meeting with the minister. Thousands of firefighters gathered in downtown Athens to protest over their labor contracts that are about to expire. They staged a protest outside …
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Athens: Protesters Boo FinMin, Riot Police Fires Tear Gas Against Protesting Policemen
This that did not happened a couple of weeks ago, occurred on Thursday morning. Riot Police fired tear gas against protesting policemen, firefighters and coastal guards. Riot Police vs Protesting Police According to Greek media, the unionists had formed a human chain outside the Maximos Mansion in order to prevent …
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Protesting Policemen Set “Gallows” Outside Greek Finance Ministry (video, picts)
Powerful pictures, full of symbolism: one policeman, one firefighter and one coastal guard “hang” themselves outside the Greek Finance Ministry in downtown Athens, near the Greek Parliament. They stand there for a couple of minutes. Silent. The crowd chants: “Thieves! Thieves! Thieves!” Video: Protesting Policemen – Gallows outside the Finance Ministry/slogans …
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Athens Boils: Riot Police Threatens Protesting Policemen with Tear Gas (video, picts)
Rare scenes in Greece: Protesting policemen were confronted by riot policemen, with the latter threatening the first, that they would fire tear gas. These unprecedented scenes occurred on Thursday morning outside the police academy in Goudi suburb of Athens. Protesting policemen had gathered outside the police academy in order to prohibit police squads …
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Patras/Achaia: Several Areas in State of Emergency Due to Wildfires
The areas of Ano and Kato Kastritsi, Argyra, Sellia and Platani in the Achaia prefecture, Western Peloponnese, have been declared into a state of emergency after wild fires broke in the early morning on Wednesday. Firefighters struggle to extinguish the fire, while residents of several communities are fleeing as flames threaten their …
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One Firefighter Dies, 3 Injured While Extinguishing Wildfires at Air Force Base
One firefighter died and 3 others are hospitalized with burns and breathing problems. The firefighters were trying to extinguish several wildfires in Aspropyrgos, Elefsina and Salamina areas some 50 kilometers west from Athens. According to Greek media, the 28-old man who passed away had inhaled smoke and fainted. In the hospital the doctors …
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