Cyprus’s Interior Ministry is seeking Cabinet approval for a €2 million fund to clear dry vegetation around high-risk communities and is pushing out fire trucks, radios and upgraded emergency alerts — all measures drawn from the gaps exposed by last year’s deadly wildfire in the Limassol mountains.
The €2 million grant, once approved, will go to community councils to clear vegetation within a 500-metre perimeter around their communities.
The work has been deliberately scheduled for April and May to maximise its effect immediately before the summer fire season. Fire-affected communities and those bordering forests are also to receive double-cab fire trucks.
The subsidy available to community councils for purchasing fire trucks has already been raised from 50 per cent to 80 per cent. Around 30 additional applications have been approved since September, 17 of them in fire-affected areas.
One of the gaps identified after last year’s Malia fire was the loss of mobile signal, which cut communities off from direct contact with Civil Defence.
To address this, radios are being delivered to high-risk communities, with distribution and training to be completed by the end of April. The radios will give communities direct contact with Civil Defence during emergencies.
On public alerting, the Safecy app has been upgraded to push immediate evacuation notices to residents. An automated messaging system has also been set up to notify all village heads simultaneously when the Polyvios plan — the civil emergency protocol activated ahead of Civil Defence personnel arriving on the ground — needs to be triggered.
Annual training on the Polyvios plan is under way. Nicosia and Paphos districts are currently at 50 per cent completion; the remaining districts have reached 80 per cent. The ministry’s target is 100 per cent across all districts by the end of April.
A circular was sent to community councils last month requiring them to clear plots within their boundaries, and district inspection teams will check high-risk communities in May to confirm the work has been done and that contracts for the perimeter clearance have been awarded.
The ministry has also prepared a proposal to lease bulldozers and other heavy vehicles for standby use during the summer, and fire suits sourced from the Department of Forests are being distributed to selected communities through Civil Defence. An additional order is awaited before the remaining high-risk communities can be equipped.
The ministry noted that communities themselves carry a share of the responsibility — and must act promptly on clearing road verges and plots within their own boundaries.