With the increasing incidence of forest fires caused by the combination of heat waves and high winds, there is an increasing need for effective means of monitoring outbreaks and coordinating the response of emergency services. A critical factor in the spread of such fires is often the degradation of power lines which can causing arcing, further igniting the surrounding vegetation.

The wildfire that killed at least 102 people on the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023 erupted from an earlier brushfire caused by downed power lines that firefighters believed they had extinguished, according to CNN. In August 2024 Reuters reported that “investigators suspect a faulty power cable may have caused Greece’s worst wildfire this year … that killed one woman and torched 10,000 hectares near Athens, covering a total area about the size of Paris”.

It is in this context that the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, HEDNO (DEDDIE in Greek), has made a substantial contribution to the work of the ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, as was announced at a ministry press conference this week.

Strengthening of civil protection measures in fire prevention

A total of 80 drones will be available for fire prevention this summer following a donation of €6 million by DEDDIE to the ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. This represents nearly a doubling of the drone fleet over last year when there were 47 available. The donation was announced at a press conference held on 15th April by the minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Giannis Kefalogiannis.

The donation is for the funding of 80 drone systems, and the provision of the associated flight operations, for the aerial monitoring of selected peri-urban forested ares. The basic aim is the timely warning and prevention of fires and the coverage of other operational needs of the Fire Service during the 2025 anti-fire period. The drone systems include not only the aerial monitoring units but also the associated operational control centres, ensuring continuous and reliable surveillance. They are equipped with advanced detection systems using artificial intelligence to monitor critical areas and immediately recognise incidents.

Monitoring will take place on a 24-hour basis, covering a multitude of strategic forested areas, with data being transmitted in real time to the responsible authorities for timely decision-making. Airborne monitoring will also be used to protect critical infrastructure, avoiding the effects of fire on transport and electricity distribution systems. It will also prove useful in coordinating the emergency services’ response to incidents. while facilitating the mapping and assessment of damage and the search for missing persons, both by day and by night.

Statements at the press conference
The minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection thanked DEDDIE for the donation, while also observing that the Fire Service “has been reinforced with an even larger number of personnel” this year, mainly permanent staff. “Altogether, including the seasonal staff, the Fire Service will have 18,000 people, both men and women,” he said. “Together with the thousands of volunteers both for the Fire Service and the voluntary organisations, and with the use of the firefighting aircraft which we will have … as well as with the use of the major AIGIS programme, which will provide us with extra resources in both this and subsequent years through the expansion of the national fleet, we are able to proceed with the best possible planning for the coming summer.”

Also speaking at the press conference, the CEO of DEDDIE Anastasios Manos said:
“This donation and the project in question is very important for DEDDIE. Given the ever more frequent appearance of extreme weather phenomena because of climate change, DEDDIE’s priority is now the protection of critical infrastructure from the spread of fire and the avoidance of its impacts on the Grid. Recently, in close cooperation with the State and the responsible authorities and with central coordination and planning, major emphasis has been placed on prevention, with further activities such as intervention in anti-fire zones in forests, deep pruning of trees, increased monitoring with emphasis on power lines in forest areas, monitoring with thermal cameras, etc.”

Where drones are deployed
During last year’s anti-fire season, drones were deployed in high-risk areas such as Attica, Corinthia, Arkadia, Boeotia, Lakonia, Evia, Thessaloniki, the Kalia Valda National Park near the Albanian frontier, the Evro, the Dadia National Forest Park, Xanthi and Thasos. During this year’s anti-fire season the system is being extended to new high-risk areas such as Crete, Rhodes and the islands of the Norther Aegean, where difficult of access makes airborne monitoring necessary. The aim is to strengthen the capacity for timely warning and effective monitoring, helping to improve the response of the relevant authorities and the protection of the country’s forests and natural resources.

(Haniotika Nea 16/04/25, Ministry press release)
For information on AIGIS, see International Fire and Safety Journal