Christodoulos Topsidis protests the transfer of Kavala's Air Ambulance Base to Samos

The decision by Fire Service Chief, Lieutenant General Theodoros Vagias, to transfer the Kavala Air Ambulance Base of the National Center for Emergency Care (EKAB) to Samos has sparked strong opposition from the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Christodoulos Topsidis.

According to the governor, this move means that the closest Air Ambulance Base to northern Greece will now be in Anchialos, located in the Magnesia regional unit.

Mr. Topsidis has sent a letter of protest to the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vasilis Kikilias, expressing his regret over the change in the headquarters of the Regional Readiness and Alert Bases as dictated by decision No. 173 Φ. 105.3 issued by Fire Service Chief Mr. Vagias.

The governor pointed out that this decision effectively abolishes the Readiness and Alert Base headquartered in Kavala, which had been established under Article 54 of Law 5075/12-12-2023 to support the design and implementation of the National Air Rescue and Air Ambulance Plan (ESEDA). This base is now being relocated to Samos.

“As a result, all the new EKAB Air Ambulance Readiness and Alert Bases are now concentrated in the southern and central mainland and island regions, leaving the closest base to northern Greece in Anchialos, Magnesia, and in western Greece, in Aktion.

This effectively leaves all of northern Greece without any Readiness Base, making the entire geographical region operationally uncovered!” Mr. Topsidis emphasized. He further argued, “It is humanly impossible to save someone living in northern Evros, as the time required for transportation to the nearest available base is so long that rescue becomes practically impossible.”

Mr. Topsidis also noted, “A border region that is widely recognized as the country’s northeastern stronghold cannot, under any circumstances, be cut off from the rest of the nation. Actions such as this certainly do not contribute to the prosperity of the region, which has been repeatedly emphasized as a priority by the Prime Minister himself.”

Finally, he called on Mr. Kikilias to reconsider the necessity of relocating the base from Kavala to Samos, “in the interest of the smooth and effective operation of EKAB, and to take all necessary actions. Otherwise, new operational sectors should be created to ensure full emergency coverage across the entire country.”

He also enclosed a map illustrating the newly shaped situation.