Firefighter shortages in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace raise alarm as wildfire risk climbs

According to the Firefighters’ Union of Macedonia–Thrace–Northern Aegean, critical understaffing affects multiple prefectures, including Meriç, Rhodope, İskeçe, Kavala, and Drama. The union warns that personnel gaps are significantly wider than those reflected in the most recent official organizational charts.

Urban Fire Stations Running Below Minimum Operational Capacity

For the past five years, city fire stations in the region have reportedly been operating with only five to six firefighters per shift, deploying two fire engines per incident. Official operational standards, however, require nine to ten firefighters per shift and three fire engines, with each vehicle staffed by a three-member crew.

In practice, when an urban fire breaks out, two fire engines depart simultaneously with four or five firefighters total, depending on shift size. At the same time, an emergency standby team is activated — but it requires additional time to arrive at the station and assume duties.

The union stresses that during this critical time gap, any second incident must be handled with delay rather than immediate response.

“Response time combined with available personnel is the decisive factor in managing emergencies effectively — whether urban fires, traffic accidents, rescues, or wildfires,” the union stated. “At minimum, city services must operate three fire engines staffed by eight firefighters plus the duty officer.”