The first group of Bulgarian firefighters this summer passed through the Kulata border on their way to Thessaloniki, the Greek ERT said. This season Bulgarian firefighters will help their Greek counterparts to fight forest fires.

The Bulgarian mission was met by a delegation, led by the chief of the firefighting services in the Serres prefecture Nikos Papadopoulos. The Bulgarian firefighters are divided into two groups of 22 and will be accommodated in the Thessaloniki suburb of Mikra.

From there the Bulgarian firefighters will take part in extinguishing of fires across the whole of Greece. In addition they will train in methods for fighting forest fires, used by Greek firefighters, who have a rich experience and are considered among the most efficient.

In July and August Greece will receive over 180 firefighters from other European countries within a project for preventative deployment of firefighting forces, which is implemented under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. The countries which send firefighters include Bulgaria, France, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and Malta. For the first time such a preventative firefighting mission was organized last year.

The project was called by the competent EU ministers as a practical demonstration of European solidarity. After its success this year European firefighters will be sent to France and Portugal as well.

/PP/