Aerial firefighters meet in Greece

The first ever Aerial Firefighting (AFF) Conference was held October 21 and 22 at Athens, Greece. Delegates from firefighting agencies, research institutions, wildfire chemical companies, and aircraft manufacturers gathered at the Olympic Hotel. More than 24 presentations were offered during the two-day conference.

In Greece, for example, a large population has moved from rural communities to urban centers leaving behind land that was traditionally agricultural and forested. When the agricultural lands and forests are left untended the potential for wildfires throughout the country becomes high.

Last year 67 persons perished in wildfires throughout Greece. Many wildfires were intentionally set in order to destroy forests so that landowners could then build on their property. Organizers of the conference presented the AFF conference in Athens because of the wildfire threat that Greek firefighting agencies deal with every year.

Although representatives of the Greek government were invited to the conference they did not attend despite repeat calls to government officials by conference organizers. Several days before the start of the conference the Greek military, citing security concerns, announced that there would be no demonstrations of firefighting aircraft, fixed wing or helicopters, at a nearby military airfield.

The AFF conference was an excellent opportunity for wildfire experts, firefighting aircraft manufacturers, pilots and fire agency administrators from Australia, Canada, the United States, Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Greece, Italy, Japan, Poland and Belgium to meet and share information on recent developments in aerial firefighting.
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