Europe’s Firefighters Call for More Resources as Climate Change Hikes Wildfire Threat

Firefighters across Europe are calling for more resources as climate change increases the threat of wildfires across the region.

While the European Union announced a doubling of its aerial firefighting fleet for this season to 24 airplanes and four helicopters, that’s not enough, according to unions from 15 countries affiliated to the European Public Service Unions. More personnel, training and protective equipment are needed to meet the challenge posed by higher temperatures, especially after cuts to services over the past 10 years.

The risk to economies from wildfires has grown in recent years, with US ratings agencies even downgrading utilities exposed to such natural disasters. Last summer was Europe’s hottest on record, with major fires in France and Greece raising concerns that emergency services aren’t prepared for the extreme weather brought by climate change.

“If Europe is serious about climate adaptation and mitigation, it has to stop with cuts in public services,” Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU general secretary, said in an emailed statement. “Firefighters are a good example of investment in public services adapting to climate crises.”

Photograph: A helicopter dumps water over a wildfire in Greece in 2021. Photo credit: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Europe Wildfire Climate Change