On many occasions, countries were not able to fend off the worst of the fires by themselves and had to rely on other countries to step in for help. Even if the forest fires in Southern Europe have been extraordinary and exceptional this season, the dramatic and traumatic consequences show: Next to immediate assistance to save lives, it is about helping affected citizens re-build their livelihoods and, certainly not least, preserving our forests – Long-term and preventative investments in performing fire brigades pay off!

CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger said: “It lies in the nature of crises that they come over us unexpectedly. What we have however learnt in the past – from the financial crisis to terrorism, the Covid pandemic or the recent floodings in Germany and Belgium – is that they do inevitably occur. We do not know when or where exactly they break out and what form they will take, but we can be sure that they happen. And that many kinds of crises will occur more often due to climate change. So being prepared in advance is key.”

He added: “Public services are at the forefront to fight off crises of whatever nature. Performing administrations, police forces, health care staff and many further essential services are crucial to be prepared. Since public services are in high demand during crises, they need to stay performing and resilient all the time. That means they need to be well-staffed, well-equipped and well-resourced. This may seem expensive in normal times, but in the long term it is much cheaper than repairing the vast damages once they have occurred. This is what we had to experience painfully.”

On behalf of CESI and all its member organisations, Klaus Heeger also expressed his deepest gratitude to those fighting at the forefront.