Given the nation’s frequent fires and high temperatures, fire protection in Greece is crucial in safeguarding the natural environment. The country is among the EU member-states that spent the most on fire protection services in 2023, while it also employs among the highest numbers of firefighters in relative terms, according to a report released on Friday by the EU’s statistical authority, Eurostat.
The report indicates that the total number of professional firefighters employed in the European Union stood at 362,400. This represents 0.18% of the EU’s total employment, while in comparison to 2022, the number of firefighters increased by 3,200 in absolute numbers.
Among the 21 countries for which data is available, the highest ratios of firefighters as a percentage of total employment were recorded in Croatia (0.49%), followed by Estonia and Greece (both at 0.39%). The lowest ratios were in the Netherlands (0.05%), Finland, Slovenia, and Sweden (each at 0.13%).
At the EU level, firefighters aged 30 to 49 accounted for 61% of the total. Among them, the largest subgroups were those aged 40 to 44 (65,600 firefighters), followed by those aged 35 to 39 (59,100 firefighters).
Fire Protection Spending
In the same report, Eurostat noted that in 2022, general government spending on “fire protection services” in the 27 EU countries totaled €37.8 billion, reflecting a 7.8% increase from 2021 (€35.1 billion).
The share of overall government spending in the EU on fire protection services remained at 0.5%. Government spending on fire protection services has remained stable at 0.5% of total expenditure since 2016.
Spending by Country
In 2022, Denmark reported the lowest share of spending on fire protection services at 0.1% of total government expenditure, followed by Malta, Slovenia, Portugal, and Austria, each at 0.3%.
Conversely, Romania had the highest share of spending on fire protection services at 0.7% of total government expenditure, followed by Greece, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Czech Republic, each at 0.6%.
As the recent devastating forest fires in Attica at the start of August scorched over 100,000 acres of land, destroying multiple businesses and residences in its path, an obvious question casts doubt on how efficiently the state earmarked the money directed toward fire protection in Greece – be it staff allocation or technical infrastructure and coordination.
