Profile

The E.S.E.P.A. is a state-approved NGO service that runs under the roof of General Secretariat for Civil Protection with registry number 004 and the Ministry of Foreign with registry number 428.

Our purpose is to establish Voluntary Fire & Rescue Stations all over Greece, so we can complete the existing network of the Professional Fire Service and ambulance service.

We have already created 53 Fire & Rescue Stations in Greece, one International Training School, where we train Professional & Volunteers Firefighters from the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, North Italy, Liechtenstein and Cyprus.

    In the meantime, we have created the T.A.K. Department for Confronting Disasters in Greece and all around the world. Our first mission was for the Tsunami, which hit the countries of Southeast Asia in 2004/2005. The material provided comes up to the cost of 205.278€. The specific material is the following: tents for 360 people, 3 tones of dressing pads & bandages etc, 10 strechers and 2 mobile surgeries.

There are 3 units, the first one is at the International Training Center at Rizomata Imathia, the second one at the E. S. E. P. A. Station in Vrahneika Patra and the third at the E. S. E. P. A. Station in Koridallos Athens.

Each unit has the possibility of a camp for 120 people, mobile surgeries, stretchers, dressing pads & bandages etc, special rescuing vehicles 6x6, ambulances and special trucks for every kind of ground and many other.

The volunteers’ training system has 3 phases. The basic training which takes place at the Station, Special Trainings at the International Training School, which is located at Rizomata Imathia and special  courses at Firefighting Academies of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

At our stations there are also youth divisions, which are the future of the Corps. The training is similar to the adults’, they participate in international competitions and we prepare them for the participation in incidents after they have reached the age of 18.

We have to remind that similar organizations as       E. S. E. P. A. are existing all over  European Union and the rest of the world, with which of course we keep frequent contact  through our participation in CTIF.

E. S. E. P. A. has representatives in all commissions of CTIF, which forms the global firefighting task force, as it concerns new technologies, constant information about the global changes in the fields of firefighting & rescue.

Our fields are forest, domestic firefighting, Rescue from accidents, First Aid/Patient transfer services, replants in burnt areas, flood pumping and whatever we might be asked within our purpose.

We should never forget that: No Country or Nation can afford the cost of Civil Protection without the active partecipation of volunteers.