Procedures being accelerated to upgrade Greece’s civil protection system under the ‘Aegis’ program

Procedures are being accelerated for the implementation of the ‘Aegis’ program, which will upgrade Greece’s civil protection system for the prevention and response to natural disasters, it was reported on Saturday.

According to Greek Civil Protection sources, the tenders for upgrading and strengthening weather stations and for the supply of new radars for the National Meteorological Service are expected to launch from mid-October, owing to actions by the Minister of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection Vassilis Kikilias at the beginning of July that helped accelerate maturities, it was pointed out. The conduct of tenders for market consultation and most of the projects in the program has been undertaken to be matured and tendered by the Project Preparation Facility-PPF.

The total budget of the project amounts to 1.7 billion euros, of which 380 million comes from the Recovery Fund, the latter including the following upgrade budgets:

– Air surveillance control & management center: 14 mln

– Mobile command & control centers in the country’s 13 regions administrative regions: 7 mln

– Fire detection & extinguishing system: 10 mln

– Purchase of two medium-sized helicopters for medical use & one helicopter to transport the GSCP incident management team: 39.5 mln

– UAV (drones) for air surveillance: 2.5 mln

– Upgrade – modernization of seven aircraft Canadair CL415: 29 mln

– Purchase of two heavy helicopters Sikorsky / Erickson S-64 Skycrane: 46 mln

– Purchase of 11 amphibious firefighting aircrafts for islands: 35 mln

– Upgrade – modernization of two Super Puma: 3 mln

– Purchase of fire brigade vehicles & other response vehicles: 65.3 mln

– Purchase of GSCP vehicles for regional/local civil protection centers & voluntary organizations: 37.4 mln

– Supply of Baily-type folding portable bridges: 12.5 mln