Rama speaks about measures against fires: They are on the horizon, time to act is short

2025-10-04 10:16:00, Politikë CNA

Rama speaks about measures against fires: They are on the horizon, time to act

Prime Minister Edi Rama declared today that Albania is strengthening preparations for the summer season and the challenges brought by climate change, through investments in advanced technology, increased air capacity and increased preventive measures on the ground.

The Prime Minister announced that the Air Force Academy, now officially opened, will soon physically launch from Vlora, where new pilots will be trained and the fleet's capacities will be further increased.

He also emphasized the need to increase the drone fleet, including drones with thermal cameras for real-time monitoring of forests and early detection of fire signals, as well as specialized drones for automatic planting, which are being evaluated as part of the strategy for the rehabilitation of damaged areas.

The Prime Minister also focused on the experience of other countries facing the same challenges, such as Greece, Italy and other countries in the region.

According to Rama, even though the European Union has made significant investments in civil protection systems, this year's losses have been among the largest in history.

"Every day, by doing those little jobs in the forest territories, we are more prepared for the moment when summer time comes."

Climate change is a new enemy of people, the planet, and all of humanity, and it is increasingly becoming a global concern.

We will continue to strengthen technology, without a doubt.

It will soon be physically opened, as the Air Force Academy has already opened, and the training of new pilots will begin in Vlora, as well as increasing the fleet's capacities.

Here we are at a center that speaks for itself about how our helicopter fleet has been transformed.

We need to significantly increase the drone fleet. We have prepared and are working on it daily, both with the procurement of drones with thermal cameras to monitor forests in real time and to catch fire signals as quickly as possible, and we are also evaluating proposals for drones that do planting.

I also do not forget the need to enrich our fleet with firefighting aircraft.

We need and have started work on alarm systems, creating control centers for rapid response.

These are the points around which the entire joint effort is summarized.

The reason we are here is to give a signal: today fires are on the horizon, but the time to confront them is precious and it is not long, it is short.

Every day, according to the tasks, we must do our part and we must do our job, because we have the opportunity.

We cannot stop fires, but we can work to reduce the inevitable damage as much as possible.

For this reason, I have followed the entire process of measures and interventions that other countries have undertaken, starting with Greece, which has a chronic problem and has made massive investments in all directions to increase resistance and reduce the level of damage in Italy or any other country in the region.

However, when it comes to fire season, we still see how difficult it is.

"Europe and the EU have made many investments in the defense system, but this year's losses have been the largest historical losses," Rama said./ CNA