During the 8th Ministerial Meeting of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement held on 21 February 2000 in Athens, and following a relevant proposal from Greece, it was decided to establish a European center for dealing with forest fires in Athens, with its headquarters at the General Secretariat for Civil Protection. On 3 June 2000 in Paris, at the Meeting of the National Representatives of EUR-OPA member countries, it was decided to inaugurate the European Center for Forest Fires (ECFF). After a probationary period of two years, the centre officially joined the network of specialised Euro-Mediterranean Centers operating within the framework of the Agreement in 2004.
Centre's host organisation: Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, General Secretariat for Civil Protection
Structure
ECFF is accommodated and run at the headquarters of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection in Athens. The Centre is administrated by two committees: the Administration Committee and the Scientific Committee which are approved by the General Secretary for Civil Protection.
Objectives
The focus of the centre is to conduct research on issues relevant to wildfires, such as fires in forest-urban mixed zones (suburban forests), the use of chemical substances in forest firefighting, personal protective equipment and health protection measures against wildfires. Both the objectives and the activities of the centre are aligned with the objectives and priorities of the Council of Europe and EUR-OPA, such as the protection of population groups which are considered as at higher risk, hence more vulnerable in disasters related to wildfires or other related hazards.
Main activities and latest achievements
The main activities of the ECFF include implementing projects under the EUR-OPA framework that align with its objectives and are carried out in collaboration with other specialised scientific centres within the EUR-OPA Network. These projects result in deliverables including publications that highlight good practices and lessons learnt derived from the implemented activities. Moreover, ECFF organises dissemination events, such as workshops and conferences, to share its outcomes and findings more effectively to the relevant target audience for raising awareness.
Recent projects
“Resilience4ALL: Public Awareness raising upon Disaster Risks via Accessible Digital tools and drafting of Good Practices for Training of the first responders focusing on persons with disabilities” (2024-2025) Coordinating Center: ECFF, Partner: ECPFE
“Inclusion of Vulnerable groups in Disaster Preparedness and Response for coping with emerging risks: Evacuation exercise including persons with disabilities” (2022-2023). Coordinating Center: ECFF, Partner: ECPFE
“POPIRiM. Population involvement on risk management and mitigation - Testing in small communities” (2022-2023). Coordinating Center: CERU, Partner:ECFF
"Preseismic Assessment of the Traditional Dwellings, Vulnerability Assessment, and Evacuation of the Old Town of Rhodes"2020-2021. Coordinating Center: ECPFE, Partner: ECFF
Recent dissemination events
“Leave No One Behind: Inclusivity in Disaster Preparedness and Response” 8/11/2022, Athens, Greece.
The workshop was organized by ECFF, in cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP) and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) The workshop was held in November 2022 at the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in Athens, Greece. The workshop aimed to promote dialogue among over 100 participants from different organisations including representatives from the disability community, to illuminate diverse perspectives and bring to the fore the voice of persons with disabilities, tackling their real needs in emergencies.
Evacuation Exercise with Participation of Persons with Disabilities:
The evacuation exercise was organised by ECFF in collaboration with the Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP), the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities Greece (ESAmeA)/ Institute of National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities & Chronic Diseases Greece (IN-ESAmeA), the European Centre on Prevention and Forecasting of Earthquakes (ECPFE), the Hellenic Fire Service and the National Centre of Emergency Care. It took place on October 26th, 2023, at ESAmeA premises in Athens, Greece, with the participation of persons with disabilities. As part of the exercise, techniques for managing persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as guiding techniques for persons with visual disability were demonstrated.
Innnovation of this exercise: The Early Engagement and Consultation of the representatives from the disability community in all phases of the exercise (design-planning-implementation-active involvement).
Accessible videos
“The rights of Persons with Disabilities in Emergency Situations” accessible video was prepared in 2024 under the framework of the project “Resilience4ALL” and aims to communicate the rights of persons with disabilities in emergencies considering different types of disability (physical, visual, hearing, or intellectual/cognitive/developmental/psychosocial disability and chronic diseases).
It was a joint effort among ECFF, the Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP), and the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities Greece (ESAmeA)/ Institute of National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities & Chronic Diseases Greece (IN-ESAmeA). Link to Youtube video
The “Disability Management Techniques in Emergencies, Training Video for Firefighters,” was prepared for providing practical guidelines on how to manage persons with: Visual, Intellectual/Cognitive/Developmental/Psychosocial, Hearing, or Physical Disability and Chronic Diseases. It was prepared in 2024 under the framework of the project “Resilience4ALL”.
It was a joint effort among the ECFF, the Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP), the Hellenic Fire Corps and the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities Greece (ESAmeA)/ Institute of National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities & Chronic Diseases Greece (IN-ESAmeA). Link to video
Training Course of Fire-Fighters on Disability Management Techniques: Turning Inclusion into Action
A training Course for 20 Greek Fire-fighters in managing persons with different types of disability took place on May 2024 at ESAmeA premises, with the contribution of ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA instructors. The training was initiated by the ECFF, approved and run with the support of the Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP), as well as with the contribution of the Hellenic Fire Corps, and was implemented in collaboration with the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities Greece (ESAmeA)/ Institute of National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities & Chronic Diseases Greece (IN-ESAmeA).
Publications
ECFF has prepared a number of publications since its inauguration that are available here.
The recent ones are the following:
“Leave no one behind: Active involvement of persons with disabilities in disaster preparedness and response towards strengthening inclusive disaster resilience (2024) (available here).
“Multi-hazard risk approach and inclusive community engagement in disaster risk management: Experiences and lessons learned by a recent wildfire event in the Greek island of Rhodes amidst COVID-19 pandemic crisis (2021)” (available here).
Miscellaneous
ECFF was invited to various missions to share its scientific expertise and promote its work within the EUR-OPA framework:
Collaboration with UNDRR
EFDRR Roadmap 2021-2030: Action-oriented Dialogue “Inclusive and Collaborative Systems for Heat and Wildfire Risks Governance”, 21 October 2022, Athens, Domotel Kastri
The Government of Greece with the support of EFDRR, UNDRR, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe, organised this dialogue to address key issues in Eastern Mediterranean countries. ECFF was invited to speak at the session "Leave no one behind: Addressing urban heat vulnerability," presenting on "Towards an inclusive approach in Disaster Preparedness and Response," with a focus on wildfire smoke and its impact on persons with disabilities. For more information follow this link.
Blog on PreventionWeb/UNDRR, the global knowledge sharing platform for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience
ECFF was invited to present the story line of the evacuation exercise that took place in Athens, Greece with the participation of persons with disabilities. The title is “Inclusive evacuation exercises in multi-hazard scenarios: lessons learnt from Greece in 2024 - Available here.
Making Cities Resilient 2030-UNDRR: Special report on heat and wildfire governance for Inclusive Communities
ECFF was selected as one of two lead organisations for the 2024 report “Flames of Change: Innovating Heat and Wildfire Governance for Inclusive Communities.” This report explores innovative and inclusive approaches to heat and wildfire governance across Europe, aiming to provide policymakers and stakeholders with the insights, solutions, and tools needed to reduce the risks of heat, drought, and wildfire, ensuring that no one is left behind. Link to report
Making Cities Resilient 2030-UNDRR: Special Report on Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction and Prevention
ECFF in collaboration with IN-ESAmeA prepared a dedicated report on disability inclusion in disaster risk reduction, connected with the other MCR2030 flames of chance report, entitled “Flames of Change "Special Report on Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction and Prevention", MCR2030, UNDRR (2024). The report highlights disability inclusion in disaster risk reduction, addressing challenges that increase vulnerability and outlining key international and European frameworks for inclusive preparedness and response. Link to report
Adaptation of Cities to Climate-Related Extreme Events (UNECE/UNDRR): Presentation of ECFF’s case study
ECFF was invited by UNECE/UNDRR to present the Case of Athens, Greece, for an inclusive community engagement as a good practice for strengthening community’s coping capacity in the face of emerging risks. Link to study
Virtual Ignite Stage Intervention at the UNDRR Europe and Central Asia Regional Platform, Montenegro, 6-8 November 2024 and at the UNDRR Global Platform, Switzerland, 2-6 June 2025
ECFF was selected to participate at the Virtual Ignite Stage of the UNDRR Regional Platform, together with IN-ESAmeA, with a presentation entitled “Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Reduction and Prevention”. Link to programme
ECFF also made this presentation at the Virtual Ignite Stage of the UNDRR Regional Platform in Switzerland, 2-6 June, 2025. Link to programme
MCR 2030, UNDRR, City-to-City Learning Forum on Developing Urban Disaster Resilience, China, Nanning, 29-31 July 2024
ECFF was invited by ADB/UNDRR to present key takeaways from the Flames of Change Reports on heat and wildfire governance, and to share best practices for resilient cities and inclusive community engagement in DRR.
