Austrian firefighter ready to stand by Greece again
An Austrian firefighter who was one of 10 dispatched to Greece last month to help their colleagues battle devastating blazes in Evia and the Peloponnese, expressed his appreciation for meeting Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou during her recent visit to Austria and said he is ready to help again if needed.
In a letter addressed to the president a few days after she attended the European Forum Alpbach on August 23 and took the opportunity to meet with representatives of the firefighting team that had come to Greece earlier that month, crew commander Georg Crepaz of the Austrian Fire Brigade thanked the Greek president for meeting with the team and expressing the country’s gratitude to the Austrian firefighters for their help.
He also said that he is happy to have been able to help the people of Lalas in Ilia in the Peloponnese, while commenting on the “terrifying” impact of wildfires on flora, fauna and property.
“It is impossible to describe what these people did together and especially what they accomplished,” Crepaz added, referring to the efforts of his Greek colleagues and of local residents who threw themselves into the fight against the blaze.
Crepaz also stressed that he is “ready” to help again if necessary, while wishing, however, that Greece does not experience such fires again.
