EU prepares for 2025 fire season

Although it would seem that the fire season this year will only begin in a few weeks, the EU is already preparing for an increased risk of fires in the coming months. It has gathered information on teams of firefighters and aircraft that will be deployed in the near future to support the European countries most at risk, in order to secure adequate resources.

Fire hazard

Currently, the fire danger in Europe has been described as low, but the situation is dynamic and could change in the coming weeks. Increasingly widespread drought and a lack of precipitation mean that the threat may emerge earlier than usual. Observations in Poland are already showing that this year is likely to be very dry, with a consequent increase in fire danger. We wrote about the extremely difficult hydrological situation in our country in a previous article: Drought does not wait. Expert on how to keep water in the field . Many countries in Europe are in a similar or worse situation.

How is the EU preparing for wildfire season?

The EU, to effectively support local fire departments in the most vulnerable countries in July and August, plans to deploy nearly 650 additional firefighters to high-risk locations in France, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

In addition, the 10 member states will have 22 firefighting aircraft and four helicopters at their disposal in case of need. These resources, coordinated by the Union and co-funded by the Union, will help reduce risks and enable a faster and more effective response to a crisis.

Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM).

One of the most important elements of preparing for the fire season is the Civil Protection Mechanism, launched in 2001. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which serves to coordinate assistance at the European level and ensures that emergency and crisis information is received in a timely manner in all member states and countries belonging to the mechanism. Currently, these include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine.

The activation of activities depends on the receipt of an official appeal for assistance from the affected country. It can be requested by countries participating in the mechanism, other countries of the world and authorized international organizations. In the Republic of Poland, the role of contact point for the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is performed by the Headquarters of the State Fire Service.

European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP).

The EU recently established the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP), which aims to strengthen European cooperation. Its goal is to enable a faster, better coordinated and more effective European response to both man-made and natural disasters.

All EU member states, along with 10 additional participants in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, are free to commit available resources. They are ready for rapid deployment to disaster zones and consist of the specialized personnel and equipment needed to respond effectively to disasters.

The European Commission has established a certification and registration process that ensures high operational standards for emergency response teams and their equipment.

As of January 2025, member and participating states have offered a total of 148 specialized response teams for the European Civil Protection Pool. Of these, 101 are certified and ready to be deployed for response operations both inside and outside the EU. All that is required is a request for assistance issued through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Poland has so far offered 9 rescue modules.

Membership in the European Civil Protection Pool is not only an acknowledgment of the modules’ professionalism, but also increased funding when they are orchestrated for real operations. For certified modules, the European Commission covers up to 75 percent of operating costs.

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