Corfu΄s ΄guardian angels΄
CORFU. The Athens-Macedonian News Agency writes about Corfu Motorcyclists΄ Volunteer Fire Protection Network.
The Athens News Agency (AMNA) published a letter by Maria Tzora about the Corfu Motorcyclists Club and their invaluable assistance, especially during the summer months, in the island’s fire protection efforts. The letter states:
"Faced with wildfires that burn forests and homes, turning thousands of stremma of natural environment and a lifetime’s work into ashes, Corfu Motorcyclists Club organised themselves to voluntarily support the authorities responsible for fire protection in their area.
Protecting the lush green island became their personal mission. They even managed to raise public awareness, resulting in the creation of a large volunteer network in Corfu that is present day and night.
At the island’s highest points, Corfiot motorcyclists have set up lookout posts. They built them themselves at strategic locations to oversee the entire island. There, they take shifts around the clock, from the end of May until October.
Social media became an important tool in their efforts. When we called the president of the Club, Konstantinos Konstantis, we heard him over the radio updating volunteers about a fire that had just broken out in a nearby village.
‘It’s our love and passion for our land, for our island, that gave birth to this initiative. We don’t replace any official authority — we simply assist with timely alerts about fire outbreaks,’ Mr. Konstantis told AMNA, and he spoke about how fire protection became part of the daily life of Club members Spiros Alexandris, Antonis Poulis, Stavroula Christou, Alexandros Kritikós, Giorgos Armeniakos, Despina Rari, Spiros Konispoliatis, and Akis Pigis.
He said that, when flames threatened northern Corfu in 2023, the Club’s motorcyclists rushed from all corners of the island to assist the Fire Department without hesitation. Some even installed water tanks on their pickup trucks and tractors and joined the fight against the flames. That was when the idea of volunteering gained momentum and the Club members organised themselves.
They built wooden lookout towers with their own hands, starting on the mountaintops of Agii Deka and Pantokratoras. To visually cover every corner of the island, they identified the highest points in Corfu’s varied terrain and constructed additional posts. These lookouts are fully equipped — binoculars, telescopes, radios for communication with all the motorcyclists. Each shift lasts six hours and involves four people. At the same time, Club motorcyclists patrol the island. From our discussion, it becomes clear that during the summer months, fire protection is a way of life for the Club’s 400 members. They are easy to recognise, as they all wear vests with the Club’s emblem.
As soon as smoke is spotted, the phones ‘catch fire’ and the Fire Department is immediately notified so the blaze can be tackled in time. The volunteers have managed to inspire residents with homes in the island’s higher elevations to join the network. They are also in contact with yacht captains, who — especially during the critical summer months — sail the seas around Corfu. Their cooperation with other smaller volunteer groups is also immediate.
M.Tzora"
Photo: Corfu Motorcyclists Club
Source: AMNA
