No more ALMKE fire protection

In a series of posts on social media, the Corfu Motorcycle Club (ALMKE) announced that it is ending its participation in the island's voluntary wildfire protection efforts, an activity it had carried out for many years by staffing fire lookout posts and observation points during the fire season.

"And now it's official! The Club's fire protection activities are over! The Forestry Department and everyone else have banned us. Have a great summer," reads the club's latest post, which is accompanied by commemorative photographs of its volunteers.

The issue, however, appears to have a second, institutional dimension. ALMKE has not been registered—at least to date—in the Special Register of Civil Protection Volunteer Organisations, which currently includes three certified volunteer organisations in Corfu, while a fourth is in the process of joining. Under the protocols in force on days of high wildfire risk, access to fire lookout posts and forestry facilities is restricted exclusively to authorized organisations and designated personnel. According to available information, this restriction was also applied to ALMKE members.

This is precisely where the confusion among the public appears to have originated. Over the years, the club had established a strong and highly visible presence in monitoring Corfu's forests, leading many residents to believe that it formed an integral part of the island's official wildfire protection system. That perception was reinforced both by the public visibility of its activities and by the practical cooperation it had developed with the Fire Service and Civil Protection authorities, despite the fact that it had never been formally registered in the official registry of certified volunteer organisations.

The core of the issue extends beyond the withdrawal of an active volunteer group. It also raises a broader question: how was it possible for an uncertified organisation to participate for years in the surveillance of forested areas while being perceived by the public as part of the official civil protection mechanism?

If an informal yet effective working relationship had existed until now, then this year's development marks a change in the way the institutional framework is being implemented. If, on the other hand, the authorities maintain that they are simply enforcing the legislation more strictly, they should explain this publicly so that no doubts remain over a matter that concerns both the protection of Corfu's forests and the role of volunteerism on the island.

GIORGOS KATSAITIS