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Seasonal Firefighters: €1,000 Summer Heroes Facing Winter Unemployment
🇬🇷 Greece /Economy & Trade

Seasonal Firefighters: €1,000 Summer Heroes Facing Winter Unemployment

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Seasonal firefighters in Greece say they work on the front line of increasingly severe wildfires while earning about €1,000.
  • Firefighter Kostas Tsamouras recalled losing his home in the 2021 Northern Evia fires while he was fighting the blaze elsewhere.
  • The firefighters are protesting for year-round employment, arguing that seasonal work and unemployment benefits do not meet their needs.

Seasonal firefighters in Greece enter the fire line knowing they may not know when they will return home. They describe a summer job that places them in extreme danger, yet leaves them facing unemployment during the winter for a monthly wage of about €1,000.

We enter a war without knowing whether or when we will return home.

— Seasonal firefighters, as described in the reportThe article’s description of the danger firefighters face on the front line.

Kostas Tsamouras experienced that contradiction during the major Northern Evia fire in 2021. While he was fighting the blaze to protect lives and property, flames destroyed his own home. He learned about the loss in the early hours of Aug. 6, while operating in a nearby village.

Tsamouras said he never considered abandoning the operation to go to his house. He later rebuilt it, and his parents now live there, but said state assistance did not cover even the cost of reconstructing the roof. “There was no meaningful help, that is the truth,” he said.

The needs have changed lately because of climate change, and that is why I believe we are necessary all year round.

— Kostas TsamourasTsamouras argued that seasonal staffing no longer matches the demands of wildfire response.

Seasonal firefighters say they cover permanent needs and staff shortages as fires become more violent and unpredictable. Their work exposes them to smoke, extreme heat and strong winds, as well as prolonged physical and psychological strain. The account also points to increased risks of cardiovascular events and strokes, while post-traumatic stress can continue after an operation ends.

There was no meaningful help, that is the truth.

— Kostas TsamourasHe described the state assistance he received after his home burned in Northern Evia.

Tsamouras said climate change has altered the demands placed on firefighters and argued that they are needed throughout the year. Seasonal firefighters gathered in Syntagma to protest their employment conditions. He rejected criticism that they sometimes sit idle, saying that a quiet shift means no siren is sounding and no emergency is unfolding.

We receive this money without knowing whether we will return home.

— Kostas TsamourasHe criticized the pay and danger associated with seasonal firefighting.
About this summary

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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