The fire service on Tuesday inaugurated its new 24-hour operations coordination centre, created with a total budget of €6.5 million.

“The climate crisis, extreme weather events, technological risks, but also new forms of threats, create an environment of increased demands and multi-level challenges,” President Nikos Christodoulides said at the inauguration.

He described the centre as a “substantial investment in the safety of citizens”, as well as Cyprus’ operational readiness, stressing that it played a crucial role in terms of prevention and preparation while speeding up response mechanisms.

“It is a modern tool, which changes in practice the way the fire service coordinates and executes its operations,” he added.

The centre, Christodoulides said, bolsters regional collaboration and joint readiness in the face of natural catastrophes, acting as a “critical bulwark against the challenges in our region”.

“The security of the citizen, we have said it many times, we mean it, is not negotiable. It is the daily responsibility of the state, and all of us,” he concluded.