One important alternative water supply tool for firefighting emergencies is inflatable tanks used by aerial firefighting helicopters to draw water. However, although the volunteer group SupportCY has had this tool for a year now, tested in exercises in Cyprus, and the Fire Service has had its own since 30 July, neither has so far been used during fire emergencies. In the Fire Service's case, training for firefighters, needed for their own safety and that of the aircraft, is still being completed.
According to previous Politis reporting, these tanks are widely used abroad to supply water to firefighting helicopters, either via bucket or suction hose, such as those rented by the Republic, to refill their internal tanks while hovering above the water's surface. The aim is to position them as close as possible to fires, so that the helicopters' operational turnaround is as short as possible. During an exercise last year, Slovak pilots flying the Republic's rented firefighting helicopters told SupportCY volunteers that these tanks are widely used abroad and that they themselves would very much like to use them.
Fire at Kalo Chorio
The absence of water tanks and the conditions the Fire Service sets before deciding to use them are highlighted by a question submitted on 29 July 2026 by ALMA MP Eirini Charalambidou to Justice and Public Order Minister Costas Fytiris, specifically concerning the major fire at the Kalo Chorio shooting range, caused by the destruction of ammunition.
"We want you to inform us why they were not used, when the nearest water points and the sea were far away. Specifically, the helicopters needed three times longer for refuelling because of the distance," Charalambidou said, among other points, in her question.
While noting that the tanks in question were received by the Fire Service on 30 July, three days after the fire broke out at Kalo Chorio on 27 July, Fytiris, in his response dated 10 September, set out the reasons why SupportCY's water tank was not used.
Specifically, he cited information from Fire Chief Nikos Longinos, saying that the potential risk of the fire spreading toward the communities of Agia Anna and Psevdas meant forces could not be released or moved from where they were operating in order to set up the tank. At the same time, the water carried by both fire engines and support tankers was absolutely necessary for ground-based firefighting efforts, and it would not have been appropriate to use it to fill a tank for helicopter water collection, given that alternative water sources were already available for that purpose. "In addition, volunteer units needed to focus on protecting the communities and extinguishing embers carried ahead of the fire front and within the boundaries of the affected areas, rather than being tied up setting up a tank for helicopter water collection, a need that was in any case adequately covered through alternative means," Fytiris said.
Absence due to training
Regarding the water tanks the Fire Service acquired on 30 July, the minister said that before they can be used for firefighting purposes, for the safety of personnel and aircraft and to avoid accidents, Fire Service members must first be trained and familiar with the following:
- The deployment, operation and support of mobile tanks.
- Thorough knowledge of the Standard Operating Procedures for Helicopter Water Pick-Up from Land-Based Inflatable Water Tanks.
- Ground marshallers must have thorough knowledge of the International Hand Signal Code for aircraft (fixed-wing and helicopters), as set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Standard European Rules of the Air (SERA).
As Fytiris has been informed by the Fire Service, this training is under way and is expected to be completed shortly.
Following an assessment
Regardless of the above, the minister further noted that these tanks will only be positioned for firefighting purposes at specific locations, already predetermined in cooperation with the National Guard's Air Firefighting Unit, following an aerial inspection of possible installation sites. In selecting these sites, safety considerations were taken into account, along with the distance of possible fire sources from reservoirs or the sea as water collection points, and the actual operational need for deploying such tanks.
In addition, deployment of the tanks at these predetermined sites, and only there, will take place following an assessment of each individual fire, taking into account its dynamics and duration, and only where conditions require it.
