The eight negative protagonists in the wildfire tragedy

One week after the catastrophic Attica wildfire, one is able to draw conclusions about the negative protagonists, and how they handled what happened last Monday and thereafter.

Nikos Toskas: The minister who can find no errors

We begin with Alternate Citizens’ Protection Minister Nikos Toskas, the political supervisor of the Fire Service and one of the most crucial ministers on issues of civil protection.

It was Toskas who on 15 July, answering a parliamentary question tabled by the Greek Communist Party (KKE), offered assurances that all necessary measures have been taken, and that the country is ready to handle the fire protection period with ready operational plans, including plans for the organised evacuation of populations.

He participated in the show-conference in Halandri, at the Operational Centre of the Fire Service, where they were supposedly discussing the coordination in extinguishing the fire, when it was already certain that they knew that  there were deaths in the area.

He had a leading role at the news conference on 26 July, where he essentially maintained that there were no errors in operational planning. He said that he had submitted his resignation [the PM did not accept it he said] for reasons of conscience, and not because he felt that mistakes were made.

One of the main cadres in Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias’ Pratto political movement, Toskas has quite a bit of support within SYRIZA, due to his anti-junta stance, due to the integrity he displayed as an army officer, and due to the fact that he is seen by the rights oriented wing of the ruling party, as a bulwark against extreme, arbitrary police behaviour.

Yet, in the tragedy he refused to assume real responsibility, just as other government ministers.

Dimitis Tzanakopoulos: Information dangerously close to disinformation

The government spokesman is one of the PM’s closest collaborators, and he is responsible for the image of the government in society.

He participated in the 23 July show in Halandri, beside the prime minister, and a few hours later he made the first official announcement about deaths.

He was also a protagonist in Thursday’s press conference, where there was an attempt to present the scenario of an organised arson plan, using satellite and other data. At the same time, the true investigation of the case, especially regarding the Penteli fire, showed that it started due to the criminal negligence of a private citizen.

At the press conference, which he moderated, he was responsible for the fact that essential questions were not answered, and for the fact that a stunned Greek society observed representatives of the government assuming no responsibility whatsoever.

Rena Dourou: The absent prefect

Formally and substantially, the Attica Prefecture plays an exceptionally central role in civil protection and in forest protection.

It manages funding, and its services are the ones on which crucial anti-flooding works and preparation of the firefighting period depend.

The Prefectures are the critical link between general instructions and directions regarding civil protection and their implementation by municipalities. It also coordinates volunteer groups.

The Attica Prefecture for the second time in less than a year confronted a natural disaster with many deaths. The first time was the major floods in Mandra, when it came to light that crucial ant-flooding works had greatly delayed.

The second time was the deadly fires in Eastern Attica, where we realised that the Attica Prefecture to a small degree had ensured that all municipalities under its purview had ready plans for the evacuation of populations, and generally a real readiness to deal with such a disaster.

She had not undertaken an especially active role in clearing gullies, or in handling the problems of illegal construction, which the government is blaming for the extent of the recent fire. Only after the fact did she issue the related order to local government.

Rena Dourou is another characteristic example of a rising SYRIZA cadre, who was elected to a major position in 2014. As it turned out, she had no vision for the prefecture, and lacked the ability to effectively manage an emergency situation.

It is not by chance that she assumed no responsibility and has not shown any self-criticism over the fact that she did not fare well with the non-existent plans for civil protection in Attica.

She only took care το be discreetly present at various moments, beginning with the show at the Fire Service Operational Centre.

Sotirios Terzoudis: Fire Service chief who would have done nothing differently

For the head of the Fire Service, who hails from Thrace, to be promoted to his position, the hierarchy of officers was bypassed. Many say that things may have been different if someone with greater experience in top positions had been appointed as chief.

Although firefighters displayed true self-sacrifice in the battle with the flames, under particularly adverse conditions, it is clear that there was a deficiency in the planning for handling such fires, and a lack of preparation for the necessary reaction to extreme and unusual conditions. That included the rare for this time of year and area westerly winds. There was also a problem in judging the danger of the initial fire in Penteli.

Despite all that, at the 26 July news conference the head of the Fire Service declared that, “I would have done nothing differently, because I could not have done anything differently.”

Konstantinos Tsouvalas: The Greek Police chief who is simply proud

There have been a plethora of charges about how the lack of coordination between various services, combined with the underestimation of the Penteli fire, led police forces at first not to have clear instructions about how to handle traffic from and towards the fire–stricken area.

Yet, the chief of Greek Police chose to state that everything was done properly and that he is proud.

Yannis Kapakis: The General Secretary for Civil Protection who disappeared

Yannis Kapakis had been an experienced firefighter and rescuer. Nonetheless, at the time of the great crisis the General Secretariat for Civil Protection could not play the crucial coordinating role that it is supposed to during such crisis situations.

As it turned out, critical plans for organised evacuations remained a dead letter. Directives had been issued, but there was no inspection of whether these were turned into specific local plans, or whether there was a readiness for the worst-case scenario. In short, all the preparatory work that the General Secretariat is supposed to do was not done.

Panos Kammenos: The minister who blamed the victims

Panos Kammenos likes to be photographed in a manner that shows operational readiness. However, he avoided it this time, perhaps because he understood that such a catastrophe could hardly be linked to a state of readiness.

Still, he visited the fire-stricken areas and was among the first government officials who had to answer the questions of residents. His reaction was to belie residents who described how they were left unaided.

The same day, in an interview with a foreign news outlet, he essentially blamed the tragedy on the residents, because of the illegal buildings and the lack of an escape route.

Alexis Tsipras: The PM who cares only about his image

Alexis Tsipras has shown during his years in power that he has a particular ability to successfully manage his public image.

However, during a great national tragedy, the effort to save one’s image can be the worst guide, and may have the opposite results – highlighting all the deficiencies of governmental planning and the inability to manage crises.

The PM initially underestimated the danger of a great disaster, on the most dangerous day of the year for the outbreak of wildfires. He preferred to travel to Bosnia to receive an award of questionable significance.

When he understood what was going on, he returned. He was the first, through the PM’s Twitter account, to begin the communications damage control. He said he was skeptical about the many loci of the fires. That was the first indication that the government would try to attribute everything to an organised “destabilisation plan”.

Though he was informed about deaths and the extent of the disaster, he preferred to stage a communications show in Halandri, with prepared dialogues. With his statement about an asymmetrical phenomenon, he tried to disorient the public from the real problem, which was the absence of state planning and coordination.

The PM assumed political responsibility quite belatedly, without any essential admission of errors, and without attributing responsibility to those who did not rise to the occasion.

In the name of not sacking people during a period of battle, he gave his ministers an alibi, and covered up the fact that this government gave much greater weight to budget cuts in order to produce primary surpluses, than to crucial issues such as civil protection.

Even when he decided to visit the fire-ravaged areas, he did it belatedly and with totally protected conditions, so as not to be confronted by the protests of residents or journalists’ crucial questions.

That shows that at a time that substance and the true conduct of politics is the priority, he continues to act based on image, and not substance.