Maltese firefighters have described having to clamber through thick and thorny bushes that cut through their clothes and tore at their skin as they recently helped to fight off Greece’s raging forest fires. 

The bushes were akin to barbed wire, said the returning firefighters who had to grapple with alien environments. 

But two team leaders explained that the experience was incredibly educational for the unit and that if they are to return on a similar mission, they will return stronger and better equipped, both physically and mentally.

“The main challenge we faced was the topography of the terrain,” Civil Protection Department team leader Michel Galea told Times of Malta.

Twenty CPD officers were recently sent to Greece to help their counterparts battle forest fires as a 45°C heatwave hit the country.

Stationed in Ancient Olympia, a small town on the west coast of Greece, Galea explained that the team’s greatest challenge was facing steep and thick terrain as they came face-to-face with pillars of flame.  

“Some of the forests are neglected and not cared for, so nature has taken over,” CPD team leader Fredrick Sammut said.

But no member of the team was ever left alone. 

As team leaders, both Galea and Sammut had responsibilities outside of the action, such as coordination and holding adminis­trative meetings, but once their boots hit the charred dirt, they led the charge. “We were always at the forefront of our teams,” Galea said. Units from other EU states joined the fray, with some stationed in different affected areas.

But the Maltese teams did have an advantage compared to colleagues from other countries, since the tremendous heat did not affect the firefighters as much, Galea said. At the time, Malta was also fighting off a bitter week-long heatwave.

Other teams such as the Polish unit would even comment on the Maltese team’s ability to train in the Greek sun. Yet, despite the resistance, the heat did take its toll on the team, Galea continued.

“The heat is so dry that it drains your throat,” Sammut said, forcing officers to return to their bottled water constantly as the near-zero humidity enhanced the effect.

“But we definitely left our footprint,” he added.

The Maltese deployment was relatively small when compared to that of other countries, however, Sammut emphasised that every effort helps.

“The experience was dangerous but exciting,” Sammut said.