Profile of
Astypalaia Association of Volunteers
for Civil Protection, Fire Fighting and Rescue.

In the beginnings of 2000 a handful of new persons puzzled from the earthquakes of Athens and the entire lack of political protection services on the island, they decided to link their forces in order to create a voluntary team with aim to joint action and offer organised help in any emergency situation that the residents of this very beautiful island will face. Addressing to the municipality they found the positive correspondence of the mayor and with the conform opinion of the municipal council they were granted from the municipality of Astypalaia the unique fire-vehicle type of DAKOTA, storage space to keep the materials of the team, it advanced in the purchase of more materials for the association and continues to assist until today.

In the multi-annual effort for the recognition of the team as voluntary level, with surprise they realized how difficult it is to become volunteer due to the bureaucracy and the responsibility fear of certain government officials. At the same time many thought they were graphic and dreamers, did not take to them seriously but despite the difficulties finally in 2006 the team became association and he was approved with number K 120/2006 decision of Kos One-member Court of first instance and was registered in the book of associations of Court of first instance with serial number 28/2006. On 1/3/2007 SEPPA were included in the Registration of Voluntary Organizations of Civil Protection of General Secretariat for Civil Protection with number of registration 03/2007.

Nowadays the association gives a new blow on the subject of Political Protection on an island where things that are considered obvious elsewhere, the residents here had forgotten them, began to become reality. During the last years the association was called in a lot of incidents of fires, research and rescue, road accidents, benefit of help in residents and visitors of island. Big ordeal was the calamity that affected the island on 17/10/2006 where volunteers exaggerated self for one week in the effort of cicatrization of wounds that the floods left, a situation that proved the necessity of an organized, rightly educated and well equipped team.

SEPPA under the pressure of many responsibility sectors which were increased, the venturousness of its work allocates concrete structure and hierarchy that is composed from a 7 member council and has plan of action of incident that is placed in application in each incident. In order to achieve all these energies the members of SEPPA watch seminars from instructors of Body of Volunteer Samaritans and Rescues EU. P. Rhodes in the frame of wonderful collaboration that exists between the Associations and from Officers of Fire Brigade of Kos.

At the same time are addressed in the services of Civil Protection First degree and Secondary Self-government, Region N. Aegean, Ministry Aegean and big companies for his subsidy with in and materially for his better equipment. In each activity as plantings of trees, cleanings of streets, coasts, streams benefit of help in illegal immigrants and programs of environmental education of schools the association are present.