On Tuesday 10 November, the Municipality of Spata–Artemida reconvened the Local Civil Protection Operational Coordination Body (TESOPP): the body through which the Mayor coordinates the Fire Service, the Police, the Traffic Police, the Coastguard and the Forestry Service before and during a flood, a fire or an earthquake. Mayoral Decision 848/2026 supersedes any previous composition and does not incur any expenditure.
The reason for this is the amendment to the law. Law 5281/2026 amended Article 15 of Law 4662/2020 and defined the composition of these bodies in all municipalities from the outset, whilst a ministerial decision in July (Government Gazette B 4920/5 August 2026) regulated their operation. The key change is their nature: they are now explicitly advisory bodies. As the decision states, opinions and votes ‘are merely advisory in nature and are not binding on the decision-making body’, that is, the Mayor.
Who votes?
The ‘permanent operational core’ comprises ten members with the right to speak and vote: the Mayor, Dimitris Markou, as chair; the Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection, Petros Poulakis, who acts as his deputy; the Head of the Municipality’s Department of Environment, Green Spaces and Civil Protection of the Municipality; the Head of Civil Protection for the Region of Attica; the Commander of the Eastern Attica Fire Service; the Commander of the Spata–Artemida Police Station, a representative of the Penteli Forestry Office, the Head of the Municipal Police, the Commander of the North-Eastern Attica Traffic Police and the Head of the Rafina Central Port Authority.
Who is called upon on a case-by-case basis
The National Ambulance Service (EKAV) and the Spata Health Centre participate without voting rights, and only when summoned by the Mayor depending on the level of risk; the army, represented by the Garrison Commander; the heads of the municipal departments; the chairpersons of the Spata and Artemida Municipal Communities; the Organisation for Earthquake Planning and Protection for seismic risk, and the voluntary organisations listed in the Unified Register of Civil Protection Volunteers. Of these, the decision specifically names one: the Artemida Voluntary Disaster Response Team (EOMAK). The Mayor may also call upon utility companies and infrastructure concession operators – that is, any organisation responsible for the electricity, water or road infrastructure where a problem has arisen.
What it does and when it meets
Regular meetings focus on prevention and preparedness. Emergency meetings are convened when a disaster is imminent or unfolding, at which point the body may operate round the clock with its deputies. At the meeting, each organisation states what personnel and resources it has available; projects and measures are prioritised; requests for assistance are submitted; and guidance is provided on the Local Civil Protection Plan. Minutes are kept for each meeting, setting out the commitments made by the organisations. The decision stipulates that the minutes are to be communicated to the participants, not that they are to be published.
For this resident, it’s only after the event that it counts. During the bad weather on 13–14 October, with landslides in Spata and almost 24 hours without electricity in Artemida, we found no announcement as to whether the coordination committee had been convened. If it is convened in winter, minutes will be available on request.
Volunteers are calling for support
On the same day, the ‘Vravrona’ Artemida volunteer group issued an open appeal to businesses, professionals, organisations and residents for financial sponsorship, equipment, personal protective equipment and support for its vehicles. “We’re not asking you to do anything big. We’re asking you to be part of an effort that concerns us all,” the group writes in the appeal, which was republished by iRafina.
In an emergency, the emergency numbers remain the same: 112 for any emergency, 199 for the Fire Service, 166 for the National Ambulance Service (EKAV), 100 for the Police and 213 2007300 for the Municipality’s Department of the Environment and Civil Protection.
Source: Municipality of Spata–Artemida, Mayor’s Decision 848/2026 (ADA RR5PSO1X-XXX), Diafania, 10 November 2026; call for volunteers by the ‘Vravrona’ group, 10 November 2026.
