Lieutenant Nikolaos Paisios: “People’s thanks remind you why you do this job”

The gratitude and lukewarm acknowledgment of the inhabitants of the colony of Genesto successful Spain volition ever beryllium carried successful his caput and successful his bosom by 28-year-old sub firefighter Nikolaos Paisios. In the idiosyncratic of the young occurrence brigade officer, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appreciated the full squad of Greeks who gave their champion and demonstrated the solidarity that is simply a basal European value, and the European firefighters who person thrown themselves into the conflict with the flames this year, the worst twelvemonth for galore years.

At today’s #SOTEU, @vonderleyen honoured Lt. Nikolaos Paisios, who led 20 Greek rangers to combat devastating fires successful Asturias, Spain.

For 5 days, they stood broadside by broadside with Spanish crews and saved a village.

True European heroes. Ευχαριστώ, Nikolaos. 🇬🇷🇪🇸🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/1URGV7JTrX

— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) September 10, 2025

The video of Mrs von der Leyen’s code and references to Mr Paizio were posted connected X yesterday by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis:

Speaking to protothema.gr, Paisios noted that the Greek squad of firefighters, who operated for 5 days successful Spain, “joined a ample cognition unneurotic with their Spanish colleagues, wherever we worked truly united. The practice was excellent; we exchanged information, and we were perpetually coordinating and utilizing communal methods. It was awesome to spot how, contempt antithetic languages and cultures, we could pass truthful good and enactment rapidly and efficiently.”

The young officer, who was besides congratulated by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hajah Lahbib, and was a impermanent of honour astatine the yearly State of the Union Address (SOTEU) by the President of the Commission, recalls that the astir aggravated infinitesimal that was imprinted successful his representation was erstwhile the flames were getting precise adjacent to the village. “We did perimeter defence and applied controlled burns to halt the fire. Also, the aerial assets we had were precise helpful, flying implicit the beforehand and supporting the teams connected the ground. It was a captious infinitesimal wherever we understood however important it is to enactment successful coordination and travel circumstantial steps to execute the champion result,”he says.

Paisios, who hails from Malesina, became a firefighter having consciously chosen this profession. The reactions of radical who person been helped astatine the captious infinitesimal erstwhile flames endanger their lives oregon spot go invaluable prizes successful his journey. He recalls, therefore, the emotion helium felt astatine the expressions of gratitude from the radical of the Spanish village: “What moved maine astir was the gratitude of the villagers. They thanked america from the bottommost of their hearts for helping them to prevention their homes and property. It is these moments that truly enactment etched successful your representation and punctual you wherefore you bash this work. This acquisition showed maine however important practice betwixt countries is and however overmuch powerfulness determination is successful sharing cognition and experiences erstwhile we each springiness our best, helium concludes.

It whitethorn beryllium recalled that addressing Mr Paisios, Ursula von der Leyen thanked him and described: “When the fires broke retired successful the Asturias region, Spain asked for help. Greece responded. The flames were truthful large that the fume was disposable from space. For 5 days, the Greeks stayed by the broadside of their Spanish colleagues. As the flames came dangerously adjacent to the colony of Genesis, however, they fought time and night. And finally, altogether, they saved the village, “he stressed.

Shortly aft the speech, a video with extended references to the publication of Greek firefighters was posted by Crisis Response Commissioner, Haja Lahbib.