Dr. Miltiadis Athanasiou
+302107784850 (#111)
m.athanasiou(AT)fria.gr
Short CURRICULUM VITAE
I hold a B.Sc. degree in Environmental Science from the University of the Aegean, Lesvos, Greece, and a M.Sc. Degree in Prevention and Management of Natural Disasters from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). I also hold a Ph.D. in wildfire management from the same University. The title of my Ph.D. dissertation is "Development of an optimal methodology for forecasting forest fire behavior in Greece". I have received the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) Doctoral Student Scholarship for 2014.
Starting in 2000, I have been involved in multiple ways in the field of forest fires, in parallel with my studies, building rich experience and deep understanding of forest fire management. I have worked as private contractor and consultant and I have also cooperated with the Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (NECCA), the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), the Ionian University, the Center for Security Studies of the Ministry of Citizen Protection, the NKUA, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF Greece), other NGOs, and private companies.
Currently, I work as Associate Researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DIMITRA (ELGO-DIMITRA), in Athens, Greece.
My scientific work includes documentation of wildfire behaviour and firefighting in the field, followed by behaviour analysis in the office using GIS, and analysis of safety considerations for wildfires. Regarding safety, I have reconstructed and analyzed many past firefighting accidents that have taken place in Greece and published the lessons learned. Fuel measurement and modelling, fire risk assessment and prediction and firefighting effectiveness are additional fields I work on. I also serve as an Associate Editor for Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment (SERRA) journal and have also served as a reviewer for this and other scientific journals.
In parallel with my research activities, I train professional and volunteer firefighters on wildfire behaviour, hazards, human factors, safety and health on the fire line, and forest firefighting tactics, I develop and conduct full-scale wildfire drills with first responders and teach citizens how to prepare their houses and protect themselves. One example is my participation in a team of international and Greek fire experts who, in April 2019, delivered a week-long high-level course on extreme fire behavior, Wildland Urban Interface fire dynamics and impact, as well as firefighter safety at the Hellenic Fire Academy in Kifissia, Athens, Greece. The trainees were 25 selected officers of the Hellenic Fire Corps.
I have taught "Topography and Geoinformatics in Disaster Relief and Rescue Operations" and “Wildfire behaviour, hazards and safety on the fire line”, in the Officer Cadet School and School of Training and Further Education of the Hellenic Fire Academy and I have also taught "Wildfires management" in two postgraduate programs at the NKUA.
I have been a volunteer firefighter for twenty-four (24) years. My firefighting training and operational experience commenced in 2000, when I started being trained by the Special Units of Disaster Response of the Hellenic Fire Corps. At that time, I acted as the Lead Supervisor and Operational Coordinator of a Natural Disaster Response and Relief Volunteer Team. I have also served with the 6th Fire Department Station of Athens as a Volunteer Firefighter (fire engine crew member). Since 2008, I am officially recognized as Specialized Volunteer Expert by the Hellenic General Secretariat of Civil Protection and I have also worked in aerial firefighting, as crew member of heavy-lift (Type I) helicopters in Greece, flying for five (5) fire seasons.
I currently coordinate a pilot prescribed burning project in Chios island (Greece) that aims to introduce the use of fire for fire prevention in Greece, which for the time is not legally recognized.More Details