When everyone runs away, they go close!

Who will run when everything is burning?

Do you know who's gonna get to the car crash first?

You know who's going to find the way to the fire when everyone else is running the other way?

Who will carry you to rescue you, who will dive into the chaos of the flood to save a child, an animal?

You know who has to be on alert at all times, in a constant state of readiness that is not seen, not heard, not paid for?

Firefighters are not heroes of the moment. They are heroes of everyday life - even when the spotlight is not on them. They are the ones who fall into duty, literally. Who every year we mourn, but quickly forget.

And among them, seasonal firefighters. People with training, experience, dedication - and yet, without tenure. People who give their best every year and then get fired. Who watch the years go by and with them the possibility of returning disappears, even though they know the mountains, the streams, the fire trails better than anyone. Tools critical and irreplaceable that the state throws in the wastebasket.

What about our islands? The islands that cannot afford the luxury of waiting time? There, the front line is the volunteers, the seasonal workers, the few but determined residents. All those who support a local community with only the love of place and people as their only weapon.

Kefalonia, the lady of the Ionian Islands, knows. It has experienced serious disasters, I have knowledge and experience. And that is why she does not stop at words. It supports in practice those who will run first. That's why on Saturday, March 29, at LOCO, a party is being organized in support of Volunteer Forest Firefighting-Emergency Group of Eliou-Prononon. Not just to have a good time, but to raise money to buy essentials. To make "thank you" a reality!

This is the society we want. A society that does not forget its true defenders. A society that honours their work, and supports it at every opportunity.

Because the question is not "who will run when everything is burning".

But "will we be there for him when he returns home and set him up to go back into battle for all of us and all of us"?

If so, then there is hope!