Prime Minister Edi Rama today honored members of the forces engaged on the ground with the Medal of Public Gratitude, recognizing their outstanding courage and bravery during rescue operations in the national fight against wildfires.
“We are gathered here today to express our deepest gratitude and to pay our respects to you and to all those whom you represent,” said Prime Minister Rama during the special ceremony held for this occasion. He emphasized that “this scorching summer brought together an army of military personnel, uniformed workers, and civilians united by a common denominator: dedicated human and professional service, earning the appreciation and gratitude of the entire public.”
Following his remarks, Prime Minister Rama presented the Public Gratitude Medals—classified by level of contribution into gold, silver, and bronze medals—to all military members, police officers, firefighters, doctors, and civil emergency personnel who demonstrated dedication and selflessness in carrying out their life-saving missions.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Dear and highly respected public servants in the uniform of our state,
Honored friends and guests, military personnel, police officers, firefighters, doctors, and civil emergency staff of all ranks and specialties, each of you here today represents not only yourselves but the many others you stand for. We are gathered here to express our gratitude and to bow in respect to you and all those you represent.
The battle against the fires that swept across significant territories of our country over the past two months has been a long chronicle of urgency, injuries, painful dramatic account marked by exhaustion, dedication, and even moments of extraordinary human heroism. These moments honor your uniforms and, through you, bring honor to the Albanian state and elevate our Republic.
We faced extremely high temperatures that made access by land to Borsh, Himara, Vërgo, and Kalasë nearly impossible. It was simply unmanageable. The fire situation had spiraled out of control, and the flames were threatening populated areas in an increasingly desperate manner.
Black Hawk helicopters drew water from lakes, completely enveloped in smoke. Above the village of Kalasë, the smoke turned into a vortex—a tornado-like spiral—so intense that it threatened to paralyze the very flight systems of the aircraft. Not even birds could escape the fiery funnel; they flew alongside the helicopters, caught in the chaos. The consequences for the aircraft could have been fatal.
In Delvinë, the flames descending toward the old neighborhoods appeared like regiments of demons—unstoppable, as if nothing could hold them back from consuming everything, including human lives.
Meanwhile, the armed forces and firefighters launched every possible and imaginable initiative, risking their lives with astounding dedication to saving the city.
A police officer directly confronted death—not to save his own life, but to save the lives of others.
“The firefighters told us the residents refused to evacuate. Among them was a 10-year-old child. We carried out an elderly woman, then an elderly couple who refused to leave. I found a small bucket of water, soaked my shirt hoping I wouldn’t suffocate, sent my location to my colleagues, but my phone shut down from the heat. I sat down. I thought. It was an extremely difficult moment. I thought of my children, my family. I ran 100 meters to find the fire truck I had left behind, but I couldn’t find it. There was so much smoke… I collapsed, unconscious.”
Dozens of kilometers away, much further north in the village of Plan i Bardhë in Mat, in a situation where panic had overtaken both young and old—often more dangerous than the flames themselves—firefighters with admirable bravery were evacuating and saving entire lives.
These are words spoken, and lives lived, on the frontlines of the flames.
Among them are stories of second chances in life, such as that of Commissioner Agim Troci, who lay wounded in bed for days—yet without an ounce of regret for his heroic act, even though it could have forever separated him from his family and children.
The chronicle of this summer’s wildfires could continue for quite some time, especially since the fires have yet to be fully extinguished, and around 10,000 personnel remain on standby to confront the monster of flames that, unfortunately, grow larger every year. This destructive force feeds across the Mediterranean, driven in part by persistently record-breaking temperatures, but also by the hands of criminal minds, who, tragically, often find allies among certain members of this country’s judiciary.
We will be guided by the power of the example set by all those who, in the trial by fire, proved that the workers and leaders of this state are not the ‘bad apples’ who make headlines for the wrong reasons, but rather the overwhelming majority—men and women, young and old—who don’t seek the spotlight, but who raise Albania higher every single day on its path toward the summit, where our shared European home stands.
Whether on the frontline or standing farther back, this scorching summer brought together an army of soldiers, uniformed personnel, and civilians united for a common purpose: service. Dedicated human and professional service—and the merit to deserve the gratitude of the entire public.
Even in the face of extraordinary challenges—in Delvinë and Finiq, in Gramsh and Poliçan, in Kaninë, Borsh, Piqeras, Fushë-Arrëz, and Dibër, and right up to the final hours in Skrapar and Vlorë—the resilience of our people has stopped what could have become a massive environmental, economic, and moral catastrophe—and God forbid—even a human tragedy of dramatic proportions.
Hundreds of fire engines, helicopters, and aircraft—nearly 100 aerial missions, and hundreds of ground operations—and yet this state, faced with an unprecedented wildfire crisis, did not falter. On the contrary, it proved that our civil protection mechanism, from the most remote village to the heart of Tirana or vice versa, rose to the occasion and gave its best, though much remains to be done.
Aircraft are undeniably a powerful weapon in this battle, and soon we too will begin building our own firefighting fleet, starting with two aircraft. But the real ‘magic’—if we can call it that—is the coordination and sacrifice on the ground. Today, we are here precisely to honor the sacrifice made on the ground. We can do better, smarter prevention, forest clearing, creation of natural firebreaks, expanded use of drones equipped with thermal cameras for monitoring, and widespread deployment of drones for replanting burned areas. Technology and intelligence, through early warning systems and improved functionality thanks to further investments in integrated control centers—will enable faster response times with ground vehicles.
But none of this will take us far without education and awareness. This demands that every school and every institution starting with schools become part of the national attention, protection, and regeneration of our forests. Where students not only learn, but actively participate in planting, caring for, and restoring our natural environment.
And with an even greater spirit of international solidarity, at this point, I want to express my gratitude to all the representatives of the European Union and of friendly nations. Thanks to the solidarity network and Albania’s integration into the European Civil Protection Mechanism, we have succeeded in avoiding the worst-case scenarios. Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, and—as always—Italy deserve special thanks for their continuous contributions of aerial firefighting assets as part of this coordinated effort.
Today, by honoring 24 soldiers, police officers, and firefighters with medals, we are also honoring Albania itself, an Albania that, despite its shortcomings and the continued need for investment in equipment and intelligent systems, proved something greater. This summer may have been a hellish one in terms of heat and devastation, and we did not emerge from it unscathed. But above all, we demonstrated that we possess a human capital, a spirit and strength in our people, that will never again leave Albania behind or let it fall.
Let us continue improving our efforts together, by introducing more technology, working harder on prevention, and thinking ahead about future fires even when temperatures are low. Let us place even more support behind strengthening and expanding this invaluable human capital, naturally, by doing everything possible to also increase financial support.
Thank you very much for your patience.
Deep respect to all of you. And whenever I have the chance to speak to people in uniform, I can never forget to express my appreciation to your family, your spouses, your children, who understand better than anyone how difficult your work is, how great your sacrifice is. Unlike others, and even unlike you yourselves, they live with a constant sense of risk. This makes their role in your lives even more admirable. And through you, I want to extend to all your families my deepest respect and my warmest, most brotherly wishes for health and happiness.
