The EFFIS network is made up of experts on forest fires from countries and international organizations (e.g. FAO, UNECE). Its main role is to provide advise for the implementation and further development of EFFIS and recommendations for improved forest fire prevention in the European and Mediterranean regions. The networks is officially referred to as the Expert Group on Forest Fires (EGFF). All the EFFIS activities of JRC are coordinated with the European Commission Directorate General for Environment (DG ENV) to reach the final users, that is, the Civil Protection and Forest Services in the countries monitored by EFFIS.
There are currently 40 countries involved in the EFFIS network: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The network is coordinated by both JRC and DG ENV.
In addition the Civil Protection Unit of DG ECHO (European Commission Humanitarian Office) is involved, since EFFIS provides specific support to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels which is fed with real time information along the fire season.
The EFFIS network meets regularly twice a year, in spring and in autumn, i.e. before and after the main fire season.