The Dordogne firefighters have a new chief since Thursday. Colonel Alain Rivière took up his duties within the SDIS 24, the departmental fire and rescue service of Dordogne. He succeeds Colonel Colomes who left on July 1st.
Investigations underway after the summer fires
Alain Rivière from Saint-Dizier in the Marne comes fromArdèche where he stayed for five yearsit is according to him, “a department that somewhat resembles that of the Dordogne with a fairly significant risk of forest fire even if it is not quite the same types of forests”. Alain Rivière believes that “2022 is a year that will remain etched in the memories of firefighters in France and in the Dordogne by the number and extent of these fires which we had the impression that they were never going to stop”.
In the Dordogne, there are several rounds of fires over the summer. For some, the origin has been determined but the question still arises for 50 of them. 28 concerns the forest of Double and among these 28, “14 would be of criminal origin” according to the Périgueux prosecutor’s office. Investigations are continuing and are being carried out in particular by a dedicated cell made up of six gendarmes. Alain Rivière recalls that 90% of fires are of human origin. Most are caused by negligence, but he commends the work of law enforcement to “do a deterrent job to get their hands on this or these arsonists”. For each outbreak of fire, “Firefighters deploy significant resources […] and they take risks […] I am thinking of the health and safety of firefighters in the field”.
François Colomes leaves office after 24 years at SDIS
Alain Rivière took office on Thursday 1 September. He succeeds François Colomes who remained 24 years at the head of the firefighters of the Dordogne. The latter leaves with the highest rank of the function since he is Comptroller General. Alain Rivière is delighted to succeed François Colomes who put “in place the departmentalization and a deep reorganization […] I think that I have good reception conditions to carry out the new challenges to come”.