They are 50 girls and 46 boys. 96 young volunteer firefighters were officially integrated this Saturday during a ceremony organized in Périgueux, at the departmental fire and rescue center. Most of these young recruits have already joined one of the department’s 41 barracks during the year. They will train and join the ranks of the 1,597 firefighters in the Dordogne.
A rising number
“96 recruitments is a lot. With the departures, 70 firefighters who left us this year, this allows us to have a positive balance”rejoices the comptroller general Alain Rivière, director of Sdis 24. “Citizen engagement is a commitment that is coming back today. It is also linked to the fact that we have come out of the Covid. People want to get involved”he explains.
These new integrations are a satisfaction for firefighters, who carry out more and more interventions each year. In 2022, they will have achieved 6% more interventions compared to last year, largely for help to no one. Among these new recruits, some are butchers, midwives, tobacconists, teachers or forestry technicians. They are committed in addition to their job. In total, they have three years to be fully trained in various operations, from personal rescue to forest fires.