Light green polo shirts, dark green pants, belts with revolvers and tear gas canisters: the two environmental police officers are ready to comb the huge car park at Porge-Océan beach, on the Gressier site. The patrol ensures that the movement and parking restrictions linked to the passage in fire risk red vigilance are respected since August 1st.
Very quickly, Johann Pagnier, territorial forestry technician at the National Forestry Office (ONF), spotted suspicious activity. A van and a slew of beach towels lying beside it between two trees. Enough to challenge the patroller, because if it is not prohibited, it suggests that some have planned to spend the evening, or even the night, here. “We may be tempted to stay here, but we saw the signs at the entrance so no worries… It’s good, this kind of action protects our coastline”says Marie, a young woman from Paris, who owns the vehicle.
– Philippe Peyre
Maxime, a young father from Charente, is smoking, sitting on his beach seat next to his van. François Korysko, head of environmental policing for the ONF, calls him to order: “In red fire risk, you must not smoke, it is really important in view of the dryness of the soil.” “I understand perfectly”immediately retorts the Charentais, still marked by the fires in Gironde in July. “Given what we have been through recently”, he blurts out, a bit frightened. Caught in the act, he will not be fined. “It was a visitor to the site who understood the message and immediately extinguished it, in an ashtray, with water, whatever. The idea is that there really is no the slightest amount of fire in the forest”insists François Korysko.
Maxime benefited from a certain tolerance. A chance then that the ONF, under the orders of the public prosecutor of Bordeaux, received as an indication to lower precisely this tolerance to its lowest level. “We translate this order from the prosecutor into police actions on sites that are really very popular with the public, explains the manager. In addition, the public changes very frequently since we had vacationers who were present in July, others who are present in August. Some are only there for the week or a few days. So it’s a message that we must repeat throughout the summer season, both prevention and repression when necessary”.
As a reminder, a cigarette butt thrown out of the window of his car is punishable by a fine of 135 euros. If you start a fire, then it is a misdemeanor exposing you to prison sentences and much higher fines.