“Faced with fires, we must increase national means”, asks one of the co-authors of the Senate report on forest fires

“Faced with fires, we must increase national resources”, request, Wednesday August 3 on franceinfo, Pascal Martin, senator Union Centriste of Seine-Maritime and co-author of a senatorial report formulating 70 proposals to fight against forest fires. “For 40 years, the number of wooded areas that burned each year had been decreasing… But we can clearly see that this is no longer the case”. At issue: drought and climate change, which expose forests to fires “almost throughout the national territory and almost all year round”.

To fight against fires, the senator recommends first of all the development of a “risk culture”.

“We need to improve prevention policies, because 90% of forest fires are of human origin”.

Pascal Martin, co-author of a Senate report on the forest fires

at franceinfo

But at the same time, Pascal Martin insists on the need to acquire more air resources for civil security, as well as new ground vehicles: “It is a competence that belongs to the departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS) but we ask that the State participate very concretely in the investments”. An increase in resources which must be accompanied by a massive recruitment of volunteer firefighters, according to the senator.

Another aspect: return to the 500 job cuts planned by 2025 at the National Forestry Office (ONF). “Those who monitor the French public forest must have sufficient means to ensure these controls”, he concludes.