IN PICTURES – Limousin firefighters train Filipino rescuers at La Souterraine

They are about fifteen to discover the playgrounds of the Creuse. Fifteen Filipinosall first aiders in their country, are spending the week of October 17 to 21 in the department, more precisely in La Souterraine, to train in new rescue techniques in the event of a natural disaster.

A first in France

This is the first time in Creuse, and even in France, that a team from the Asian continent is trained with French firefighters. It is actually a search and rescue workshop, with international standards that Filipinos are not yet used to.

Asian firefighters are therefore supported by the Pompiers de l’Urgence Internationale association, based in Limoges and which brings together more than 240 firefighters throughout France. “A welcome helping hand” according to Commander Peter Negrido, the commander of the Rescue Recon force, an intervention group with more than 2000 rescuers in the Philippines. And the opportunity also for the French firefighters to spend a moment of exchange, of conviviality with their guests of the week.

An ideal playground

To train its acolytes, the International Emergency Firefighters association can therefore rely on its base camp at La Souterraine, near the Picoty warehouses and the train station. “An ideal playground” for Philippe Besson, the president of the association, in order to train their colleagues. There are, for example, carcasses of cars, coaches, rubble of all kinds.

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Filipino firefighters also plan to make a few tourist stops, at La Souterraine or Limoges to enjoy the country. A new course is already planned in March with another team Filipino rescue workers, still at La Souterraine.