“We are in a situation of war”, reacted Friday July 15 on franceinfo Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for the national federation of firefighters of France. Faced with the multiplication of fires, the health crisis and the tensions in the emergency services, the firefighter evokes a “summer of all dangers” and encourages citizens to join the ranks of volunteer firefighters.
>> IN PICTURES. Fires: the Gironde and its pine forests in flames
franceinfo: The activity on these fires since the beginning of the summer has been particularly intense. Is there already a state of fatigue among the men on the ground?
Eric Brocardi: Yes of course. It remains men and women, whether they are firefighters, professionals or volunteers. Today, they are actually starting to show signs of fatigue, which is quite normal given all the energy they deploy on a daily basis. Especially since, at the same time, the daily missions continue. And to this is added all the tensions linked to the problems in the emergency services. There is like a domino effect, since all this time spent in emergency rooms is time that is lost to reinforce the workforce directly in the barracks and in the field of interventions.
Are there reasons to be optimistic in Gironde?
The firefighters are in a situation of war. In Gironde, we have the impression that the fire continues to spread, even if we try to contain it. The “reading” of the fire has become very complicated in these areas: there is a fairly swirling wind, and a lot of smoke because the forest is dense.
“Unlike the fires we were used to before, the dimensions are very important. The fire conditions are now extreme and it is much more difficult to read the fire.”
Eric Brocardi, spokesperson for the National Federation of Firefighters of Franceat franceinfo
Are you worried about the rest of the summer?
Yes. It’s the summer of all dangers. Whether in terms of climate crises, health or even those of everyday life. We are in the hard. We must continue to try to strengthen the means of civil protection. First, by taking into account the education of citizens in the face of risks, which is today a major element in avoiding all these tragedies. The second essential point is to make it understood that anyone can become a volunteer firefighter. Everyone can join this relief force and allow us to ultimately be able to have this spirit of resilience and combat in this type of disaster.