The new Galeria rescue center was inaugurated on Saturday June 15. A structure which replaces the old, aging barracks. The objective of the fire and rescue service is to maintain this public service in rural areas.
The Galeria rescue center has officially been in service since Saturday June 15. Several dozen people attended the inauguration where the current and former heads of the center were decorated.
For the population, this new station is synonymous with the sustainability of firefighter action in this area. “If there was no rescue center in Galeria, the next one is in Piana and it’s really far away. It was therefore absolutely essential that over a territory as vast as the municipalities could benefit from this emergency center.”, estimates Jean-MArie Seité, mayor of Galeria.
The Galeria rescue center replaces a 50-year-old barracks. The work cost 1.8 million euros, but this investment was essential. “When we know the attractiveness, the overcrowding, of the valley in summer it provides security. I think those who live here all year round have the same rights as those who live in the city. It’s really a priority for us and a source of pride for me.”, underlines Hyacinthe Vanni, president of the Haute-Corse fire and rescue service.
Galeria’s 27 volunteer firefighters can now benefit from new premises, much more functional and more secure for their return after interventions.
Garage for each intervention vehicle, sports hall, meeting room, offices, their daily life will no longer have anything to do with what they may have known. “We will be able to do training, be able to play sports during the day, and do our maneuvers in the dedicated area. It’s going to change everything for us actually”, welcomes Gabie Valesi, president of the Galeria firefighters’ association.
In a very rural area and where the population is aging, the barracks had to be closed between 2005 and 2010 due to a lack of volunteers on site. This new tool could also make it possible to recruit a little more. “We do roughly between one and two recruitments per year, it’s not a lot. I think that a tool like this will create vocations and will bring us people who will join the volunteer firefighters.”, says Ange Santucci, head of the Galeria rescue center.
With 280 interventions per year and 140 ambulance departures, the Galeria rescue center remains an essential public service for life in rural areas.
The report by François-Albert Bernardi and Oceane Da Cunha:
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