the essential
This Friday marked the launch of the forest fire campaign. The Lot firefighters have therefore decided to present the departmental response system this Friday in Saint-Pierre-Lafeuillle: drones, intervention vehicles, weather stations, etc.
How do Lot firefighters fight forest fires? As summer approaches, a period when risks are increased, firefighters have decided to present the means that can be used in the event of forest fires.
Drones
Since March 1, the Lot firefighters have been equipped with three new sentinels: reconnaissance drones. This Friday, Thibault Wiel, head of the operations department at SDIS and head of the specialized drone team, gives a demonstration in the parking lot of the discovery farm, in Saint-Pierre-Lafeuille. “The drone can be ready in 1m30. It allows information to be given to the command post dynamically. It allows information to be verified, such as cartography elements,” explains the firefighter. For example, if there are homes near the fire.
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Drones: the new sentinels of the Lot firefighters
The drones, distributed between Cahors, Souillac and Figeac and can be piloted by 12 firefighters (target: 16), are also equipped with a thermal camera. “After the extinguishing, this allows us to carry out surveillance and identify the last hot spots. We can avoid sending men there on foot and tiring them,” supports Colonel Jean-François Galtié. These drones can be useful in various other conditions: building fire, missing people, reconnaissance in dangerous areas, etc.
The different intervention vehicles
Subsequently, the firefighters presented their different intervention vehicles. The “GIFF” (forest fire intervention group) is, in particular, made up of four forest fire tankers and a smaller fire vehicle. commandment. “When there is a fire, a CCF is sent. As soon as two are engaged, so is the command vehicle. For a gray day, we send a truck and see what we find on site. A so-called “severe day “With drought, heat and wind, we immediately send the GIFF. In the Lot, we can line up four or five complete groups,” explains Colonel Galtié.
DDM Aouregan Texier
In addition, CCRs (rural tank trucks) can be sent. The firefighters demonstrated the protection system: if the fire hits the truck, the firefighters have the means to protect themselves. Inside the trucks there is a breathing air system. “To protect the group, the vehicles are organized in a certain way. The firefighters stay in the cabin, they put on their masks. Then, the ramps must be triggered (tool which allows the tires to be filled with water, editor’s note) It lasts three minutes, we must not trigger it too early or too late and hope that the fire passes quickly on the vehicle and that it does not have time to burn the tires,” continues the colonel.
Note that there is a distribution of resources across the territory – the risk is everywhere. The firefighters operate in six sectors in the department: the idea being to have all the necessary resources available in each sector (distributed according to the different fire stations).
Command posts
When a forest fire breaks out, a command post is set up (two can be created in the Lot, and if more are needed, the two can merge). The control strategies are decided there. Inside these equipped trucks, it is possible to follow the intervention live, follow the weather (with maps specific to the Lot produced by Météo France but also the weather stations set up by the firefighters), watch the availability of firefighters (in the Lot, there are 1,000 firefighters including 65 professionals), watch the drone images…
DDM Aouregan Texier
Water reserves
Different tools are used by firefighters to store water reserves and put out a fire. Six tanks are in force in the department. “Swimming pools” can be deployed: a truck with a large stock of water empties inside, will refill, and it is the contents stored in the swimming pool which will be used to extinguish the fire in the meantime. New this year: a forest fire water supply vehicle. The latter can feed almost anywhere.
The support
There are two support vehicles. The first is called the operational health support unit. If a firefighter is injured, either an ambulance comes to pick him up, or he is put back into shape on site (in the event of a blister, dust in the eye or even a thorn, etc.). If the tool is new through this converted truck, the function already existed.
And finally, the logistics unit which actually corresponds to a “food truck” which allows firefighters to be supplied in the event of a long-term operation. The presentation was followed by a full-scale exercise for the firefighters.
