Friday, November 29, nine seats on the board of directors of the departmental union of Aude firefighters (UDSP 11) will be renewed. Nicolas Delort, former head of the Trèbes fire and rescue center (CIS), responsible for training at the departmental fire and rescue service, is positioning himself to take over from Sandra d'Angelo, president since 2010 of this association intended to support the nearly 2,500 firefighters, volunteers or professionals, old or young firefighters in Aude.
Why did you choose to run for election to the UDSP board of directors, and why do you want a change at the head of the association?
We have gathered 14 names, and we are proposing nine candidates for the vacant seats. Our team comes from different geographical backgrounds, and brings together volunteer firefighters who have 10 to 20 years of experience, as professionals or volunteers, and who are involved in the associations of their rescue centers. Many people support us, and support our primary goal, which is to give the UDSP breathing space after 15 years of the same presidency. The union's priority is the well-being of all firefighters: but when we propose alternative ideas in CA and we are sent back to the ropes, we cannot move forward.
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Since the election of the 10 other members of the CA in 2022, five have resigned. We want to find cohesion, transparency, transversality in the functioning of the UDSP: we want to work hand in hand with the departmental association of former firefighters, whose president was ousted from the union ; the same with young firefighters, who remain on the fringes of the union. We want the UDSP to once again become the center of gravity of all associations.
Politics was invited into this campaign. How do you characterize the position of the current president, and what is your position in relation to the criticisms made of too great a presence of the RN?
Like all ordinary citizens, we read the newspaper, and we saw that Sandra d'Angelo was considered as a candidate for the 2024 legislative elections. Firefighters have a duty of reserve, but above all we believe that they have no not to play politics. On the question of the National Rally, we can say that they occupy the ground, yes. But as an association, I repeat, we must be apolitical: whether it is RN deputies or PS senators, we meet and talk to everyone.
Sandra d'Angelo, for her part, pointed out your proximity to the mayor of Trèbes, for whom she had also been a running mate in 2020 in the municipal elections.
Yes I was the head of the Trèbes center, yes I am still a volunteer there, yes I still live in Trèbes. I experienced the floods of 2018 there, and obviously that created a special bond with its mayor. But I had not informed Eric Menassi of my candidacy. We are not manipulated by Eric Menassi or anyone else.
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Another criticism made by the current president is your dependence on the management of the departmental fire and rescue service (Sdis).
We are no one's allies, we are in conflict with no one: there is no side to choose. We simply want to work hand in hand with the Sdis, in particular defending before the authorities the files which concern the firefighters, and in particular the volunteers. This election is a democratic way to allow firefighters to express themselves and be masters of their choices.
