In Champagnac-le-Vieux, under the sun – and this is not insignificant at this time of year – the firefighters surrounded by their families and many local elected officials celebrated Sainte-Barbe on Saturday morning.
The opportunity for Lieutenant Alain Thomas, head of the fire and rescue center, to take stock of the year's operational results. “The number of interventions carried out as of October 31 is down: 40 this year, compared to 53 last year. To be able to respond as much as possible to emergency requests and increase the availability potential, three on-call teams have been set up, not without difficulty, to cover weekends and public holidays. A significant family constraint for the staff but made inevitable…”
Thirteen volunteer firefighters
Thirteen firefighters – who were available for 25,754 hours this year – make up the staff of this small fire station.
“This figure is stable but should increase with the arrival of a young person from the commune of Agnat. Recruitment is the priority to save the center. I am once again sending out an SOS to anyone who can come and help us.”
Lieutenant Alain Thomas (Head of center)
A wish relayed by the president of the Association Bernard Seneze and by the mayor of the town, Évelyne Miche: “You, firefighters, benefit from the gratitude and recognition of the entire population. Your commitment is essential,” she said, highlighting the values of solidarity and courage that drive these thirteen volunteers.
A new vehicle
On the practical side, the center was recently equipped with a new light all-terrain vehicle “and we are impatiently waiting for the tanker,” announced Lieutenant Thomas. To be able to acquire this machine which, I think, will be essential for our center given the increasing risks of vegetation fires, the Champagnac staff have been trained. […] Another change, the handover of our building by the municipality to Sdis de la Haute-Loire. This enabled the financing of work by the same departmental fire and rescue service. »
Mathilde Fontès
