While three firefighters left Haute-Loire to provide reinforcement in Mayotte, the departmental fire brigade met last Friday in the courtyard of the Haute-Loire departmental fire and rescue service. , in Taulhac, in Le Puy, to celebrate their patron saint.
Colonel Frédéric Robert, unit commander and departmental director, quickly returned to the 2024 activity, a year “rich in events”. The building fire in rue Grenouillit in Puy-en-Velay “where an entire neighborhood was threatened with destruction”; the transformer fire in Saint-Privat-d'Allier in August, that of the La Chartreuse high school in Brives-Charensac as well as the floods of the Loire and Lignon in October.
The coming months hold challenges for firefighters who will have to face new emerging risks. The entire organization of the Haute-Loire Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis 43) will also have to adapt to the use of the new national software called NexSIS.
The president of Sdis 43, Marie-Agnès Petit, praised the commitment of volunteer and professional firefighters who experienced an increase in activity of 6% with nearly 15,500 interventions over the year. “It’s a departure every 30 minutes,” she recalled, highlighting the increase in volunteer commitment. “We can be proud to have a high-performance Sdis. » A message supported by MP Laurent Wauquiez (Republican Right): “You represent a France which gives us confidence for tomorrow. » After reading the message from the Minister of the Interior during the ceremony, Prefect Yvan Cordier once again praised the commitment of civil security at the time of the October floods.
The medal table
Six firefighters received the medal for acts of courage and dedication, bronze level.
Adjutant Joris Barlet and his partner, the Corporal Stéphane Bealfor having rescued a person in difficulty in the middle of a rock face in the town of Chamalières-sur-Loire. They managed to bring the victim to safety while waiting for specialized help to arrive, using the rescue package alone.
The Chief Sergeant Clément Rey and his partner Master Corporal Terry Paulet, for having rescued a person who had fallen 15 meters into a cliff several tens of meters high in Solignac-sur-Loire. Despite the deteriorating weather conditions, they managed to bring the seriously injured victim to safety who was in danger of continuing his fall at any time.
The chief sergeant Jérôme Mallet and the Sergeant Romain Beau received this distinction for saving a person during an apartment fire in the town of Aurec-sur-Loire. While the fire spread quickly in the home with a very low smoke ceiling and one person was missing, they managed to locate the victim and extract him alive from the scene of the fire.
The Commander Jean-Michel Beringer was awarded the insignia of Knight of the National Order of Merit in recognition of his commitment as a volunteer firefighter for 43 years as well as his strong involvement in the functioning of the departmental body, particularly as head of center for 30 years and as a volunteer referent.
The commander Xavier Lechten received the insignia of knight of the National Order of Agricultural Merit in recognition of its long-standing commitment to the fight against fires in forests and natural areas through strong investment, both in the operational and in that of training, thus contributing effectively for 30 years to the action of the public service for the protection of the forest against fire.
Three civil security medals, bronze level, were awarded to the senior lieutenant Romain Désormière in recognition of its operational commitment to several large-scale interventions; At master corporal Bertrand Gontaud for having come to the aid, in civilian clothes, of a competitor who suffered a cardiac arrest during an enduro race in Bas-en-Basset and Corporal Raphaël Tallobre for having performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, alone and in civilian clothes on a victim on the public highway in Brignon.
The Sergeant Laurie Bouthéon and the Corporal Benjamin Thollet received the youth, sports and community commitment medal, bronze level, for their commitment to young firefighters.
Celine Demars
