Among the 252,700 firefighters in France, the esprit de corps is sometimes revealed in unusual operations. This is the case at the Grandes-Ventes fire station, near Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) where, between two interventions, the firefighters are restoring a firefighting van… from 1946. The initiative is to be credited to the head of the center, Aurélien Menou, who was a Paris firefighter for six years before returning to his native Normandy. Since his beginnings as a young firefighter (JSP), he has been passionate about his job, even outside the fire station: “At home, I already have a collection of uniforms – including one from 1872 –, hoses, helmets, miniatures and other old accessories. In addition, I am lucky to have been trained by veterans to whom I owe the respect for the hierarchy, the values of the firefighters, the spirit of camaraderie and the desire for cohesion in the rescue center. So, with my colleagues, we wanted to recover an old van to restore it and position it in the courtyard of our new rescue center. Because, you have to know where you come from.
A dozen volunteer repairers
Thus, the Laffly type BSS163 from 1946, a fire truck still topped with its ladder and hose reels, was abandoned in the stocks of the French Firefighters Museum in Montville (Seine-Maritime): “It was given to us by Colonels Collinet and Paris. After the agreement of our hierarchy, we brought it back in October 2023 on a tank transporter to restore it directly in our shed”, remembers Aurélien Menou. Since then, around ten volunteers have been working around it, “during their free time, after the Saturday maneuvers and also between interventions”.
Word of mouth has done its job, notes the Norman firefighter: “Old-timers also come to give us a hand, as well as my 11-year-old son, who is certainly a future firefighter like his mother. We don’t impose anything on anyone, because here, it’s like a second family. The goal is cohesion.” Thanks to the team’s efforts, the truck was dismantled, stripped, blackened, “and it will soon be repainted in red and white. Accessories such as the ladder rack, hose reel supports, seats and floor are currently being renovated. We hope to have everything ready for Sainte-Barbe, our celebration, on December 14. It will be used a lot in 2025, as we are preparing for the 180th anniversary of the establishment of a rescue center in Grandes-Ventes. It will be exhibited with all generations of emergency vehicles, from the horse-drawn carriage to the latest arrival, the CCRMSR (medium rural road rescue tanker truck, Editor’s note) “.
Supported by relatives, friends, neighbors…
In the village, the Norman firefighters enjoy such respect from elected officials and residents “that all the wedding collections are donated to the firefighters. So, for the restoration of the Laffly, the Amicale des sapeurs-pompiers did not spend a single euro. There is a lot of participation from friends and family.” Not to mention the participation of local companies, “like for the sandblasting worth 2,500 euros by the company ALG Renov of Torcy-le-Petit, a two-day job. Or the welding work costing 3,000 euros offered by Chief Warrant Officer Olivier Chassagnon and his company OC Soudure.”
The Montville museum also donated accessories such as the flashing light, vintage hose reels and hoses. Finally, Aurélien Menon’s father “even bought the tires and the white paint, while a body provided the red.” A general participation that contributes to the values of camaraderie and cohesion of the firefighters, as appreciated by the passionate firefighter: “There is a lot of respect in all these gestures.”
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