On a Saturday morning, a crowd of pedestrians roam the streets of Châteauroux to go to the weekly market. And the episode of ice experienced by the Indre prefecture on January 18, 2025 surprised a very large number of pedestrians. “Out of around fifty interventions, we had five for road accidents and around forty for pedestrian falls”summarizes Colonel Alain Guesdon, deputy director of the departmental fire and rescue service (Sdis 36) at the start of the afternoon.
If the Indre firefighters only had to intervene five times in accidents with injuries, the Indre gendarmerie recorded 17 accidents in total on January 18. At the end of the day, firefighters made a total of 66 interventions between 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., including 63 linked to ice: 53 rescues of people and 10 traffic accidents “in a south-eastern area, between Villedieu-sur-Indre and Siante-Sévère », observed Lieutenant Seveau, officer of the operational center.
The prefect of Indre, Thibault Lanxade and the mayor of Châteauroux, Gil Avérous took stock with the emergency department of the hospital center. The emergency room welcomed more than 70 patients on the morning of January 18. “There are personnel who came as reinforcements: a regulating doctor, three nurses, three nursing assistants and Samu regulating staff”details Gil Avérous.
It is imperative to call the regulation on 15 before coming, so as not to overload the emergencies further.
Thibault Lanxade, Prefect of Indre, Chateauroux
At the start of the afternoon, Saturday January 18, the waiting time for patients was estimated between five and six hours. “We have not yet needed to install an advanced medical post. If it were to be activated, it would be held by civil security associations”details Thibault Lanxade, prefect of Indre. The advanced medical station involves setting up a heated tent where patients can be “triaged” according to emergency order while being cared for.
-An identical episode expected Sunday January 19
The authorities are calling on residents of Indre to take all precautions. Concerning emergencies. “It is imperative to call the regulation on 15 before coming, so as not to overload the emergencies further”indicates the prefect.
An identical icy episode is expected on Sunday January 19. L'Indrien Olivier Renard, president of the association of passionate weather specialists Centre-Val de Loire, talks about a “fairly localized phenomenon. Indre was perhaps the most affected (SATURDAY) matin » by the phenomenon of freezing fog.
Which undoubtedly explains why Météo France did not issue a yellow alert even though the association had, for its part, published a “weather risk bulletin”. However, nothing exceptional this season. But, according to Olivier Renard, this type of phenomenon is becoming “less and less frequent. People are less and less used to it. » And let themselves be surprised: falls, cars out of control ending in the ditch… The prefect of Indre and the Sdis therefore call for vigilance for this Sunday, January 19, with roads and shoulders which risk once again be icy even if salting is planned.
ALB and PC
Firefighters “replace” paramedics
Another cause of concern for firefighters after this operational tension: the ambulance shortage. “It is not up to the emergency services to ensure transfers between hospitals or to transport non-urgent patients”decides the prefect of Indre. However, the department is experiencing a shortage of private ambulances which cannot provide this transport. Firefighters – 300 of whom are available for January 18 alone – must therefore make up for this lack. “And that’s so many staff unavailable for an emergency. » Fear is already there regarding hospital discharges for patients currently in the emergency room this Saturday. “Today, because it is the weekend, we are well beyond the minimum number of firefighters. During the week, it can quickly become complicated”points out Colonel Guesdon. Prefect Thibault Lanxade recognizes a problem in Indre, which is recurring for Indre. “This is something we need to work on. » Saturday evening, four fire department ambulance vehicles were dedicated to transporting patients.
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