Launched following a suicide on the Bessières bridge, the Solidarity Fire has been burning for 44 years in Lausanne between Christmas and New Year, but this year, it may never crackle. Those who are its guardians, and who are a listening ear for people who need it, are sorely lacking in strength. “Already last year, we had a lot of withdrawals without warning. Some volunteers therefore had to work 16 hours in a row instead of eight. But this year, it’s an unprecedented situation,” regrets Herbert Stock, co-head of the association.
To be able to ensure 24-hour monitoring, between December 23 and January 3, we still need to find between 25 and 30 people, or half of the workforce. “We provide three volunteers on duty. To maintain a lonely person, it takes two people, while a third is responsible for calling for help,” explains Herbert Stock. “If the staff is not complete,” he said, “there will be no guard this year. But I hope it doesn’t come to that…”
To become guardian of the bridge and its fire, you must be of legal age and open to your neighbor. All profiles are welcome. With one exception: “There is a lot of good will, but you have to be ready and mentally strong,” warns the co-manager of Feu de la solidarité. Because emotions are strong. According to Herbert Stock, “the guards manage to dissuade between one and two lonely people each year during the holidays.” In 2021, they also saved a life on Christmas night. That of a father aged around sixty.
Herbert Stock was lucky to come across the Fire of Solidarity in 1985, at the age of 14, when he was “in trouble” himself. He deplores “a general lack of interest in volunteering”. “People have more and more demands, particularly in terms of schedules, when we should be flexible.” But the man remains convinced: “Solidarity is a flame that we must nourish together.”
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