In 2021, a professional firefighter from Haute-Vienne had the ingenious idea of making belts with fire hoses intended to be thrown away. The bet paid off: three years later, his accessories were sold throughout France.
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All you had to do was think about it. By passing a pipe through the loops of his pants, Matthias Fauchadour realized that not only did the size match, but it also held better than a real belt. The professional firefighter then decided to market this ingenious idea, accompanied by his wife Émilie. Thus began the Firebelt business [ceinture de feu, en français, NDLR] in 2021.
In three years, Firebelt has gained fame across the country. The couple bought the reformed pipes at auction, that is to say too short or pierced to be used by the emergency services. They come from Aveyron, the first department to have joined the project, from Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, Lot and even Jura.
Usually, the discarded pipes are incinerated or sent to the landfill. For us it was heresy because they all have a story.
Co-founder of Firebelt
Once recovered, the pipes are cut for the first time. Émilie Fauchadour then transports them, in her cargo bike, to an ESAT in Limoges for a good cleaning session. “All these pipes went into intervention. They were left lying around on the ground. Even after washing at high temperatures, some still have burn marks”describes the co-creator of Firebelt.
In the workshop, the pipes are cut into strips 1.35 meters long. The production is entirely done by hand: eyelet press, gluing, overlocking, etc. “The buckle is reversible, like a real firefighter's belt. We have a standard size band that can be adjusted with the holes”explains Mathias, demonstrating.
Each piece requires nearly an hour of work for a unique result. Original tubes are never tinted or colored. For sale, some belts even bear the words “Water and Fire” or “SDIS 87″ which had been printed on their original pipe.
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