There is a before and after the summer of 2022. The major fires of two years ago showed that the fight against forest fires had to improve given the increase in droughts and global warming. Throughout France, and particularly in Ille-et-Vilaine, firefighters and the National Forestry Office (ONF) have implemented a series of measures to “attack the fire” more massively and more quickly.
Incipient fires
“The first ten minutes are decisive,” recalls Jérôme Guinard, operations director of the Ille-et-Vilaine Sdis. To achieve this, the department has invested. The Sdis 35 now has 40 tanker trucks for medium forest fires (CCFM) and twelve medium rural tanker trucks (CCRM). Depending on the risks identified, the vehicles are pre-positioned in advance in nearby rescue centres. “Now, at the slightest alert, we prefer to send 5 or 6 vehicles,” adds Jérôme Guinard. “Even if it’s too much. We don’t want to risk the fire spreading over several dozen hectares or hundreds of hectares.”
As for the ONF, it has acquired a fire surveillance vehicle with a 600-litre tank. “During the most critical period, from 15 June to 15 September, we now patrol high-risk areas from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” explains Marie Dubois, director of the Brittany agency of the National Forestry Office. Nine times out of ten, it is a man who starts a fire by throwing a cigarette butt. This is why patrols take place particularly on weekends when there are many walkers.
Another new feature is that every week, during the period of greatest risk, the ONF carries out a vegetation survey. It measures rainfall and humidity levels on a heath: the Calune and on a shrub very present in the Rennes forest: the Bourdaine.
Finally, since the major fires of 2022, 200 firefighters are now trained in forest fires each year in the department. The twenty or so ONF agents who work in Ille-et-Vilaine also receive training. “A forest fire is not controlled in the same way as an urban fire,” adds Jérôme Guinard. “For example, you can quickly be surrounded by flames if the wind changes. Training is necessary.”
