Above all, don’t set yourself on fire. Langon fire officials have been talking about moving or building a new station for almost twenty years. Several projects have already gone up in smoke. Today, the 42 professional firefighters and 75 volunteers have to make do with dilapidated and poorly adapted buildings on Boulevard Jean-Moulin. A real problem when we know that they intervened 2,800 times in 2024, a year that was nevertheless calm on the forest fire front.
A light at the end of the tunnel appeared on Saturday January 4 during the celebration of Saint Barbara’s Day. The new head of the rescue center, Captain Benoît Isner, and the head of the South-East group, Commander Sébastien Castel, brought the subject back to the table before giving the floor to the president of Sdis 33 (departmental fire service and rescue) Jean-Luc Gleyze: “Several areas have been studied but the environmental constraints are strong. We can also raze the existing one and rebuild on the same site. But this is not a desired option (Editor’s note: by the town hall). We can also invest in other existing buildings and transform them into barracks. »
Planets aligned
The president of the Departmental Council wants the work to begin “within two years”. The South Girondin elected official did not go into details. But according to information from “Sud Ouest”, the site in question is occupied today by the Mobilités (ex-Siss) and waste (Sictom) unions, in the Dumès area, rue Marcel-Paul. The buildings are in perfect condition and could accommodate the offices and rooms of the new barracks. The coach garage is large enough to accommodate large ladders, tankers and other emergency vehicles.
It’s in everyone’s interest to find a solution. The fire station is a priority file
The “existing buildings” option is now favored by Sdis 33. The general controller Marc Vermeulen came to visit the buildings. A comprehensive study was launched to estimate the cost of the move. The planets are aligned at the moment. The mobility union, owner of the site, is not a priori opposed to a move. He could very well sell his buildings then create a Mobility Center near Langon station and move his garage elsewhere in the area.
The head of the Langon barracks, Captain Benoît Isner and the head of the South-East group, Commander Sébastien Castel.
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Sictom has already announced that it wants to leave the Dumès area to consolidate all its activities in the Fargues technical center. Several administrative obstacles remain to be overcome. The road is still long. “It’s in everyone’s interest to find a solution.” The fire station is a priority issue,” judges union president Christophe Fumey.
Nothing has been done yet
It is difficult to know the exact cost of this new barracks project. But buying and adapting the buildings would cost less than building a new barracks. For comparison, the estimate for the new Bazas emergency center is 4 million euros. In Langon, the option of the Dumès zone would above all avoid looking for new eligible land. A rare commodity at a time when state services are becoming allergic to land artificialization. As for the Langon firefighters, we are following this issue without declaring victory. Everyone knows that it is faster to put out a megafire than to move an emergency center.
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The president of Sdis 33 Jean-Luc Gleyze presented several medals on Saturday afternoon.
The Sainte-Barbe ceremony last Saturday was an opportunity for the sub-prefect Vincent Ferrier and the president of the Department Jean-Luc Gleyze to thank the firefighters for their daily dedication and their commitment during the major fires of the summer 2022 (read below). The president of Sdis announced that staff would no longer be assigned to watchtowers equipped with an automatic fire outbreak monitoring device in forest areas. Artificial intelligence is taking over. “These firefighters will be redeployed in the vehicles,” concludes Commander Sébastien Castel.
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The sub-prefect of Langon Vincent Ferrier presented internal security medals for the forest fires of summer 2022.
Firefighters honored
They received the internal security medal for their dedication during the major fires of summer 2022: chief warrant officer Stéphane Alzon and chief sergeants Alain Tonoli, Matthieu Penz, Christophe Lasserre, corporal Rerek Jourjon. Chief Warrant Officer Jean-Marc Le Roux and Lieutenant Marc Louloum received the medal of honor for their thirty years of service and Chief Sergeant Blandine Fouquart for her ten years of service. Were promoted to a higher grade: Romain Marcos and Eric Delonglee.
