The Veolia group and the Aude firefighters hand in hand in the fight against fires and lack of water

The fire of September 10 is still on everyone's minds. The fire had ravaged 75 hectares and a residential house in the Hauts district of Narbonne. The damage could have been more significant if Veolia agents had not lent a helping hand to the fire fighters: during this particularly long intervention, they would certainly have lacked water to contain the fire.

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Fire in the Hauts de Narbonne: how Veolia agents supported the firefighters facing the risk of a water shortage

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70 hectares burned in the Hauts de Narbonne and a house destroyed, an afternoon of fighting against fire and wind

It's like we have 10 2,500m Olympic swimming pools³ water

From then on, we understand to what extent the multinational, a specialist in the water cycle, is a privileged partner for firefighters. This Monday, in the premises of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service in Narbonne, it was time to formalize the partnership with Veolia. An agreement was signed, aiming “the provision of volunteer fire personnel from Veolia for the benefit of Sdis”, explained Christian Raynaud, the president of the departmental fire and rescue service. These personnel could thus “be called upon at our request, to intervene on the ground in the event of a major incident such as a fire”.

A detailed knowledge of the hydraulic network

Above all, these valuable volunteer recruits from Veolia have in-depth knowledge of the underground hydraulic network. The agents are able to help firefighters: they can activate valves that are usually closed, to supply reservoirs and improve access to water for firefighters. This is also what happened during the fire of September 10 in the Hauts de Narbonne, and without depriving the residents of drinking water. Indeed, if the resource is essential for putting out fires, it is also becoming scarce due to repeated droughts.

“We know the level and autonomy of each water reservoir 24 hours a day. Knowing that the city of Narbonne has more than 560 km of hydraulic pipes and 13 large diameter reservoirs, that is to say 5 000m³. In total, it's like we have 10 2,500m Olympic swimming pools³ of water”, underlined Frédéric Salin, director of the Aude territory at Veolia.

As for Eric Menassi, vice-president of Sdis, he took the opportunity to encourage local communities and businesses to also encourage the provision of firefighter employees. “Our civil security model is based on volunteering. To continue, businesses must be at our side. Especially as the scope of action of firefighters is diversifying and increasing,” he highlighted. Moreover, the president of Sdis Christian Raynaud did not hide his hope to see the number of volunteer firefighters increase in the future, at Veolia as in local companies.