The Valensole fire and rescue center was inaugurated this Saturday, November 23. More than 400 square meters will accommodate the town's 18 firefighters.
It is under the name of Jean Taix, an exemplary former firefighter, that the new Valensole fire and rescue center was inaugurated on the morning of Saturday, November 23.
A moving speech recalled the Valensolais' commitment throughout his career and beyond as he passed on the passion for the profession and the sense of dedication to the next generation.
“An important moment for Valensole”
Elected officials were able to discover the new building of almost 500 square meters. The latter meets environmental requirements, including living, meeting and training spaces in addition to a garage to accommodate the six Valensolais fire brigade vehicles.
It is in these new premises that the 18 firefighters of the municipality will be able to intervene if necessary with the population.
“What a beautiful day,” declared the mayor, Gérard Aurric, at the start of his speech. He continues: “This is an important moment for our town and our lower Alpine territories. We gathered, a year ago, to celebrate the laying of the first stone, in pouring rain. When the first stone was wet, I told you that this would be the sign of a project delivered on time, and that was the case. One year later, we are here, in an operational building.
Firefighters' commitment praised
It was in fact a very short period of time between the start of this project and its completion. But for the past few days, the 18 Valensol firefighters have been able to take full advantage of this new building. The commitment of these men and women did not fail to be praised by Lieutenant Benjamin Dumol, head of this CIS.
“The years go by and they are not alike, but the commitment and dedication you have towards the population has not changed. It remains at a high level. These brand new walls already have a history and all that remains is it’s up to us to write the rest,” he said very moved during his speech.
A commitment also welcomed by Colonel Sylvain Besson, director of SDIS 04, who did not fail to recall the significant number of volunteer firefighters in the department.
“We paid tribute to Jean Taix who, several decades later, is still in your memories and that is important. Now, his name will even be engraved on the walls of this barracks. We must remember the commitment firefighters to protect and serve the population in France, let's remember, every six and a half seconds, we have a crew all over the country going on intervention,” he says.
He adds: “This inauguration is the continuation of the evolution of our commitment. This new project now makes it possible to offer particularly suitable conditions for firefighting teams.”
Other projects to come
This building is the first in a long series of construction and renovations being carried out as part of the new SDIS building plan. The Valensole structure cost 1.66 million euros financed by the State, the department, and the municipality.
In total, 17 projects will be carried out in the region in the coming years, as Jean-Claude Castel, chairman of the SDIS 04 board of directors, recalls.
“Finally! Today, you have proof that the work is finally succeeding and the Valensole barracks is the first in a long series since, among others, Riez, the logistics center of the management in Digne-les-Bains and even Sisteron and Céreste…”
“We need these infrastructures to guarantee the safety of citizens, the department's firefighters have managed to reduce intervention times to less than 15 minutes. And that is thanks to the exceptional network and commitment of these men and women, it is quite normal that we welcome them in good conditions,” he concluded during his speech.
Always looking for new volunteers, the Valensole firefighters now have the appropriate structure to accommodate all those of goodwill.
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