France is once again experiencing a fiery summer. For seven days, fires observed in Gironde and in the Bouches-du-Rhône have ravaged nearly 19,000 hectares, for around 32,000 preventive evacuations in total. While other fires have broken out in the Médoc, Landes and Charente-Maritime, some are asking for the reinstatement of suspended firefighters, deploring a lack of substantial means to deal with the flames.
“A complicated situation” due to a shortage of firefighters
For a week, the flames have spread over tens of thousands of hectares, having destroyed five campsites in Pilat by 90%, according to Fabienne Buccio, the prefect of Gironde. “Everyone’s Called to the Fire”, she assured on BFM TV, calling all volunteer and professional firefighters. All ? Almost.
See also: Fires in Gironde: more than 19,000 hectares burned, smoke in Bordeaux
To fight against these two gigantic fires, nearly 2,000 firefighters were mobilized. But let’s not forget that like caregivers – subject to the vaccination obligation since September 15, 2021, some firefighters have been suspended because they have not been vaccinated.
And while the press mainstream blames climate change — just as she blamed the virus for the devastation of hospitals, others blame it more readily on the state, whose inaction would have led to a shortage of resources.
See also: Fires in Gironde: a civil security union calls for more planes and pilots
In this regard, it is the National Rally (RN) which gave voice. According to Grégoire de Fournas (RN deputy for Gironde) and Jordan Bardella (president of the RN and European deputy), firefighters were unable to go to the scene because of their incomplete vaccination schedules. As for caregivers, they call for their immediate reinstatement:
Volunteer firefighters cannot join the front lines #fires in Gironde… because they are not vaccinated. Let’s put an end to this nonsense, let’s reintegrate them and all the brutally suspended caregivers!
– Jordan Bardella (@J_Bardella) July 18, 2022
For his part, the president of the Patriots Florian Philippot also deplored the suspension of the firefighters, denouncing a “pyromaniac government” : “The fire is you!”does he have tweeted.
Despite everything, Emmanuel Macron preferred to turn abroad. “In this context, we were able to benefit from European solidarity”reported the head of state. “I want to thank Greece which has just made several devices available which arrived a few hours ago”. The President of the Republic indicated that Italy will also come to the aid of French firefighters fighting the flames.
A strategy “European” which, in addition to illustrating the cruel lack of means at the national level, places the French in the background and is not unanimous:
Firefighters from Greece and Italy but especially not the suspended French firefighters pic.twitter.com/0CBIfaszwZ
— VERITY France (@verity_france) July 15, 2022
Faced with the flames, “limited means”…
Firefighters had already sounded the alarm in 2019: “Our public emergency service is in danger. We are sick from a lack of manpower, a lack of means. We note a disengagement of the State”, explained in 2019 Xavier Boy, at the head of the national federation of firefighters of France. Haven’t the warnings of this profession been taken seriously enough by the public authorities?
As for the hospital, the grievances of the firefighters are explained by a crucial lack of means, and of consideration. The current distribution of the twelve Canadairs in France (these planes equipped with water tanks intended to fight against the flames, which are stationed on a base in Nîmes) increases the threat on more distant territories. “I am convinced that if we had had Canadairs nearby, we would not be here”declared Jean-Luc Gleyze, president of the Gironde sur Sud-Ouest. “We will have to talk about it at the national level. During these two big fires, we had fire outbreaks in the north of the Gironde and in the north of the Landes. We diverted the Canadairs from La Teste-de-Buch towards these fires : they were immediately extinguished”he also told on RTL.
… and aging
For his part, Jean-Pierre Vogel, Senator LR, titled one of his reports written in 2019: “Forest fires: the imperative need to strengthen the means of fighting against a risk likely to worsen”. An observation that is painfully observed today; successive governments have not sufficiently anticipated the events that are currently raging, indicated the senator. He also underlines the aging of the Canadairs, although these are essential to block the spread of the flames. Today, some are still under maintenance, while new deliveries are only scheduled for 2025.
Finally, for Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, France is reprehensible, because it bought a new model of planes… less efficient. On CNews, he explains that “the Canadairs had the immense advantage of being able to take on water immediately, by landing on lakes”which is not the case with the new models.
In short, despite an alarmist discourse on the “global warming”, which has already been going on for several years, the fire brigade is emptied. As with the hospital – and many other subjects, the discrepancy between the verb and the gesture of the government raises many questions, and tensions. Some see it as a form of contempt for the French, deploring that the Head of State does not know “to question ourselves”… Will we soon learn the lesson?
See also: “I fear a cold civil war” Alain Houpert, senator