2023-05-02 17:19:31
INTERVIEW – According to Éric Brocardi, spokesman for the National Federation of Firefighters, the lack of water slows down the fight against fires.
Éric Brocardi is spokesperson for the National Federation of Firefighters of France.
THE FIGARO. – Does the drought make your water management more complex?
ERIC BROCADES. – Water supply is obviously more complex when we are in a state of drought because the resources are less important. Our land vehicles and our air assets have more difficulty obtaining water.
This is what we saw during the fire in mid-April in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Some lakes were not high enough for our air assets to come and bail out water [c’est-à-dire remplir un avion bombardier d’eau, NDLR]. It is therefore necessary to draw water further away, which lengthens the rotations and therefore the drops. As a result, we take longer to intervene and the fire has more time to spread. It’s the same idea for our land resources. If it is not possible to draw water from certain points, it is necessary to fetch water further away. Of the hundred water points identified in the Pyrénées-Orientales on January 1, 2023, only 40 were available in mid-March.
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We are particularly vigilant in municipalities or areas placed in a state of crisis linked to drought [où des restrictions drastiques d’eau s’appliquent, y compris pour les agriculteurs, NDLR]. We have no restrictions on drawing from the water reserves because we remain a priority mission. It is even a duty. We are much more attentive in these areas because the risk of seeing a fire grow is greater there.
That there is no more water available is a less dramatic situation for us than for the inhabitants. In the case of the Pyrénées-Orientales, for example, a body of water [la mer Méditerranée, NDLR] is right next to it. The scooping and dropping times are therefore extended. And our action too.
And so how do you adapt?
We have daily feedback and forecasts on the water points available or not. So we always know where to get water. In the south of France in particular, we are in close contact with the services of the National Forestry Office (ONF) on the level of water points. Before, water reserves were checked daily and all year round only around the Mediterranean. Now it’s everywhere.
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There are also collaborations with other sectors – such as agriculture – to allow us to have sustainable access to water. Agreements can be signed and certain water reserves dedicated to agriculture can be made available to us. Concretely, there is always water available. In Gironde last summer [où 30.000 hectares de forêt étaient partis en fumée et où la sécheresse avait été importante, NDLR], we always managed to get water. You just have to look further or deeper.
There is no longer really a fire season: the risk is present all year round. There is no more rest. We have to train our firefighters continuously, so they are less available for other interventions. We must not forget that 80% of our missions remain personal assistance.
Concretely, how is the refueling going during a forest fire?
Having water at all times is our main concern. During operations against forest fires, a chief is specifically dedicated to the management of water reserves. There are two types of vehicles involved. Some are only used to make round trips to water points. They can store around 12,000 liters of water each. Their role is to supply other trucks carrying around 4,000 liters of water each, which come into contact with the fire.
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This water supply strategy is essential. It revolves around three points, in order of priority: saving people and property first, extinguishing the fire second and water supply third.
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