Firefighters in the Bouches-du-Rhône are launching an advertising campaign to highlight the attacks against them. Such attacks have been on the rise in recent years across the country.
"We're not here to be attacked; we're here to protect and save people", explains Commander Sylvain Besson to our colleagues at France Bleu Provence, summarising the message of this public information campaign by the Bouches-du-Rhône Fire Service.
40 complaints in 2017
Since the start of the year, no fewer than 40 complaints have been lodged by firefighters from SDIS 13. “Complaints about insults, abuse and threats over the phone, as well as physical assaults whilst on duty,” our colleagues explain. A six-month custodial sentence was even handed down in 2017, along with an 18-month suspended sentence.
"We’re being attacked in Mr and Mrs Average’s home" – Commander Sylvain Besson
The fire service is keen to raise public awareness of the fact that such attacks have become widespread. “We often hear that firefighters are attacked in certain neighbourhoods,” notes Commander Sylvain Besson. “That does happen, and it’s a fact, but we’re also being attacked in people’s own homes. We’re the victims of a breakdown in society.”