Whilst the sub-prefect of the Aisne was visiting the firefighters at the Saint-Quentin fire station – to thank them for their courage during the festive season – a unionised firefighter approached her to make a request, which has so far gone unheeded. "Madam Sub-Prefect, may I ask you…"", began the firefighter. "In Saint-Quentin, we’re the ones who’ve been left behind", the sapper continued, according to our colleagues at the Courrier Picard, in front of his colleagues on duty, two senior officers and the town’s mayor.
What better way to confront the district chief, who clearly wasn’t expecting to be taken to task in this way… right under the nose of the rescue centre chief, who was himself discovering a situation that could be described as embarrassing for the chief’s authority.
“I didn’t realise it was slipping, but it won’t slip any more” – Magalie Daverton, sub-prefect.
According to the same source, this unexpected reaction follows an incident back in January 2017, when significant emergency resources were deployed to tackle a fire that broke out in one of the towers. Several people trapped by the flames and smoke were rescued by one of the firefighters. A request for recognition – in the form of a medal – for this act of bravery was therefore forwarded to the relevant authorities (the management of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service and the prefecture). However, it was never acted upon, reports the Courrier Picard.
"I didn’t realise it was slipping, but it won’t slip any more" she assured the firefighter. "This isn’t the first rescue," the union member adds, on familiar ground. "There’s no difference between low-top trainers and Rangers. We’re the ones on the ground." In other words, medals aren’t just for senior officers in white collars. It was a need for recognition that the sub-prefect hadn’t been prepared for, but to which she responded positively. And it was she who presented the medal to the valiant firefighter. This time, to a round of applause.