A historic day for the Hérault Departmental Fire and Rescue Service, also known as – SDIS 34 – with two decorations pinned to the tricolour flag this Saturday morning during a ceremony at the Château d’O in the Hérault department: the Bronze Medal for Acts of Courage and Dedication, followed by the fourragère, which is now worn by the 3,382 volunteer firefighters, 764 professional firefighters, 134 doctors, 112 nurses, 4 pharmacists and 222 administrative and technical staff.
The Prefect of Hérault, Pierre Pouëssel, who was in attendance at the ceremony, recalled that he had agreed to award the Fourragère to the entire departmental fire service, "who has shown particular distinction during rescue and fire-fighting operations, as well as in exceptional situations involving risks and during weather events, including the recent snowfall. Assistance had to be provided to 3,000 motorists and 800 lorry drivers stranded on the A9, A75 and A750 motorways. There were also the catastrophic floods in Lamalou-les-Bains in September 2014, in Grabels in October 2014, in Lodève and Ganges a year later, and the major forest fires: in Mèze and Fontanès near Assas in August 2010, in Bessan last July, in Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens last August, and in Grabels and Rosis, again last summer. And then there was the tragic wildfire in Roquessels, where Jérémy Beier lost his life. We will never forget Jérémy, and our thoughts are with his mother, who is here today, as well as with the three survivors who continue to suffer the after-effects.”
"Too much sun, wind, rain and snow"
Pierre Pouëssel spoke of this indomitable Mediterranean climate and "which is characterised by extremes – excessive sunshine and strong winds in summer, leading to wildfires, and excessive rainfall, flooding and, at times, snow, resulting in flash floods, snowstorms and difficult rescue operations for shipwrecked people. During the recent snow-induced paralysis of Montpellier, the State did not fail us; I would like to thank and congratulate Lieutenant-Colonel Gilles Viriglio of SDIS 34 for his exemplary handling of the situation over two sleepless nights".
Addressing the firefighters of SDIS 34, the Prefect noted that, ""You are always on the ground, dealing with these natural hazards. Your compassion in reaching out to victims to help them get back on their feet is recognised by this well-deserved collective honour."
Following on from Antarès, here is NexSis
Before him, Kléber Mesquida, President of the Hérault Departmental Council and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SDIS 34, welcomed the presentation of this Fourragère, revealing that, following the adoption of the Antarès alert system, the future lay with NexSis, which is highly effective at processing alerts: "We need to act quickly to dispatch resources as soon as an alert is received. NexSis will enable all emergency services to be coordinated as part of a fully integrated emergency response chain: the fire service, the SMUR and SAMU, the police and the gendarmerie will all be connected to NexSis. The SDIS 34’s vehicles will be fitted with a high-performance system enabling their real-time geolocation to be displayed on the large screens at the Fire and Rescue Operations Centre, Codis 34.”
Kléber Mesquida announced that 100 professional firefighter posts will be created over five years – that is, 20 per year – confirming plans to establish the only training centre in the Occitanie region in Gignac, "which will help the Hérault fire brigade to become more experienced. Today’s firefighters must undergo specialised training; the incidents they face now are completely different from those faced by the veteran and valiant firefighters of 40 or 50 years ago".
The President of the Department was keen to mention the plans to modernise and build new fire stations across the department, such as in Cassagnoles, a small village in the Minervois region, far from Montpellier but by no means forgotten."We are honoured to receive this award"
During his speech, Kléber Mesquida was on the verge of tears as he spoke of the tragedy in Roquessels, on 10 August 2016, north of Béziers. Deeply moved, his voice breaking, on the verge of bursting into tears, the president of the Hérault Department addressed Jérémy Beier’s mother: "Our hearts go out to you; we will always be with you." Jérémy’s mother and brother, Thomas Beier, who ‘died in the line of duty’, were presented with the Fourragère this Saturday during this moving official ceremony.
Kléber Mesquida’s thoughts were very much with Jérémy’s three colleagues, Lucas, Didier and David, survivors of that massive wall of fire which took the forest fire response team (GIFF) by surprise on the wooded summit of Roquessels in the summer of 2016. Didier and Lucas, who are still suffering, were there this morning: "We admire your courage; stay strong", said the president of the Hérault Department, who was clearly very moved.
Colonel Eric Florès, Director of SDIS 34, opened the proceedings in fine style. With his warm and approachable manner, he made a lasting impression: "There are no ‘minor’ or ‘major’ firefighters. This honour recognises all firefighters in the department – the men and women who are always on hand, day and night. This fourragère and this bronze medal for acts of courage and bravery are collective honours, from the firefighter to the colonel, from the smallest fire station to the main fire stations, for serving personnel, but also for veterans and their families. This fourragère places an obligation on us and will continue to do so for your successors.”
>> Our video: the presentation of the Fourragère
77 professional helmeted officers promoted
Twenty-seven professional firefighters were promoted to the next rank during the ceremony. These officers and non-commissioned officers are stationed at the two fire stations in Montpellier – the main fire stations named after Jean Guizonnier in Mosson-la-Paillade and Max Dormoy in Montaubérou-le-Millénaire – as well as in Agde, Béziers, Sète, Pézenas, Clermont-l’Hérault, Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, Sérignan, Frontignan, Lunel, La Grande-Motte, the mountain and hazardous terrain rescue unit, and the departmental emergency call centre (CDAU) based in Vailhauquès.
It was also a significant moment in the careers of 50 professional warrant officers, who were promoted by this year’s Joint Administrative Committee (CAP) and received their stripes. The date of 17 March 2018 will remain etched in the memories of these 77 Hérault-based officers.
Five pensioners were present
An authentic, heartfelt speech by Colonel Eric Florès, which struck a chord with five former members of SDIS 34, pensioners invited to this historic ceremony: Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Gil (Montady), Captain Jo Bernard (Capestang), Lieutenant Roger Bardoux (Pézenas), Sergeant Patrick Molina (Magalas) and Corporal André Diaz, who was stationed at the Montagnac barracks. The director of the Hérault SDIS warmly thanked the Prefect and the President of the Hérault Department for the award of the fourragère and for the significant financial efforts made to provide firefighters with fire stations and resources suited to their missions: 80,411 call-outs last year, an increase of 4.87 per cent compared with 2016.
As this historic ceremony for SDIS 34 drew to a close, the sound of sirens on Avenue des Moulins served as a reminder that the Hérault fire service responds to an emergency every seven minutes.
The Prefect of Hérault, the President of the Department and the Director of SDIS 34 are reviewing the troops. Photo: JMA. Métropolitain.
The slogan dear to the firefighters of SDIS 34: “Always Close By”. Photo: JMA. Métropolitain.
Colonel Christophe Durand, Deputy Departmental Director of SDIS 34, addressing the SDIS 34 firefighters present at the ceremony. Photo: JMA. Métropolitain.
The SDIS 34 flag, decorated with the Fourragère and the Bronze Medal by the Prefect of Hérault. Photo: JMA. Métropolitain.
The flag bearer holding the SDIS 34 flag, presented by the Prefect of Hérault, Pierre Pouëssel. Photo: SDIS 34.
Kléber Mesquida, President of the Hérault Department, presents the Fourragère to Colonel Christophe Durand, Deputy Director of SDIS 34. Photo: SDIS 34.
The five retired members of the Hérault departmental fire brigade who attended the ceremony. Photo: JMA. Métropolitain.