With a community of 80,000 users, the team behind the website "Forest Fires"is ready to face another summer, which is set to be particularly hot and challenging for the Civil Protection services. With around forty correspondents, mainly based in the south of France – in Occitanie and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region – Feux de Forêt will once again be working to protect forests and local communities from wildfires.
“Last year, our website and mobile app were accessed more than 7 million times. We believe it is essential to inform the public about this growing risk, whilst also highlighting the work of the men and women who keep us safe on a daily basis.” says Anthony Montardy, editor-in-chief of Emergency Information, whilst adding “These days, there are several apps for reporting speed cameras or police checks; we, however, wanted to alert the public to any new fires, how they are developing, and also to share safety messages.”.
A new partnership
“This year, we have strengthened our position. Firstly, we have launched a partnership with the company Agate Weather for weather forecasts. These will be available free of charge from 1 July across all our platforms. In addition, our team has just been strengthened by the recruitment of 33 new correspondents 'volunteers in the South of France'.
Launched several years ago now, Feux de Forêt has a mobile app that tracks its users’ locations and alerts them to any new fires. Nearly 800 alerts were sent out last year. Whenever a fire breaks out, hundreds of photos and videos are sent to the virtual team, as Feux de Forêt is managed across the whole of the South.
Complementary to the SDIS
Feux de Forêt is not intended to replace the fire and emergency services in their communications; the network complements their work and relies on them to disseminate verified and official information.
This year, posts from the SDIS will be shared more widely across the various Forest Fire networks, and every post reporting a new fire outbreak will be accompanied by a practical message for firefighters aimed at the general public, such as ‘For your safety, please avoid the area’ or “Please ensure easy access for the emergency services”.
"Feux de Forêt has changed a lot"
"I didn’t set up this page; I joined a small team before they decided to stop running it. Previously, the page posted operational updates from the fire service. You could find out which resources were on the scene and even which ones were on their way. Naturally, the fire and rescue services weren’t keen on that! And that’s entirely understandable, given that millions of euros are being invested in securing the fire service’s communications, particularly with the Antares digital radios.” says Anthony Montardy.
"Today, Feux de Forêt has changed a great deal. We have a website, a mobile app and a new team. I believe that safety starts with information. For me, that’s a certainty. This year, we’ll be sharing official messages from the departmental fire services more widely. We’ll continue to report on fire outbreaks and place particular emphasis on prevention.".
Reaching out to the general public
"We know full well that the vast majority of our subscribers are firefighters, which is great. But let’s be honest, it’s the general public who need to know more about this risk. Firefighters are already well trained and experienced in this area. This year, we’ll continue to grow, but we’ll be targeting a new audience.".