On Wednesday, the court in Châteauroux heard the case of a man who had assaulted a firefighter. The man, a motorist involved in an accident, had, whilst under the influence of alcohol, attacked the firefighter who had come to his aid, according to our colleagues at France Bleu Berry.
A case involving an assault on a firefighter is being heard at Châteauroux Magistrates’ Court. The man who appeared in court on Wednesday was charged with attacking a young volunteer firefighter from Ecueillé, who was 17 at the time of the incident. On 12 August, the young man was called out with his colleagues to a road accident. On arrival, he found a damaged vehicle at the side of the road. Inside was a drunk man, with a bottle of alcohol at his feet. The firefighters then placed him on a stretcher and secured him with straps. The driver could not stand this. Nor could he stand being refused a cigarette. Once freed, he grabbed the young firefighter by the collar and slammed him against the side of the vehicle. Outside, he chased after him and then punched him repeatedly. He only stopped when he saw his victim crying.
At the hearing, the defendant, who is in his thirties, explained that he was going through a difficult period at the time, linked to his separation from the mother of his children. He was using all sorts of substances at the time, including alcohol and drugs. Since then, he has undergone treatment, leading his lawyer to say that the incident had prompted him to take stock of his life. He was sentenced to five months in prison.
Attacks on firefighters on the rise
The young man who was assaulted, along with several officials from the Indre SDIS (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service), attended the trial. According to Commander Lacroix, this case is not strictly speaking ‘representative’ of what firefighters experience on a daily basis; nevertheless, he notes that there has been an increase over the past several years in cases of violence – whether physical or verbal – against firefighters, both professional and volunteer. In 2016, 2,280 firefighters were assaulted in France – that is, one every four hours.