If you live in the Vendée, you might think twice before picking up the phone and dialling 18. From 1 June, the department’s fire service will in fact be charging for certain call-outs that fall outside the scope of their public service remit, and which sometimes cause them to lose valuable time that could be spent on other, more urgent operations, reports France Bleu Vendée.
Opening a door, unlocking a lift...
The Vendée Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS 85) will therefore charge for certain non-emergency call-outs that do not pose a risk to people.
Five types of service will be subject to a charge from 1 June, namely opening a door, unblocking a lift, drying out premises, rescuing an animal, and destroying a hornet’s or wasp’s nest (an initiative that is already proving successful in the Bas-Rhin). If the Vendée fire brigade is called out on operations of this kind, the – hefty – bill will come to 376 euros.
Prices that are, above all, a deterrent
The SDIS 85 explains that this is a deterrent charge – notably more expensive than calling out a locksmith or a lift repair technician – which is intended to limit the number of calls for these non-essential operations. The number of such calls was estimated at over a thousand in the department in 2018, explains France Bleu.
If call-outs of this kind involve rescuing a person or are necessary for reasons of public safety, the fire service will, of course, respond as usual, without charging a fee.