In Thionville, everyone knows Biloute. An eminently sympathetic 54-year-old guy, with laughing eyes, always ready to help. “I never thought of myself, always of others, of my family”, would almost apologize Francis Tonneau, of his real name.
Also last Friday, when a 60-year-old who wanted to end his life dropped from the bank of the Moselle, below the bastion in Thionville, this maintenance worker at the Lycée de la Briquerie did not hesitate for a second to take the plunge. Fully dressed, except his jacket. “At times like this, you don’t have time to think about it. Afterwards, it’s in our genes, ”he is convinced.
“I said to myself that it was absolutely necessary to get his head out of the water”. What he managed to do, but not without difficulty. The man weighed more than 130 kilos … The firefighters will fortunately quickly take over and revive the desperate. “Thank you to them”, appreciates Biloute, respectful of the work of the firefighters.
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The mayor calls him on his cell phone
But for him, this epic rescue will leave its mark: he loses the keys to his apartment, slashes his thigh and, to top it all off, gets a rifle flu! “For the phone, I was lucky, it was in my jacket. “
Still wet, he retrieves his scooter in town when his phone rings. It is the mayor of Thionville, Pierre Cuny, who asks him to become town hall. “A municipal agent must have given him my number”, imagines our man, originally from La Chapelle d’Armentières, in the land of the Ch’tis. Hence his nickname. “I went there and he received me in his office. He was happy. He gave me the comic strip on the History of Thionville. “
The mayor will leave him this beautiful dedication: “With all the gratitude of the Thionvillois”. Without prejudging the quality of the comic strip, it is clearly the medal of courage and dedication that should be awarded to him!
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He does not derive any glory from it
Because Biloute is not his first rescue. “I have already saved three people from drowning in Thionville,” says Francis, who has been living in Terville for about thirty years. “Once, it was a man who fell in the Moselle under the yellow SNCF bridge. Another time, it was in front of the Total station and the last time was in front of the sub-prefecture. My fishing grounds, ”he assures us.
He never drew any glory from it. “You know, I prefer to keep a low profile on a lot of things,” he whispers. Like when he works voluntarily with elderly people for odd jobs or when he repairs the armchairs of handicapped children. Biloute is an ordinary hero with extraordinary courage. With the heart on the hand. Next to him, Mitch Buchannon, the hero of Baywatch , can definitely go and get dressed.
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