The activity of firefighters did not stabilize until the end of last year.
Each year, and this since his induction as head of the Millau fire and rescue center six years ago, Commander William Buchet continues to see an increase in the activity of his men and women.
But 2020 will have been special for everyone, including the firefighters. “We stabilized the number of interventions at the end of the year, he confides. The health crisis and its confinement have reduced our wing from March to May. During this first phase, confinement led to a reduction in the number of road accidents, for example. Otherwise, we would have largely exceeded the 2 500 interventions.“
2,400 interventions during the year
The operational statistics of the Millau CIS in fact count 2,398 interventions against 2,479 in 2019, a slight decrease of nearly 3%, including 130 for traffic accidents, and 1,883 for personal assistance.
Further back to leave the hand to the men in white, the second confinement was quite different: “We had our part to play, points out the head of the South group. And we still have at least three months in this context. “
Of the some 2,400 interventions carried out by the firefighters of the Millavois center throughout the past year, William Buchet’s men keep in mind “a good campaign on fires”.
They have intervened 199 times in this area. “We were called upon to deal with fires in Sévérac-d’Aveyron, in Olemps, in Ouest-Aveyron and we were in support of external fires”, develops the commander.
A balance to be found
The past year will also have been marked by the reinforcement of a professional firefighter, with the desire to reach 26 professionals by the end of the year, three of whom are officers.
With nearly 75 volunteers, we must also “to gain momentum in this register, especially in the small centers around Millau, such as Nant, Roquefort or Salles-Curan where it is difficult to mobilize volunteers during the week, and which sometimes have to be relieved 25 minutes from Millau”, points out Commander William Buchet.
If it remains difficult to find volunteers, the place of women is increasingly important in the barracks, including in Millau where “recruitments are 50-50”. “The national average of women employed by firefighters is nearly 18% when the Aveyron shows a rate of 23%”, emphasizes William Buchet.
The Millavian firefighters, “ already well equipped “, were also spoiled at the end of the year since the center was equipped with the latest large scale by the Department.
A lack of volunteers to be deplored
To satisfy the desire to “step up in terms of volunteers”, the firefighters will launch a major recruitment campaign in the spring. “It would be necessary to increase to 85 volunteers to fill the staff”, specifies the commander.
If the average age remains fairly well distributed, the engagement lasts on average nearly 9 years. “It takes two training, nuance William Buchet. The typical profile is a 35-year-old man, settled in Millau with a family life. We must now convince a certain youth, forced to leave the city to study or work. “
For the head of the center, this volunteering is essential for the proper functioning of this public service: “The firefighters, it’s not just the 18th, it’s a whole organization.” While waiting for this recruitment campaign, the center remains reachable or open to all interested persons.
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