Saving the victims remains the priority of the Eurelian firefighters in the event of a disaster in buildings open to the public, businesses, private homes. The victims in the shelter, the fire soldiers then concentrate on the structures in order to avoid the spread of a fire, for example.
In 2019, in partnership with the Departmental Council, in order to improve any interventions on historic sites, a reflection was initiated to extract, as a matter of urgency, certain precious works on display. The Château de Maintenon is a perfect illustration of this approach resulting in a new safeguard system.
Lieutenant Didier Fayemendy, head of the forecasting service of the Center territorial grouping, describes the context: “Training has been set up in order to increase the level of security of certain buildings, including the Château de Maintenon, but also, in the future. , companies with particular specificities. ”Like Novo Nordisk, in Chartres, or even Andros, in Auneau-Bleury-Saint-Symphorien.
An established order of priority
The officer worked with the Departmental Council’s remarkable sites management to compile a list of sites to work on.
First target: the castle of Maintenon, with a wooden frame. A series of exercises took place on site, in September and October 2020. The castle, surrounded by a moat, makes maneuvers complex.
Captain Didier Fayemendy drew several lessons from this.
“We have revised our accessibility strategy because the porch at the entrance to the castle is too narrow. We will hire smaller vehicles in the event of fire or flood. “
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This modification recorded, and verified during exercises, the firefighters tested themselves on another workshop: safeguarding heritage. “A list of historical works to be preserved has been defined as well as an order of priority”, emphasizes Didier Fayemendy. Precautions are necessary in order not to damage these valuable cultural goods. Rescuers learned how to handle an art object, unhook it, hold it and transport it to the secure fallback storage room.
Technical sheets, special boxes, specific covers
Chests, equipped with foam, were even made, in the shape of the objects, to preserve these extremely fragile works such as vases.
“Tools are also available to firefighters in the rooms, such as wire cutters to cut metal fasteners supporting works or stepladders. Everything has been designed to be efficient, in an emergency. “
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Specific covers are being acquired to protect the assets that will be moved.
For the sake of precision and identification, technical sheets illustrated with photos of the objects to be saved are available to rescuers in the event of a disaster. The exercises allowed firefighters, volunteers and professionals, to familiarize themselves with the goods and rooms where they are exposed, but also the accesses, stairs, corridors … in this labyrinthine castle.
Three workshops were reserved, on site, for all Eurelian officers. They were made aware of the same themes as the other firefighters but, in addition, of the command aspects in the broad sense of the term.
“Everything has been carefully planned”
Fictitious disaster scenarios led them to find solutions while respecting the various established protocols. In turn, they worked on operational tables using color codes (red = fire, green = first aid, purple = command, blue = water) and national graphic charters then on maps of an aerial view of the castle on which legos, symbolizing machines, were to be positioned. Officers were in charge of making the situations as concrete as possible and of testing the tactical skills of their fellow executives. The deployment of the miniatures, the order of priorities defined and the safeguarding plan implemented delighted the instructors.
A last workshop ofidentification of priority works was conducted on site by officers of the department. A visit to the exhibition halls made it possible to recognize and precisely locate the works from the documents made available.
Captain Didier Fayemendy seems calm after having worked for more than a year on this strategic file: “Everything has been carefully planned to allow firefighters to have tools and operational decision aids. ”
Thierry delaunay
[email protected]
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