Perrine, Xavier and their children, Capucine and Timothée, managed to save the tricolor flag from the Bezons barracks, threatened by fire. During an escape game, the little family has transformed into a team of firefighters. Like nearly 150 people already, they recently tested the game offered by the Bezons rescue center. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) of Val-d’Oise, the barracks of the department are organizing events for the public. “We have a profession that can be scary, explains Lieutenant Alexandre Bardé, head of the Bezons rescue center. We chose to organize an escape game to play it down, and promote better discovery. »
The pitch of the game? “The firefighters from the Bezons barracks have all gone into action, you have to take their place and manage the barracks in their absence, explains Alexandra, volunteer firefighter and game master. Of course, if the need arises, you will also have to leave for intervention. »
A tailor-made escape game
A game “closer to reality”, in the fire station of Bezons, and in the middle of real rescue trucks. The game starts in a white tent, in the middle of the vehicles. In the tent, a cloakroom and a switchboard have been reconstructed. Named lockers, firefighters’ jackets, helmets, geographical equipment or even fire hoses… “During the game, the public is encouraged to equip themselves with real equipment, and to visit our premises”, explains the lieutenant of the barracks.
“For the moment, it is mainly families who come but we would also like to welcome companies, as well as members of other public services such as police officers, he adds. This would allow us to meet outside of the emergency. »
Recruitment of volunteer firefighters
“What we would also like, with this activity, is to succeed in encouraging vocations”, declares Lieutenant Alexandre Barbé. While Xavier, Perrin, Timothée and Capucine try to solve the escape game in the courtyard of the barracks, the firefighters give recruitment tests to young people from the department who wish to become volunteer firefighters. “We recruit them all year round,” explains the deputy lieutenant of the barracks.
Rescue centers lack recruits. “After the fires this summer, the government decided to recruit more volunteer firefighters, explains Lieutenant Alexandre Barbé. The objective is to recruit 50,000 volunteer firefighters, to increase to 250,000 volunteer firefighters nationwide by 2027. ” A necessary recruitment because “this kind of “mega fire” will be brought to reproduce more and more often , due to global warming,” says the captain. Already this summer, several members of SDIS 95 have been mobilized to support their colleagues in Gironde and Maine-et-Loire.