It’s a first. The Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis) of Hérault presents for the first time accounts in the red at the end of the summer period. A deficit of 1.8 million euros precisely, linked to the explosion of activity this summer and the methods of intervention of the firefighters.
Between July and September, Hérault firefighters intervened to put out 638 wildfires. They were also heavily solicited on fires that set other departments ablaze. The Gironde in particular, but not only: 29 columns of vehicles were sent as reinforcements to various sites in France.
New method to intervene more effectively
The number of interventions is increasing, the method to limit the spread of these fires also contributes to this inflation. “From now on, fifteen vehicles are sent each time a fire starts, details the general controller Eric Florès, director of the firefighters of Hérault. This massive dispatch is the strength of the Hérault firefighters, with the support of the departmental air fleet. » More men and equipment from the first reports of fires, without waiting for the evolution of the fire once on site.
This method, the firefighters of the Hérault are convinced, has made it possible to avoid tragedies this summer. Like the fire in Saint-Bauzille de la Sylve at the end of July. “Because we immediately intervened in numbers, we managed to contain it at 1,000 hectares. He could have done ten times more. Between the square meters destroyed and the number of houses preserved, it’s 311 million euros saved, ”he explains.
The department wants a financial gesture from the State
These protective measures, if they have shown their effectiveness in the field, have a cost, which partly explains the salty note of the summer interventions. But that the benefits largely justify, for the soldiers of the fire. The department of Hérault will cover the deficit. But its president, Kléber Mesquida (PS), wants to put the state to work. “It’s 311 million euros saved, it’s 311 million that the insurance companies did not have to give”, he underlines, taking the example of the fire of Saint-Bauzille de la Sylve. He asks for an increase in the special tax on insurance agreements.