From July 12, it should come as no surprise to see an airship in the Marseille sky in the colors of the Marseille firefighter battalion. For this early summer, the city is equipping itself with an unprecedented device to fight forest fires: a balloon inflated with helium and capable of detecting a fire starting 10 km around, thanks to on-board infrared sensors and a geolocation system. All while flying at an altitude of 500 meters. “It is a technology used to monitor military bases in Africa and which is here adapted to forest fires, it is unique in France”, explains Rear Admiral Patrick Augier, commander of the battalion.
The images thus filmed will be transmitted live to the operational center of the marine firefighters installed on the Luminy area, in the Calanques national park. “The doctrine in forest fires is to intervene quickly and massively,” continues the commander. This will help us to assess the situation, and to adapt human and material resources. “A forest fire operation behaves a bit like an airborne military operation,” explains a captain of the battalion. The trucks are a bit like tanks, helicopters and planes water bombers, and behind there are land resources. “
10 days of autonomy in flight
“The particularity of forest fire,” he continues, “is that we have a cone of progression. It tends to move away and grow, the challenge is to properly shrink the flames to stop them. And act quickly then. Developed by the A-NSE company based in La Ciotat, the ball is 13 meters long. It can stay 10 days in flight without additional helium. “Compared to a drone, for example, it’s a real added value,” notes Commander Christophe, head of the battalion’s studies division. But above all, the balloon is able to remain stable with winds at 80 km / hour, where the fire risk is greatest.
This first test will last until July 26. The city of Marseille is currently renting the equipment. “The infrared will detect a heat zone, which integrates the fumes and can make the impacted surface appear larger, it is all this that will have to be measured and possibly readjusted”, indicates the commander Christophe, confident in the future of the system: “The world of Civil Security needs to integrate new technologies, we must be vigilant that they correspond to a business need, to clearly define our needs, that’s what we do. “
A drought a month ahead
For this 2021 forest fire campaign, launched this Tuesday in the presence of Mayor Benoît Payan, up to 770 marine firefighters can be mobilized in one hour in the event of a fire. In the Calanques, the massifs are also under the high surveillance of the cabins installed on the highest points. Once a possible fire is detected, the balloon will return to its base, in Luminy, so as not to interfere with air operations.
“The season promises to be dry,” warns Rear Admiral Patrick Augier, who calls for the greatest vigilance: “The levels of water reserves for plants are lower than last year, they are already comparable to those of August, a month in advance. The battalion has already intervened in reinforcement last weekend in Aude.