A gray and low sky, a slight roll, a mouthful of spray… If it weren’t for the massive silhouette of Notre-Dame, we would have thought we were in the harbor of Brest. But there is no iodine, and we are indeed on the Seine, on board the Colonel Maruelle,
Esavi (rescue boat and assistance to victims and fire) of the Paris firefighters. With a handful of journalists, we are witnessing an exercise involving three special units, or Groupement des supports et de aide in the jargon of the BSPP, as part of the release of a book on them *.
Playing the role of the victim, a firefighter stretches out behind the thickets, in the Vert Galant square, at the western tip of the Île de la Cité. The mission to find him falls on the Cyno team and their dogs. A Malinois accompanied by two firefighters sniffs the corners of the square before finding the false victim. “The dog then marks the individual by barking,” explains Captain Boissinot, responsible for SIA-SIS, firefighters specializing in aquatic environments.
The individual is then taken care of by the Grimp, (Group of intervention in perilous environments) which installed between the quay and the Pont-Neuf a set of pulleys and ropes, worthy of Cliffhanger.
The police visit
Placed in a stretcher, the victim is gradually hoisted above the Seine. Halfway, she got off to a BSPP light craft before being transported to hospital. In all, the operation, perfectly executed, lasted only a few minutes, under the curious gaze of passers-by and a patrol of the river brigade of the Paris police headquarters. Because the diving firefighters are not the only ones to reign on the river. They share it with the police and if everyone has their mission, it happens, for example, that the river also helps victims. And if officially there is no rivalry, we like to know what is going on with others.
After having toured the City (and overwhelmed the police), here we are facing the Pont des Arts where a firefighter is about to imitate an alcoholic party animal in search of thrills. Well, almost since it is dressed in a neoprene suit – “the water is at 8 ° C”, says Captain Boissinot – that the courageous man rushes from the balustrade into the Seine. It only takes a few seconds for the Esav to arrive on the scene and even less time for another firefighter to jump into the water to rescue the unfortunate man who is quickly hoisted on board. According to firefighters, the majority of dives in the Seine are the result of suicide attempts, except in summer when some jump into the water under the effect of heat or alcohol.
The lifeline
“When we call for help, it is important to give the last point where the victim sank, briefs Captain Boissinot. In the Seine, the vision is less than 20 cm so without precise indications, it is more complicated to find the person, especially when the current is strong. “And if you fall into the water, as often, you have to stay calm and try to” make the board “. “With clothes, not moving allows you not to expel the air they contain and thus to float better”, explains the captain.
After intervention, the SIA / SIS firefighters return to their first aid station, moored on the Conti quay, just below La Monnaie. Because in order not to lose contact with the water, the firefighters have been based since 1979 in a former barge almost 100 years old, the Commander Beinier. In all “28 firefighters, including eight on duty for 24 to 48 hours, are in charge of the Seine from the ring road to the ring road”, details Captain Boissinot. Upstream, the Seine is monitored by the Joinville-le-Pont post which also takes care of the Parisian canals. And it is the Clichy substation which manages the river downstream.
Ventriglisse and daily training
Adjutant Declerq, who commands the aid station at La Monnaie, provides the guided tour. The barge has three decks with above, the operational watch post which launches alerts and sends the firefighters on the boat in 3 minutes flat. On the middle deck, the chef’s office, the locker room which smells like a diving suit, the kitchen “where we heat up and improve the meals delivered to us”, and the life base, where the day before evening a party in honor of Sainte-Barbe, the patron saint of firefighters, with ventriglisse and blue nail polish for the captain.
On the lower deck, the “six bedrooms for twelve beds”. Suffice to say that given the size of the cabins, promiscuity is required and you have to know how to share your bed. Finally the large training room. Because, apart from Vin Diesel, firefighters are the only ones in the world to reserve a large quarter of their living space for bodybuilding. Because as the actor of xXx or franchise Fast and furious, physical form is the basis of their profession. “Each day begins with sport between 8 and 10 am”, specifies Captain Boissinot. And then to the water.
Every day, firefighters dive into the Seine to train and learn about the conditions of the aquatic environment in the event of an intervention. Consequence: “We have all the time cold,” confesses Adjutant Declercq. But luckily for him, in his team, “there are quite a few Bretons who love to dive, especially for spearfishing”. And I promise, we did not see a Breton flag, or at the bottom of the hold.
*The special units of the Paris firefighters, Albin Michel edition