A year ago, they were on the job to save Notre-Dame de Paris from the flames. Henceforth, they are fighting against a much more elusive enemy. While the Ile-de-France region is the most affected by coronavirus, the Paris fire brigade (BSPP) is increasingly sought after. How are they coping with this “wave”, how have they prepared for it? Interview with Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriel Plus, their spokesperson.
Ile-de-France has been in an epidemic situation for two weeks now. How do you cope with the famous "wave"?
Since February 1, we have performed approximately 6,500 operations related to Covid-19. It gradually increased. Before confinement, we turned on average to 40 or 50 daily interventions but these last fifteen days, we were around 400-450, with many respiratory failures. We even had a peak at 500 this weekend. For three days, however, the number of interventions has stabilized, around 300 or 400 per day. Of the 6,000-7,000 daily calls, 2,500 are related to the virus.
What are these interventions?
This can range from a simple verification of symptoms and in half of the cases, the person remains at home, to interventions where we must intubate the person urgently until we find a place in a resuscitation service. And lately, with the saturation of hospitals, it has sometimes taken an hour or two.
Do “Covid” interventions now constitute the main part of your interventions?
No, they remain in the minority, this represents rather a large third of our activity. Normally, we perform around 1,400 daily interventions. Since the confinement, we are rather around a thousand [excluding intervention for cases of Covid-19] because there are far fewer road or sport-related accidents. But staying at home does not prevent a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Similarly, we are always mobilized on fires. Just yesterday, there were two, including one in a retirement home.
Were you prepared for such a health crisis?
At the very beginning, like many I think, we believed in a big flu. It was from mid-January that we began to understand the extent and gravity of this new coronavirus. We have already faced health crises, at the time of Sras or H1N1 but this time, it is very different since there is no vaccine. However, this feedback allowed us to prepare, we anticipated the stocks of masks, glasses, gowns and disinfectant products. We have 200,000 FFP2 masks and we use about 35,000 of them every week. We can last until about the end of the month.
You are regularly called upon to intervene during a crisis situation. How is this epidemic different?
When we intervene in the attacks or even in the Notre-Dame fire, we know what to expect. The situation and context are exceptional, but what we are facing - fire, injuries - is palpable and we are prepared for it. There, it is different, we do not see the virus, there is the stress of catching it, of infecting our loved ones. Before each intervention, we dress fully and then we must disinfect everything. One has the impression of fighting an invisible enemy. And then we don't know how long it will last.
Are brigade firefighters contaminated?
We have around thirty proven cases among the 8,500 firefighters in the brigade. Three of them had to be hospitalized in intensive care, but are now out and for now - let's hope it lasts - there are no more serious cases. But we have to deal with the promiscuity of the barracks. All infected people are obviously isolated and their relatives and colleagues are tested and are quarantined if necessary.
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- Covid 19
- Paris
- Coronavirus
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