What are the means deployed to fight against the fires ravaging the Gironde?

Are they sufficient?

Update on the situation on Monday and on ways to improve the French model of civil security, considered under tension by many actors.

Almost half of the air fleet mobilized

France has 19 water bomber planes, 12 Canadair and seven Dash (six of which are operational, the last having been delivered in July), as well as two water bomber helicopters, according to the Directorate General of Civil Security and of crisis management.

Nearly half of this air fleet is mobilized in Gironde: six Canadair and three Dash are engaged, as well as 1,700 firefighters.

And "between Friday and Sunday, two Greek Canadairs were present as reinforcements," said Alexandre Jouassard, spokesman for Civil Security for whom "calling on them is not an admission of weakness.

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No air base in the Southwest

All of these air resources are based year-round in Nîmes, “where the maintenance services are,” specifies Commander Jouassard.

The Nîmes base is reinforced during the summer period by a rear base in Ajaccio while 23 parking areas are spread throughout the territory.

But, on these "pelicandromes", the devices can only recharge with water and fire retardant and not be subject to the necessary maintenance operations.

For Olivier Richefou, President of the National Conference of Fire and Rescue Services (CNSIS) and of the Mayenne Departmental Council, "no doubt the South-West of France has not been sufficiently integrated, since for many years the fires are rather concentrated in the South-East”.

If the just-in-time device has worked so far, Jean-Luc Gleyze, PS president of the Gironde departmental council and president of the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS 33) fears to quickly see its limits long term.

"Additional Air Resources"

Commander Jouassard recognized on Sunday a "tense operational device".

"A little more margin in the future is desirable because we know that we are heading towards an increase in the number of interventions", he added, under the effect of global warming, the multiplication of heat waves and periods of drought.

Olivier Richefou judges that “additional aerial means must be implemented.

The most effective is the Canadair” which, unlike the Dash, can recharge on any body of water and not necessarily a “pelicandrom”.

He is joined by Anthony Chauveau, for whom it is "urgent to renew and increase the fleet of Canadair, dilapidated".

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