Nine additional water-bombing aircraft and helicopters will be mobilized in 2023, bringing the number of aircraft from 38 to 47, as well as nearly 500 additional firefighters.
These announcements were made during a trip to the Cazaux air base, in La Teste-de-Buch in Gironde, by Ministers Gérald Darmanin (Interior), Marc Fesneau (Agriculture), Christophe Béchu (Ecological Transition) and Dominique Faure (Local Authorities).
The Minister of the Interior said that air assets would be positioned in Gironde, as demanded by local elected officials since the fires last summer that burned about 30,000 hectares.
Four Air Tractor water bombers and one Dash will be positioned in Bordeaux from 1 July, and a water bomber helicopter from 1 June. In addition, two Canadair will be able to be positioned in Gironde 48 hours before a risk reported by the new "forest weather".
"These are concrete announcements, we have been heard," said the president of the department Jean-Luc Gleyze (PS). "It was no longer necessary to have to beg the civil security to send us planes, it will be the case," responded the president of the Defense against fires (DFCI) in Gironde Bruno Lafon.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin signs an agreement with helicopter and civil security pilots at the Cazaux air base on April 11, 2023 in La Teste-de-Buch, Gironde © MEHDI FEDOUACH / AFP
The Minister of the Interior also said that the fourth military unit of instruction and intervention of the civil security of the country, whose creation had been announced in the autumn by Emmanuel Macron, would be located in New Aquitaine, with the arrival of "565 soldiers".
The south-west of the France will also be the location of a future second air base of the civil security, after that of Nimes (Gard), he assured.
At the same time, Mr. Darmanin signed a memorandum of understanding with representatives of the two trade unions of civil security flight crews.
According to the ministry, this document plans to create specific functions within the aircraft group and a captain bonus for aircraft pilots, to upgrade the functions of supervision and instruction within the helicopter group, as well as all flight crews.
At the initiative of the government, the Senate had recognized "the dangerous nature" of these trades in a bill adopted last week.
Forest fire near La Teste-de-Buch, July 15, 2022 in Gironde © THIBAUD MORITZ / AFP/Archives
Gérald Darmanin finally decorated people who were "particularly mobilized" in the context of the forest fires last year.
Mr. Béchu and Mr. Fesneau signed an agreement allowing the "effective triggering" of a massive reforestation plan announced in the autumn by President Emmanuel Macron.
This plan aims to plant one billion trees within ten years, with the support of Ademe and the ONF. "It is neither a slogan nor an announcement effect, it is an ecological imperative to consolidate our public and private forests" in the face of global warming and its consequences, said Mr. Béchu.
© 2023 AFP