In Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, young people from Normandy and Alps sensitize alongside the Communal Forest Committee. An example of unique collaboration in Hérault.
For the past week, sixty scouts and guides from France from Fécamp (Seine-Maritime), Meylan (Isère) and Montpellier have been present in Jacou. They do 10 km by bike every morning to reach the heights of Saint-Clément-de-Rivière.
As part of their “Environment Nature” project, they sensitize the general public at the fire risk, alongside the volunteers of the Communal Forest Fire Committee (CCFF) and the Communal Civil Security Reserve.
Thomas, 16, is in his third day of presence on the field. “We do prevention on the markets and inform people at the entrance to forest massifs, he explains. They are given a prospectus with a QR code that allows you to know what color is fire vigilance. “
By prefectural decree, access to certain massifs is prohibited in red vigilance and not recommended for orange alert. “Today (Wednesday)we are in orange. The color of the next day is fixed every day between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. “
Municipal Committee Forest Fires: Saint-Clément Pioneer in Hérault
The first Communal Committee Forens of Forest (CCFF) of Hérault, founded in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. “It was created on April 30, 1985, following a fire which had ravaged 150 hectares in July 1984informs Jean-Philippe Leyris, head of the CCFF. This year, more than 160 volunteers patrol from mid-June to mid-September to alert in the event of the start of fire. “
They have means up to their missions. “We have a patrol vehicle which is armed with 600 liters of water. This allows us to intervene on the emerging fires while the firefighters arrive. We also have a mountain bike brigade for two years, which allows us to patrol the dirt roads. And since last year, the community of communes of the Grand Pic-Saint-Loup lends us an electric vehicle to patrol 50 km of road”.
In Hérault, only 42 municipalities out of 341 have a CCFF. “We are trying to share our know-how, we even offer municipalities that are in red vigilance to patrol at home. The interest is to be present where the risk is maximum. We communicate with the surrounding municipalities by WhatsApp to be more effective, because the fire does not stop at the limits of a commune. Two of the four fires in July left Saint-Gély, for example. Meaning..
“We had four fires in July “
Saint-Clément, which includes four important wooded areas, was not spared from fire this summer. “We had four fires in July, including two in two days, with the chance to have aerial means on the first. The other two had taken place on a Sunday evening, one near one restaurant and the other near the Ster clinic”underlines Thierry Boyer, municipal councilor delegated to the management of public space.
Like the lookout of the Saint-Sauveur estate, the Vigie Paul Tardieu offers a fantastic 360 ° panorama, extending from the palavas lighthouse to the hills of the hinterland.
This Wednesday, August 6, some scouts took place in this watchtower, located rue du Round du Biou. With their binoculars, they scrutinize the surroundings. “If we see smoke, we describe the direction in which she is and the approximate distance”explains a scout.
The SDIS firefighters (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service) then zoomed with their cameras, arranged on the main high points, towards the supposed place of smoke. On the ground, the CCFF is sometimes the first on the scene to lift doubt.
CCFF, gendarmes and united municipal police on the ground
Gendarmes, municipal police officers and members of the Forest Fair Committee (CCFF) patrolled together on their three vehicles, this Wednesday, August 6, in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière. At the request of the prefect, they found themselves in the Bois de Saint-Sauveur, before surveying various forest massifs in the town. This is the first time that such a patrol was organized.
“We are here to monitor, dissuade and inform about the riskstestify to the gendarmes of Saint-Gély. Currently, we are on orange vigilance and it is just not recommended to go to the massifs. But sometimes we meet hikers when we are red vigilance and that it is forbidden to be there “.
Last year, gendarmes from the Saint-Gély brigade had already patrolled mountain bikes with the CCFF.
“Aleppo pine, very flammable”
What impresses looks are the thousands of hectares of vegetation, among which the inhabited areas constitute only small islets.
Aleppo Pin has gradually established itself in this landscape. “It emits the essence of turpentine which is extremely flammable”observe Thierry Boyer.
The fires are more devastating, and they will also be more numerous in the future. “With global warming, the fire risk will be higher and higher”concludes Georges Touttoglou, deputy mayor of Saint-Clément in charge of public security.
With Thierry Boyer and Jean-Philippe Leyris, also assistant to the mayor, all exercising a profession, they devote part of their time to volunteering.
“The first big fire we had this summer, we took turns overnight. Showing the example allows us to be more credible in the eyes of the inhabitants”they explain.
The youth of scouts is also an asset when educating. “People are understanding”testifies Thomas.
Faced with the risk of fire, Saint-Clément-de-Rivière is the first example of an association with the Scouts and Guides of France.
At the national level, they decline a collaboration that had started around forty years ago with the firefighters in Marseille, at the gates of the Calanques National Park.