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Image from the movie Save or Pter with Pierre Niney – Caroline Dubois / Mars Films
- Every year 900 firefighters of the BSPP are wounded in intervention.
- In addition to the risk of being injured in response, firefighters are also increasingly targeted for malicious acts.
- The psychological care of injured or shocked firefighters in operation has improved.
Save or perish, Frédéric Tellier's latest film, inspired by a true story, recounts the story of a
firefighter very badly burned during an intervention. The opportunity to return to the support of fire soldiers wounded in intervention with the spokesman of the Brigade of firefighters of Paris (BSPP), which covers the capital and the small crown, Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriel Plus.
How did you feel when you saw the movie?
This is really the story of one of our own who was very badly injured during a warehouse fire in the 1990s. Of course, some pbadages are romanticized for the purpose of history, but it is well documented, we find ourselves in the film, we see our daily lives, our codes … For us, the film is also a tribute to all those who died in operation: since 1967, there have been 60 deaths in fire at the fire brigade of Paris. The last one was in September,
Corporal Geoffrey Henry.
But he is not dead in the fire …
Indeed, he was stabbed during an intervention but he was declared dead on fire. It's a form of recognition. Fire for a firefighter is the Grail, the hardest commitment. This represents the ability to extract someone from certain death.
How many firefighters are injured each year?
About 900 per year, of which 250 are evacuated to hospitals. Fortunately, the most serious cases are rare, there are less than a dozen severe burns per year. Most of the time, it is poisoning, strains or minor injuries.
Is there apprehension when going into intervention?
No, we are trained for that. This does not mean that we are burned – quite the contrary – but apprehension would prevent us from being 100%. On the other hand, our relatives bring us back to this risk, they are the ones who make us think about it.
The film traces the medical care of this seriously burned firefighter, his descent into hell after his accident …
This is perhaps what has struck me the most in the film: we see how much the care of our wounded has improved, especially on a psychological level. For about fifteen years, we have psychologists in the barracks. They obviously take care of those who were injured but also those who were shocked. Some interventions, especially those with children, are traumatic, even if you try to detach yourself. Similarly, after November 13, the 800 firefighters who were on the ground were received by psychologists. Some are still followed, others have been arrested for some time.
In recent years, a new risk is hovering over firefighters: aggression. The death of Corporal Henry is the sad illustration …
This is a risk that we are now forced to take into account. This death was an electroshock for the whole profession, it was the first time that one of ours was killed in intervention that way. But the attacks are constantly increasing. In 2017, there were about 200 of which 130 physical. Most of the time, they take place when relief is given to the person but it can also be on fires. This was particularly the case on the Champs-Elysées this Saturday: some people had no interest in seeing the lights on the pavement off. Some are trying to attack the uniform, whatever it is.
During the intervention in which Corporal Henry was killed, his colleague was also severely wounded with knives. How is he today?
He is much better, he has returned to work even if he continues to benefit from psychological counseling. In some cases, returning to the field is much longer or even impossible. A few years ago, one of ours was very badly burned in the face during a fire in Gennevilliers. He can not go up to the fire, his skin is too fragile. We offer these firefighters training to work in the BSPP, in other services: HR, management … But it is often psychologically complicated: we are committed to action, we form to go in intervention. When all this stops, the process of acceptance is not always simple.
Did the malicious acts have an impact on the commitment?
After the attacks, we had recruitment difficulties, but this is not linked to the attacks. Other trades – the army, the police, the customs … – began to recruit and the competition was tough. Especially since we did not want to lower our criteria. But abusive calls for operations that are beyond our control – a locked door, a broken down elevator or even a taxi – can discourage young recruits who train every day to respond to life-saving emergencies. Sometimes,
the operators manage to detect that this does not belong to our functions, but these interventions represent nevertheless one operation out of five.
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