In the Gard, “Gaffofeu” wants to raise awareness among the population about the risk of forest fires in a fun and educational way.

Handling the fire hose, a first for Masha, 3 years old. – C.S.

After a visit to La Grand Combe then Alès, the first edition of the operation was held this Saturday, May 25 in Nîmes, on the square in front of the arenas.  

Because we don't joke with the risk, particularly that of forest fires, moreover in a department as exposed as ours, the Gaffofeu operation born under the impelled by the Gard prefecture, took place this Saturday, May 25, in Nîmes, on the square in front of the arenas.

Gathered in the same place, the actors of prevention and resilience in the face of vegetation and forest fires were therefore gathered for a whole day, for an operation to raise awareness of risk and good behavior.

10 hours. The siren of the forest fire tanker from the Nîmes-center fire station resounds at the foot of the arena. Instantly giving young children the warning signal that something interesting is coming… In a few seconds, little boys and girls (accompanied by their parents) come closer, before patiently waiting their turn to get into the red vehicle, put on protective helmets for a souvenir photo or, better yet, take a photo. try handling the fire hose, like Masha, 3 years old.

" If you see a fire, what should you do ? ", ask an agent from the prefecture to this little girl, invited at the same time to play a role-playing game , at the stand of the interdepartmental interministerial civil security service. "I put it out, with my fire hose!", responds proudly the little girl.

Developing a risk culture

If the answer is almost correct (you actually had to dial 1 then 8 on a phone), the game is clearly, throughout this day, the pretext to understand, learn and avoid the risk of occurrence – or propagation – of a forest fire "or vegetation in an urban environment", underlines Pascale Venturini, assistant for the environment and ecological transition at the town hall of Nîmes.

"Vegetation fires are actually not reserved for rural or peri-urban areas. This risk remains high everywhere, including in cities. In Nîmes, more particularly in districts such as Courbessac, or in the scrublands north of the city. In Nîmes too, risk prevention is therefore fundamental", insists the elected official.

Learning while having fun, child's play for Anastasia and her little sister Masha. C.S.

Throughout around fifteen workshops and events, adult visitors were reminded of their legal obligations, in particular that of clearing brush to prevent the occurrence and spread of fires. As a family, young and old were also able to discover, alongside ONF agents, how and why a fire spreads more or less quickly, depending on the different varieties of plants that were also possible. to learn how to identify using a technical sheet.

Led by the public, private and associative partners of the prefecture, Gaffofeu 30 aims to develop a real culture of fire risk within the Gard population, reflecting what is necessary in the future. undertake in the face of flood risk as demonstrated by recent tragedies which were all avoidable.

Adopting responsible behavior in a natural environment, acquiring the right reflexes, to act as best as possible before, during and after a forest or vegetation fire is vital. It’s now up to the Gard population to seize it.

900 young people sensitized in the north of Gard

Before landing in Nîmes, Gaffofeu 30 made a stopover at La Grand Combe, Wednesday, for a forest fire risk awareness day for children from the various recreational centers from the city. Thursday and Friday, it was then in Alès that the speakers (members of the ONF and the DDTM, firefighters, & hellip;) from Gaffofeu offered their various workshops and activities, this time at the attention of the city's middle and high school students, but also young adults aged 18 to 25 from Epide (establishment for integration into employment) located in the capital of the Cévennes . A great success for these two events which brought together, in total, no less than 900 young people for a good cause.