The citizen reserve involved in the life of the city

The volunteer members of the reserve and the speakers met.

On May 23, some of the members of the citizen reserve, at the invitation of Édith Pomarède elected in charge of citizenship, were present to visit the crisis unit and the premises of the municipal police of Lodève .

"The cell, installed in the town hall, is an isolated place where it is important to be able to think calmly in the event of a crisis& ;quot;,explains Fabien Klingelschmidt, general director of city services – community of municipalities, who presented Jacques Tessier, recently recruited to replace him in the position of DGS of the city. "In the command post, each person has a very specific function. The cell is commanded by the mayor and the sub-prefect". The city of Lodève has a municipal safeguard plan which allows it to have a minimum of tools and logistical and human resources to manage the crisis alongside emergency services.

The role of the municipality is upstream prevention, alerting the population, supporting emergency services, managing disaster victims and managing the consequences. In a crisis situation, the citizen reserve can participate in relaying information, welcoming victims, taking a census of those present, and providing logistical support.

Sometimes exceptional actions

After the crisis, its volunteers may have to distribute drinking water, masks during the Covid period… Other more exceptional actions can be accomplished, such as for example, in the event of a serious accident, the organization of an ardent chapel.

The group of volunteers was then invited to go to the premises of the municipal police where the manager Benjamin Bessière welcomed them . "When there is an intervention, we are often the first on site." The opportunity to recall the role of the police officer, an armed territorial agent who must wear a bulletproof vest. "We have a schedule but often we adapt to current events". In Lodève, 6 agents and 2 ASVPs (public highway surveillance agents) divide their time between administrative work and presence in the field. They have two vehicles and two electric bikes. Their tasks are numerous, they manage all events, the release following the recovery of an impounded vehicle, the seals on the coffins for cremations, the handrails, the reception certificates, etc. In conjunction with the town hall, the gendarmes and the firefighters.

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