With climate change, the number of forest fires threatens to increase in countries in northern Europe that have so far been spared. It is to prepare its intervention corps for the arrival of the megafires that it will one day face that Finland sent 50 firefighters, some of them volunteers, to train in Portugal with the special civil protection force. This transnational mission has a strategic role: it strengthens cohesion between foreign units and promotes better collaboration. However, it represents a diplomatic risk in the event of an incident given the fact that they are firefighters operating on foreign territories.
John Webster, director of the documentary Pompiers d’Europe, on the fire front, followed the firefighters in their daily lives. Here he delivers a thrilling dive, sometimes right into the heart of the flames. The film also portrays experienced firefighters, male or female, courageous, supportive and above all resilient in the face of failure.
Exceptional conditions
“We are facing a living creature (…) All blows to one side will have an impact on the head,” confides one of the firefighters. Every action counts and measuring risk is one of the keys to success. Precision and coordination are crucial to both unit survival and overall team success in fighting fires.
The extraordinary conditions of the Portuguese fires require extreme concentration and the ability to quickly master the terrain. Unaccustomed to this environment, the Finns found themselves in difficulty faced with the rapid progression of the flames which, in a few minutes, could encircle them. Between the heat and the smoke, the organisms are put to the test and some emerge from this struggle exhausted. The images shot in immersion highlight the painstaking work of the firefighters, which can sometimes end in failure. A lesson in humility.
