Recognizable by their yellow vehicles, Forest Fire Defense (DFCI) volunteers play an essential role in preventing and fighting forest fires, alongside fire fighters. Hunters, foresters or former firefighters, there are several thousand helping with the stabilized but still active fire in Gironde, this Wednesday July 29.
Although little known, this organization is not new. In the 19th century, fire brigades were not yet established throughout France. In the Landes de Gascogne massif, forest owners are therefore organizing themselves into union associations to fight against the fires which threaten their pine plantations.
After the Second World War, these structures gained importance. The order of April 28, 1945 made union associations for defense against fires compulsory in the Landes de Gascogne massif and gave them the means to act thanks to contributions paid by forest owners.
But the historic fire of 1949 in Gironde marks a new turning point. In August of that year, more than 50,000 hectares of the Landes forest went up in smoke and 82 people lost their lives. This drama reveals the limits of an organization relying largely on local initiatives. The State then asks forest owners to limit their role to prevention and management of the forests, while the active fight against the flames is entrusted to the firefighters.
National development
From then on, these volunteers transformed the Landes de Gascogne massif to make it more resistant to fires. Foresters are laying out thousands of kilometers of trails allowing emergency services to quickly access the flames, installing water points, developing surveillance systems and creating vegetation cuts, firebreaks, intended to slow the progression of the fire.
The forest defense policy against fires was then gradually structured on a national scale, particularly in the 1990s, after a succession of major fires in France. Between 1981 and 1990, nearly 35,000 hectares burned on average each year, mainly in the Mediterranean regions, which led to the strengthening of prevention and coordination mechanisms.
Today, the DFCI occupies a central place in fire risk management. The associations participate in the construction and maintenance of protection infrastructures. During fires, certain volunteers bring their knowledge of the field to the emergency services, facilitate the orientation of firefighting equipment and participate in raising public awareness, particularly among schoolchildren.
In Gironde, the DFCI network relies on the support of nearly 25,000 forest owners grouped within 68 authorized trade union associations (ASA). In addition to the contributions paid by foresters, the associations benefit from the support of local authorities, the State and the European Union.
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