It’s a job with “soul”. Here is how Richard Dietrich, head of the Forest Vigie-Defense against Fires (DFCI) office at the Bouches-du-Rhône firefighters, describes with passion this rather unusual seasonal job: fire watcher.
Perched at the top of the lookouts, these watchtowers in the middle of the forests, they are the eyes and ears of the firefighters during the summer period, which is particularly at risk. In France, according to the National Forestry Office, 15,000 fires were recorded last summer, affecting nearly 30,000 hectares of forests and other vegetation.
“More precise and more reliable”
“Forest” command post based in Marseille, surveillance and intervention vehicles, patrols, lookouts, etc. Up to 200 people are mobilized daily in high season in the territory with one objective: “Massively attack the slightest outbreak of fire”. In this system, the tenants of the lookouts are the “first link”. “Their role will be to detect, locate and report the evolution of any smoke and any outbreaks of fire,” summarizes Richard Dietrich. Either they directly spot smoke and report it, transmitting all possible information on its characteristics to the other links in the intervention chain. Either they resolve the doubt after a call from local residents to the firefighters.
Despite the development of technologies, “it is what is most precise and most reliable,” he assures. This monitoring system has existed for sixty years. “Before, the lookouts were in caravans installed on lookouts equipped with generators,” testifies Richard Dietrich. Since the 1980s and 1990s, buildings have replaced the campsite. Of the eleven lookouts managed by Sdis 13, ten allow seasonal workers to stay on site.
Singing joy
Over a period of at least ten weeks in summer, which can be brought forward or extended depending on weather conditions, the lookouts follow a rhythm of five days on duty for one day of rest. The job attracts all profiles: student, teacher, self-employed artist, familiar with the world of firefighters or not. “I’m really looking for motivated people who are able to work independently,” emphasizes Richard Dietrich. Among the prerequisites: patience, an appetite for the environment and self-control. “When we issue an alert, we have the entire weight of the department on our shoulders: as soon as we give a location, dozens or even hundreds of people will be mobilized,” explains the forestry technician. “You need composure so as not to lose your means and not to do too much,” he summarizes.
Being a native of the territory is a plus, because knowledge of the terrain is an advantage in providing precise information. “For a lookout, we have between 400 and 1,000 remarkable places to memorize,” explains Richard Dietrich. You really have to immerse yourself in your landscape and learn it. » Before being perched in the deep end, neogouteurs benefit from training. They learn cartography, the description of smoke, radio language, but also the rules of life in these isolated surveillance posts.
A third of the workforce renewed
Richard Dietrich can count on a team of seasoned spotters, returning from one season to the next for several years, he assures. Each summer, it recruits around 30 to 35 seasonal workers, with an average of a third of the workforce renewed each year. “Some are really animated by it, they are just waiting to come back,” he confides. “It’s a contemplative job. Like the life of a shepherd, we are immersed in nature, he testifies. We are useful, we count on you. » And adrenaline peaks: every day, on average, lookouts face 10 or 15 fire outbreaks.
The role tends to evolve over the years. “Little by little, detections from lookouts are decreasing because calls from individuals are increasing, in particular thanks to the hands-free kit system in the car, the clearer telephone network…” explains Richard Dietrich. Investments in prevention and landscaping have also reduced risks. Since 2018 and the launch of the “War of Fire” program, the South region has spent more than 31 million euros to prevent the risk of fires.
For this summer, the “Vigie” referent has completed its workforce, but it is still welcoming new applications to compensate for possible withdrawals during the season. Other departments are also researching. In the Alpes-Maritimes, for example, Force 06, the department responsible for prevention, has 18 positions to fill from June to September. Applications are open until the end of April.
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