Angel-guards of the "Riviere Ardeche"
Every summer, for five years, the departmental service
of fire and help of Ardeche (S.D.I.S. 07) has set up
a special device in the "Gorges de l' Ardeche" aiming at preventing
risks and with falling due intervening quickly and better. With the Black
Tooth,( Dent Noire), and Gournier the soldiers of fire do not hesitate to
throw themselves to water so that the descent of Ardeche is not transformed
into martyrdom for the innumerable tourists who slip on water...
" Excuse-me. My wife is being wounded! " The panicked eyes betray a real concern. The German tourist shows already his wife sitting in a red canoe in against-low. " keep quiet! " Alain, Julien, Fabien precipitate towards the woman. The victim of German, old nationality of about thirty years outlines a slight smile in spite of its wound. Its knee in blood doubled volume. Time to draw up a first summary report, Alain Giolbas head of the fire brigade of Vallon Pont d'Arc, with its radio lance a first message of alarm. It is 11.25 a.m. The bivouac of Gaud is used as a relay between the firemen the feet in water and the C.O.D.I.S.), center of organization of intervention of the help based in the Prefecture ardéchoise, Privas. Less than one minute later, the firemen of Saint-Remèze, the center of primarily requested help as soon as an accident occurs in the "Gorges de l'Ardeche", falls in alarm. At the edge of water, the three firemen busy themselves around the knee of Anna.
After him to have posed a splint, it is installed in the small motorboat. It hardly takes five minutes to transport it to the rescue station of lost Gaud at the bottom of the impressive canyon of the Gorges of Ardeche which runs on 30 km. It is there that twenty minutes later, the ambulance of the firemen of saint-Remèze will recover the victim. It is 12.30 a.m., that is to say hardly more than one hour after the accident. Anna is between good hands near the doctor of the medical centre of Vallon Pont d'Arc
It will be come out of there with a large binding and a prohibition to make efforts during ten days... " Before the points of security are not installed in the "Gorges de l'Ardeche", the same intervention would have last three hours ", reminds Alain Giolbas. The " watery first aids " south-ardechois carry out this type of intervention every day. Since the terrible year 1993 when so many accidents had been to be regretted, the S.D.I.S. 07 decided to set up the device. In spite of their goodwill, the helps, arrived on the spot of the accidents only tardily. It is this sad report which pushed the authorities to be concentrated on this problem. Today the effectiveness of the dispositf is not any more to show. " the accident were reduced by half, notes satisfied Alain Giolbas. We act less and when we are solicited it is for minor accidents. Currently, our action, it is 90% of prevention for only 10% of intervention.
There was gradually a vital awakening. Every day, it is a large village - 1 000/1 500 people in normal period and more than the 2 000 days of large multitude - which unloads in the "Gorges de l'Ardeche". However Ardeche is not a swimming pool! " It is dangerous, unforeseeable. " Anna who discovered the "Gorges de l'Ardeche" of made the cruel experiment. Thanks to the fast and precise intervention of the firemen, in a few weeks, the accident will be already arranged with the ray of the old memories.
This device is unique in France. From May to September, they are ten rescuers to be taken turns at the bottom of the "Gorges de l'Ardeche". Whereas in May, June and September the device is deployed only the weekends in July and August, the two teams medicalized are placed, everyday, on the two most dangerous rapids of which that of the Black Tooth, (Dent Noire), to the particularly evocative name. They are made up of young voluntary firemen all holders of the B.N.S.S.A. (national patent of monitoring and watery helps) of the diploma of reanimation, A.F.P.S.. All are in addition formed with the control of the small motorboat and were sensitized with water. " These young people are selected according to very precise criteria's. Their capacities to anticipate the reaction of people in distress are determining. They must be calm and speak a, fluent English. " Even if risk water does not exist, tourism and security can nowasdays good household thanks to competences and the devotion of the Angel-guards of the "Riviere Ardeche"