companies mobilized to let volunteer firefighters leave

This Friday, Alison Mendes will be far from the “low prices” section of the Carrefour hypermarket in Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), where she is a saleswoman. Alongside 23 other volunteer firefighters from her department, she will leave by bus, “in a column” in firefighters’ jargon, to lend a hand to professionals fighting fires in the south of France.

This is not the first time that the young woman has released her ray for the forests devastated by the flames. Already in July, she left for three days in Landiras (Gironde). “When I saw the photos and videos of the fires, I thought it was my duty to go back and I volunteered“Says the young woman, who should have gone on vacation on Friday.

Forest fires also disrupted Fabien Bouchut’s summer. Since the beginning of July, he has been on call for weeks at GRDF, the gas distribution network manager, and days at the barracks. This former Paris firefighter, based in the Allier…