"Yes, I'm all alone," shouts the man who has just thrown himself into the Seine from the Pont des Arts.
Fear not, it was just an exercise.
In water at eight degrees, the Paris firefighters of the Support and Rescue Group (GAS), which concentrates all the specialized intervention capacities, carried out two exercises this Friday, on the occasion of the exit of a book which deciphers their very particular daily life,
“The special units of the Paris firefighters” (Ed. Albin Michel).
First scenario exposed this Friday, the search for a missing person.
"By using a dog from the canine squad, we save precious minutes," said Commander Boissinot, a diver from GAS.
On the Île de la Cité, the Malinois spotted the false victim in less than a minute and stopped.
The firefighters of the Group of reconnaissance and intervention in perilous environment (Grimp) use a system of pulley and ropes to bring her back to the ground.
Paris, quai de Conti, this Friday.
Thanks to a system of ropes and pulleys, the climbing specialists bring the false victim up on the bridge.
LP / Melissa Prou
The divers of the Monnaie de Paris are equipped with two boats for their interventions.
A light and fast casualty rescue boat.
A larger victim and fire rescue boat equipped with a prow lance.
On a daily basis, three teams of three firefighters take turns on duty for 24 or 48 hours.
"In the morning, we have sports training between 8 and 10 am, then we do exercises in the water," says Commander Boissinot.
"You have to let yourself float and not try to swim"
From the Pont des Arts, a firefighter plays the role of the drowned man and has just fallen into the water.
The boat approaches the latter in a few seconds.
A first firefighter treats the victim, who is placed in a "tray" and then brought back to dry land, to reach a hospital.
"If the victim is still on the surface, it is easier to rescue him, the situation becomes more complicated when it sinks," explains Commander Boissinot.
Winter nevertheless remains a calm period for this type of intervention.
It is during the summer that divers are on the lookout, with an average of one accidental fall per day.
This exercise is an opportunity to recall the actions to follow in the event of an accidental fall: “You have to let yourself float and not try to swim.
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