Calvados firefighters respond to the call for help from a Romanian priest
Une belle aventure humaine initiée par l’association du Calvados "Pompiers Missions Humanitaires" : elle a acheminé un camion et des tenues de pompiers jusque dans un petit village de Roumanie, à 2 000 km de Caen. 6 bénévoles de l'association sont allés former les soldats du feu roumains.
In Olari, a village of 2000 inhabitants in the northwest of Romania, October 6, 2021 will remain engraved in the memories.It's celebration day: a fire truck arrives straight from France.He traveled 2,000 kilometers from Caen on a car holder.To welcome him, the mayor, the local police manager, the priest, and of course all the barracks of the barracks.Children in traditional clothes complete the procession, ready to offer the brioche, salt and plum alcohol to village hosts.
Six French firefighters arrived the previous evening by plane: they are all part of the association "Firefighters Humanitarian Missions".Created in 2015 by the Normand Fireman Mickaël Richomme, it has set itself the objective of carrying out two types of humanitarian missions: those of emergency (an earthquake like that of last August in Haiti), and those of development: providing equipmentand training to populations who need it.
An old van and a bowl of water to turn off the lights
And in Olari, we needed this tonne pump van (fire truck equipped with a water tank and a pump).The 17 volunteer firefighters have so far used a van, the fruit of a donation from an Austrian association about twenty years ago, inside which they had fixed a tank of one meter as best as possiblewater cube.They tried to turn off the lights without spear and go back and forth at the water point to refuel.
This vehicle, the Oldi firefighters do not denigrate it."We did what we could.We have always done our best with the means we had, "explains Joan Juliu Kunosy, volunteer firefighter in Olari for many years.But they wanted to do more.And one day, the young Andréi Cusmoiu, a volunteer firefighter who will become a chef later, decides that it is time to move on.
OLARI: A call for help on social networks
On April 30, 2019, Andréi will see the Orthodox priest of the Oldi parish, Calin Dragos, to ask him to launch a call for help on social networks.He films it in his church and sends this video via social networks, like a bottle to the sea, to try to reach a humanitarian association.
You will be able to see an extract from this video in the first episode of our soap dedicated to this great human adventure.
What idea do you say?They are not at their first attempt, the parishioners of Olari.With them, the men of the Church are struggling.Already 20 years ago, it was the Protestant priest who had found an Austrian association to donate a vehicle for Oldi firefighters.
So when Andréi comes to see him, the Orthodox priest feels invested with a mission: "I knew it was my turn to do something for my community".A few years ago, Calin Dragos had already made a video.This time it was a German association that had stolen the help of Olari to help build the parish festival hall.
The video produced in April 2019 arrived in the messaging of the association "Firefighters Humanitarian Missions" with this title "Watch this video, you may help them"
It is Raphaël Vaudorne, professional and volunteer firefighter within the association, which falls on it."I may have told myself that we could actually help them, and organize our first development mission!»».In 2019, the association has only existed for four years and has so far only carried out emergency missions.
Donation of a truck to Olari: the covid delayed everything
The members of the association are immediately addressed to SDIS in Calvados.But the board of directors is already related to another association for a vehicle donation for 2019.So next year it will be their turn ... but with 2020 also arrives the coronavirus and its confinements.The project is delayed, but the commitment of the SDIS is kept and a reserved ton van reserved.He served for 20 years in Calvados, finished his service at the Amfreville barracks, and has only 49,000 km on the counter when he is reformed.Suffice to say that he still has great years before him.
In the fall of 2020, just before the last confinement, a handful of volunteers from the association, under the leadership of President Mickaël Richomme, seized an opportunity to go to Oldi to assess the needs of Romanian firefighters.
This is where they discover the obsolete vehicle.And confirm their arrival, as soon as possible, with a real fire truck.
The project will therefore have taken two and a half years to succeed.They sometimes doubted the Romanians.But they had faith in their new leader.Andréi Cosmoiu was holding this truck.He got it, and his team is really grateful to him.A tenacity which earned him his appointment as manager of the barracks by the mayor of Olari.
Romanian municipalities in need of means
If the big barracks are managed by the soldiers in Romania, it is the town halls who are responsible for the volunteer firefighters.This was the case in France for municipal firefighters until 1996, the date of the law of departmentalization of fire and rescue services.And who says small town, says small means.However in this rural region of Romania, small town halls with small budgets are numerous.
A few kilometers north of Olari, there is Hasmas: small town between mountain and forest.10 volunteer firefighters.No vehicle.Further south, there is zimandu nou.4,600 inhabitants.19 volunteer firefighters.No vehicle.Firefighters do not even have anti-fire outfits.
A truck charged like a hood
Before their departure for Romania, French volunteers also recovered dozens of firefighters: polo shirts, sweaters, pants, hoods, rangers, parkas, ... everything to dress dozens of men and women, and in particular to go and fightfire.The outfits, new and still under plastic, no longer meet French standards.
Before leaving the IFS barracks, the volunteers filled the tank, the seats, the whole truck overflowed with firefighters of firefighters.
There was something to dress each Olari firefighter in 2 or 3 copies, and much more.But by loading the truck, the French knew they would find takers.So Mickaël Richomme has transformed himself by representing clothes and went to offer neighboring town halls the sweaters and other parkas.The town hall of Macea warmly welcomed it:
To guide it and above all ensure translation, Mickaël Richomme is accompanied by the priest at the origin of this story, which speaks very well French.
French firefighters therefore made dozens of happy in Romania with their clothes.But truck, there was only one.
The next mission in Romania already started?
When Mickaël Richomme goes to Zimand Nou to offer his firefighters, he is welcomed with open arms by the mayor and his assistant.After a quarter of an hour of thanks and discussion, the deputy mayor tries his luck: "Without wanting to put pressure on you, you could not also have a truck for us?»».Touched, Mickaël Richomme does not promise anything."Another gift from the SDIS two years in a row is not possible," explains the president of the association.
But the small Romanian town can get their hands in the pocket, and should have a few thousand euros to equip its barracks next year.French firefighters can then help them find the truck that would suit them, during an auction.Reformed vehicles are thus put up on the internet twice a year.The volunteers of "humanitarian mission firefighters" took the contact details of the municipal officials of Zimand Nou, as well as a French -speaking resident (to ensure the translation!) To help other Romanians to find shoe at their foot.When they have found the truck, volunteers will provide training to learn to use it, just as they did for a week, with the Oldi firefighters...Leaving great memories behind them, as written on Facebook their chief Andréi Cusmoiu:
As for the old vehicle of Olari, a real collector's item, it will make a happy in Calvados.David Brasseur, a collector of fire trucks, was also looking forward to him.
He ensured the transport of the truck to Olari on a car holder, in exchange for this old part, which will enhance his personal collection, and could be loaned during occasional exhibitions of fire vehicle vehicles.
