Guillaume, Young professional firefighter in Toulouse: “During a fire, adrenaline takes over”
Guillaume Charon, Young professional firefighter, was on the Léguevin fire this Wednesday. He tells why he got involved alongside the department’s firefighters.
Why did you choose the career of a professional firefighter?
On the one hand, it’s a family vocation because my grandfather and my great-grandfather were both firefighters. But I would say that it is above all by vocation. Being a firefighter means working as a team to help others, participating in public service: it’s a varied profession in which routine has no place. The physical aspect of the job is also something that suits me perfectly.
How complex was the intervention in Léguevin?
There were a lot of gray areas because the neighbors called us, panicked, and we didn’t know what exactly came out of it: the fire was at the edge of the gardens and the houses, but each testimony was different from a person to the other. Be that as it may, we carried out the mission that the apparatus managers assigned to us. I intervened with my partner in the garden of a woman where the shed burned down in order to limit the spread of the fire in the rest of the garden or even in the house.
Is this your first response to a fire?
Absolutely not, I have already been called for apartment fires, in garages and commercial premises. For the record, in March 2022, we had to evacuate a disabled and bedridden person from his room. His apartment was on fire and the room completely smoked, we had to extract him through the window.
Do you still feel apprehensive when you go on an operation?
We have been trained to manage our stress, as much among the Young Firefighters as among the volunteer firefighters and the professional firefighters. It is inherent in training and essential in our daily lives. When I started, it was the unknown, so yes, I was not reassured. Today, however, I no longer have that apprehension. During a fire, adrenaline takes over.