It is to combat these abuses and raise awareness within society that the departmental union of firefighters of the Alpes-Maritimes (UDSP 06) has decided to launch an awareness campaign called “Touche pas à mon pompier” (Don’t Touch My Firefighter). It is promoted on social media by three ambassadors.
Firefighters enjoy unanimous esteem and recognition from the public, yet they are sometimes victims of assaults…
Firefighters, whether professional or volunteer, are involved over 4,500,000 times each year to rescue, protect, and save citizens. However, in 2016, 2,280 of them were victims of physical assault while on duty. This figure represents a 78% increase over 7 years.
In the Alpes-Maritimes, in 2017, 28 firefighter interventions were accompanied by violence, projectile throwing, threats, or insults. These situations resulted in 64 complaints being filed.
That is why the Department of Alpes-Maritimes, alongside UDSP 06, SDIS 06, and the Prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes, has decided to raise the alarm and make citizens aware of these attacks through the campaign “Touche pas à mon pompier” to break the normalization of violence against firefighters and raise awareness about their little-known daily struggles.
Nicoise singer and actress Priscilla Betti, former Antibes swimmer Alain Bernard, and Monegasque diver Pierre Frola are the ambassadors.
