The City of Biot, represented by its Mayor, Jean-Pierre Dermit, and its Chief of Staff, Marie Hervieu, received the Orange Flag label on Monday, September 24th, at the Senate in Paris.
The Orange Flag is a label awarded by the French High Committee for Civil Defense (HCFDC) to recognize municipalities that undertake concrete actions for the safety and protection of their population against major risks. Among these actions, the implementation of a Municipal Safeguard Plan ranks first. To date, 26 French municipalities are labeled in 2012.
This label also provides for automatic membership in the UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction).
Major risks in Biot. Half of the municipality’s territory is classified as a red zone. Biot is particularly exposed to flood risks potentially generated by the 4 rivers that cross its territory (the Brague, the Valmasque, the Combes, and the Horts) as well as to forest fire risks due to the presence of 420 hectares of woods in its territory. Several states of natural disaster have been recorded in the city over the last 100 years.
The prevention tools deployed by the City of Biot
The Municipal Safeguard Plan of Biot was established in 2009.
It precisely defines the operation and establishment of the crisis unit as well as the alert scheme for the officials.
In addition, crisis management training has been conducted internally for the municipal service managers, so that everyone is ready, if necessary, to implement this MSP, while a simulation exercise will be held on November 14th, in coordination with the Gendarmerie and the Fire Department.
Beyond the implementation and development of this MSP, the City of Biot has notably implemented numerous preventive measures:
Strengthening the hydrant network (fire hydrants), bringing their number to 350 within the municipality.
Meteorological monitoring via Novimet (precipitation measurement and analysis radar) and Apic (intense rainfall warning service at the municipal level by Météo France).
Video protection with cameras dedicated to monitoring the rivers and wooded areas
