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Belgian firefighters overwhelmed by wildfire, demand urgent reform
🇧🇪 Belgium /Disasters & Emergencies

Belgian firefighters overwhelmed by wildfire, demand urgent reform

From La Libre Belgique · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Hundreds of firefighters are battling a large wildfire in the Hautes Fagnes region of Belgium, with assistance from neighboring countries and the EU's civil protection mechanism.
  • The fire has already consumed over 3,000 hectares, surpassing a previous major fire in 2011.
  • Firefighters are calling for urgent reforms to Belgium's civil protection organization, citing understaffing, exhaustion, and outdated communication methods like WhatsApp for coordinating emergency responses.

A massive wildfire raging in Belgium's Hautes Fagnes region has pushed firefighters to their limits, highlighting critical flaws in the country's civil protection system. The blaze, which has scorched over 3,000 hectares of land, is being fought by hundreds of firefighters from multiple rescue zones, with crucial support from the Netherlands, Germany, and the EU's civil protection mechanism.

Fortunately, we are also receiving help from neighboring countries, like the Netherlands and Germany.

— Marc GilbertPresident of the Belgian Firefighters Federation, commenting on international aid during the wildfire.

Marc Gilbert, president of the Belgian Firefighters Federation, expressed frustration with the current organizational structure. "This is a huge lesson for us, because without this help, we would be nowhere. It is high time to reform civil protection," he stated. Gilbert, a firefighter with over fifty years of experience, pointed to the reliance on WhatsApp for communication between rescue zone commanders as "absurd," advocating for a more centralized, regional, or even federal organization.

This is a huge lesson for us, because without this help, we would be nowhere. It is high time to reform civil protection.

— Marc GilbertReflecting on the necessity of international assistance and the need for organizational reform.

The current fire, which has devastated more land than a 2011 blaze that consumed 1,300 hectares, underscores a long-standing issue of understaffing. "We lack personnel, and those on site are exhausted," Gilbert noted. He explained that out of Belgium's 17,500 firefighters, two-thirds are volunteers and one-third are professionals, arguing the ratio should be reversed.

You realize that, for this type of fire, the commanders of the rescue zones communicate on WhatsApp. It's absurd. We need a regional, or even federal, organization.

— Marc GilbertCriticizing the communication methods used by rescue zone commanders during the emergency.

This call for reform echoes past tragedies. The Ghislenghien disaster in 2004, a deadly gas pipeline explosion, prompted a shift from a communal to a zonal organization of fire services. However, the current crisis suggests that even the zonal system is insufficient, with firefighters demanding structural reforms that have been repeatedly ignored. "We have been asking for structural reforms for years. But we are never heard," Gilbert lamented.

We lack personnel, and those on site are exhausted. In Belgium, there are 17,500 firefighters. Two-thirds are volunteers, and one-third are professional. It should be the reverse.

— Marc GilbertHighlighting the issue of understaffing and the imbalance between volunteer and professional firefighters.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Libre Belgique in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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