I volunteered as a firefighter in France - and you can too

Chloe Elliston, 47, moved with her husband David, 57, from Suffolk, England, to Confolens, Charente, in 2016. Along with running a gîte, she now also helps out as a volunteer firefighter at her local caserne. Here is how she got involved.

I heard an item on the car radio one day asking for volunteers for the local 'caserne' (fire station) so I googled it and emailed them. 

I had been a bookkeeper in the UK and run a gîte here. David works from home for a multinational. I didn't even know if you had to speak French fluently.

Then I went for a chat, and the rest is history. Before I got there, the station chief, Bruno, had already timed the drive from my house to the fire station. At seven minutes away, I live the furthest from the station.

Volunteering choice

Volunteers can choose which parts of the job to do, ie medical emergencies, fires or everything. 

More than 80% of call-outs are ambulance, so I volunteered for that because the fire calls are so physically demanding.

We get called to road accidents, births, heart attacks, and even a suspected drowning the other day. Whenever there is a risk to life, we go out. Fire trucks often attend road accidents because they have cutting and lifting equipment.

For the drowning incident we went out with the 4x4 towing the boat and the boat operator, and we called préfecture Angoulême for more experts, including divers to help.

So far I have not seen anything horrific, although I have been to call-outs where the person did not survive.

Volunteers do a raft of fitness tests but they are not too demanding. They also benefit from a rigorous health screening programme, including a full chest MRI.

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Training modules

In the countryside many fire stations are 100% staffed by volunteers, so the training is very thorough. 

It is divided into modules; M1 is a few days and M2 is a whole week full-time. 

Then 'Secours d'Urgence aux Personnes' is another full week. 

Most training is within driving distance of the fire station, but they put you up and feed you if necessary, and they supply the uniform.

We also run presentations explaining what number to call. We talk through when to call 15 SAMU (Ambulance), 17 Gendarmes, and 18 Pompiers (112 will get you an emergency service but not necessarily an English speaker).

We founded Emergency Services France on Facebook to support English speakers. We answer questions and advise on how the system works.

Being a volunteer pompier improves your French exponentially. You get fully immersed and have to get on with it. It is also a great way to make new French friends. 

We are on guard for four hours every Sunday morning, during which time we revise stuff, meet the teams, learn updates and chat.

How to join in

Contact your local 'caserne' and ask about volunteering. 

If you live further that 10 minutes' drive away, you can sleep at the fire station when you are on call.

Volunteers have to be under 55 when they start training but the fire chief has some leeway.

Volunteer pompiers are indemnified at €1 per hour for the time spent on call, and €8.61 an hour for time spent responding, or training. 

At our fire station, we are on call from 8pm Friday to 6am Sunday for one weekend, then a week of nights, then a week of daytimes and then a week off.

People who work for an employer can be 'conventioné' meaning that if they answer a call-out during working hours, they don't lose pay.

You only need enough French to understand the training and to communicate, but it does not need to be perfectly fluent. 

One of the most rewarding things is seeing Anglophones' relief when they realise the team includes an English speaker.

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