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As he stepped out of his car, parked in the Saint-Jean fire station parking lot, Staff Sergeant Patrick Rivière was preparing to take his last night watch for the Service territorial d'incendie et de secours. But on this Friday, June 27, he is greeted by an honor guard of fellow firefighters, both professional and volunteer. With his child in his arms, he strides forward at a slow pace, his face pierced by a smile that does little to mask his emotion. "I wasn't expecting this welcome at all, so I held back to keep from crying," confides the staff sergeant. At the age of 47, after 23 years on Saint-Barthélemy and 16 with Stis, he is about to fly back to his native island of La Réunion. Of all his years in Saint-Barth, Patrick Rivière remembers: "The people I met, the colleagues. "His commitment as a volunteer fireman will obviously continue on Reunion Island. "It's always been a passion, a desire to help others", says the chief sergeant. On his departure, he will leave behind many personal and professional memories (the passage of Irma, Johnny Halliday's funeral), friends, but also Laurent, his twin brother, who will continue to work with the Stis.
Staff Sergeant Patrick Rivière leaves Saint-Barth and the Stis to return to his native island of La Réunion.
