Français
On Monday, July 14th in Paris, from 10 a.m. onwards, the Champs-Élysées avenue will be occupied by the military parade organized to mark France's national holiday. In 2025, this event will take on a special significance for the French Overseas Territories, as well as for Saint-Barthélemy. Three volunteer firefighters from Saint-Barthélemy's Service territorial d'incendie et de secours (Stis) will be taking part in the procession. They are Chief Warrant Officer Bernard Gendrey, Sergeant Vincent Gaffiot and Sapper 1st Class Erika Aubin.
After a selection phase with their counterparts from Saint-Martin, they have been chosen to join the 18th Battalion of the French Fire Brigade. For the 2025 parade, the battalion will be made up entirely of firefighters from overseas. It will be led by the Interministerial Staff of the Antilles zone and the SDIS (Service départemental d'incendie et de secours) of Guadeloupe. It will be made up of the departmental services of the following eleven overseas territories: Mayotte, La Réunion, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, New Caledonia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy. Stis de Saint-Barth welcomes this participation with pride and honor.
"Involvement, seriousness and motivation
The national holiday is an important event," says Lieutenant Christophe Laurens, commander of the Stis. For these personnel, marching down the Champs-Élysées will be a unique experience. It's a source of great pride for Stis. What's more, it's the first time the department will be so well represented. It's their commitment, seriousness and motivation that has enabled them to be selected. "
The volunteer firefighters boarded a plane for France on Saturday June 28. Since Monday, they have been undergoing intensive preparatory training at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs-Pompiers in Aix-en-Provence. Together with all the selected members of the 18th Battalion, they walk, walk and walk some more to achieve perfect synchronization. Next week, prior to the parade on Monday July 14th, the three representatives of the Stis de Saint-Barth and their companions will head for the Satory military camp (Ile-de-France), where they will meet up with all the battalions taking part in the ceremony.
"An honor
On the eve of their departure on Friday June 27, the three volunteers spoke calmly of their selection for the 18th Bataillon des Sapeurs-Pompiers de France. With his helmet under his arm, Chief Warrant Officer Bernard Gendrey was soon smiling broadly at the prospect of marching down the Champs-Élysées. After arriving in Saint-Barthélemy in May 2000, it took him just a few months to join the fire station as a volunteer fireman. "I was attracted to the medical field, but I couldn't combine my job with nursing, so I switched to the fire department", he sums up, without forgetting to point out that, before his arrival in Saint-Barthélemy, he was a volunteer fireman.cising that, prior to his arrival in Saint-Barthélemy, he was a member of the French Navy, where he had his first contact with the emergency services on his military base. That inspired me to become a volunteer fireman," he says. And when I arrived in Saint-Barth, there was a team of firefighters who attracted me to the sport before integrating me into the fire station. "For Chief Warrant Officer Gendrey, taking part in the 14th of July is of great importance, not only to represent the Saint-Barthélemy Stis, but also all the actions undertaken overseas. On a personal note, he declares: "It's an honor. Even in the French Navy, I haven't had the opportunity to march in the July 14th parade. "
"Showing women that it's possible to get involved".
A volunteer fireman for nine years, Sergeant Vincent Gaffiot confides that his commitment is "quite simply" linked to his "desire to be of service". At 61, he will be representing the Saint-Barth Stis in Paris. "It's a pleasure, it's the reward for the efforts we've made," he says soberly. For sapper 1st class Erika Aubin, 27, the honor of taking part in the July 14th parade comes barely two years after her commitment to the Stis de Saint-Barth. But before that," she explains, "I did a Bac Pro in security professions in Guadeloupe. I did internships at the CSP (Centre de secours principal, editor's note) in Les Abymes with firefighters, police and security guards. "The realization of a desire that goes back to childhood. "When you see the trucks that go past almost every day, it makes you want to join this great family of firefighters", she asserts. Erika Aubin takes great pride in her selection. She'll be representing Saint-Barthélemy's firefighters in Paris, but also the women who, like her, devote part of their lives to serving the public as firefighters. "It also helps show other women who want to get involved that it's possible. "For the record, the Saint-Barthélemy Stis has eleven women in its ranks.
Finally, Lieutenant Laurens underlines the dedication of his three volunteers, who took a fortnight's leave to represent the Stis on the Champs-Élysées. Always a sense of duty and sacrifice.
