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It is the ultimate in lifesaving equipment. The Ille-et-Vilaine firefighters have acquired a hovercraft which will allow easier access to the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. Operational on water as on sand thanks to its air cushion, the vehicle should improve the effectiveness of interventions and thus save lives. #TheyHaveTheSolution
The firefighters of Dol-de-Bretagne in Ille-et-Vilaine have just received a latest generation hovercraft which should help them a lot during rescue operations in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Very popular with walkers, the area has the reputation of being dangerous due to the tides and the presence of quicksand. This is where the all-terrain device comes into play. Evolving on a cushion of air, it will make it possible to pick up tourists, walkers or fishermen on foot who, each year, are trapped in the bay. As of this summer, ten firefighters from the barracks of Dol-de-Bretagne will be trained in piloting the vehicle in order to be as efficient as possible during future interventions.
The main mission of this new machine will be above all toavoid tragedies. Last January, 5 people trapped by the tide had to be rescued in the bay. Faced with often complex situations, this aid arouses the enthusiasm of Breton rescue workers.
“We have help for the person, people who are injured, heart ailments, people silted up or trapped by the tide…Depending on the interventions, we are able to bring, thanks to this hovercraft, appropriate means for the to help” confirms Captain Olivier Oger, hovercraft departmental referent.
Designed in Sweden, these hovercraft only exist in a hundred copies in the world. In France, there are three: in addition to those of Ille-et-Vilaine, the firefighters of Corrèze and Vendée have this type of device.
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