{"id":93386,"date":"2026-08-06T12:54:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/?p=93386"},"modified":"2026-08-06T12:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:55:43","slug":"le-debat-se-poursuit-incendies-de-gironde-qui-prend-reellement-les-decisions-en-situation-de-crise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/le-debat-se-poursuit-incendies-de-gironde-qui-prend-reellement-les-decisions-en-situation-de-crise\/","title":{"rendered":"THE DEBATE CONTINUES. Gironde Wildfires: Who Really Makes the Decisions in a Crisis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a new article, G\u00e9rard Dorwling-Carter highlights the crucial role of local actors during disasters, arguing that their knowledge of the area enables them to make critical decisions. JBV, a crisis management professional, strongly qualifies this view. In her opinion, on-the-ground effectiveness is essential, but it must be part of a structured organization operating under the authority of the mayor and, when the crisis exceeds local capabilities, the prefect.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00abWhen a disaster strikes, the government is indispensable. It coordinates efforts, mobilizes national resources, and ensures solidarity. But it is the men and women on the ground who make the critical decisions.\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This statement by G\u00e9rard Dorwling-Carter has sparked a reaction JBV<\/strong> (who wishes to remain anonymous), a person directly involved in crisis management issues.<\/p>\n

She does not dispute the general idea put forward by the author\u2014that of greater decision-making autonomy at the local level. However, she believes that the example of the 2022 Gironde wildfires cannot be used to demonstrate that critical decisions were made solely by those on the ground.<\/p>\n

An organization under a clearly identified authority<\/h2>\n

When an emergency occurs, the departmental fire and rescue service immediately deploys the necessary resources. On the scene, a rescue operations commander (COS) organizes and directs the response teams.<\/p>\n

At the municipal level, the mayor is normally the director of emergency operations. However, when the severity or scope of an incident exceeds the municipality\u2019s capabilities, the prefect may take charge of operations, activate the departmental operations center (COD), and request additional resources. The regional level, through the regional operations center (COZ), coordinates reinforcements from other departments or agencies.<\/p>\n

The ORSEC system is, in fact, the prefect\u2019s operational tool. It organizes the mobilization, coordination, and allocation of tasks among government agencies, local authorities, emergency services, nonprofit organizations, and relevant private-sector entities.<\/p>\n

In Gironde, the COD and COZ have been activated<\/h2>\n

During the wildfires that broke out in Gironde in July 2022, the COD and COZ were activated within the first few hours to coordinate rescue operations. The prefecture officially announced on July 13 that these two operational centers were coordinating the resources deployed.<\/p>\n

Given the exceptional scale of the fires, the COD then operated around the clock for more than ten days. It brought together, among others, prefectural services, the SDIS, the police, the gendarmerie, the army, the Regional Health Agency, the Red Cross, the departmental council, Enedis, and mapping specialists.<\/p>\n

As the crisis escalated, thousands of firefighters from several departments, national air resources, military personnel, and eventually European reinforcements were mobilized. This escalation could not have been decided and organized solely by the officials on the ground closest to the flames.<\/p>\n

The field provides information, offers advice, and takes action<\/h2>\n

However, JBV does not downplay the role of local stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Firefighters, mayors, farmers, foresters, public works companies, and volunteers are familiar with the roads, terrain, water sources, isolated homes, and the characteristics of the forested areas. In Gironde, farmers, foresters, and volunteers have played a key role in monitoring forest areas, treating forest edges, and carrying out civil engineering work essential to firefighting efforts.<\/p>\n

Local officials also organized the reception of evacuees, provided lodging for firefighters, and protected homes. Their experience and information thus directly contributed to the effectiveness of the response.<\/p>\n

However, as JBV points out, it is important to distinguish between three levels: knowledge of the territory, operational command in the field, and strategic crisis management.<\/p>\n

Information is relayed from the field to command centers. The Chief of Staff directs rescue operations on site, while the director of rescue operations\u2014the mayor or prefect, depending on the scale of the incident\u2014sets the overall guidelines and coordinates all services.<\/p>\n

A chain that extends all the way to the national level<\/h2>\n

When a crisis reaches an exceptional scale, coordination may also be elevated to the national level.<\/p>\n

The Interagency Crisis Management Operations Center continuously analyzes information provided by regional authorities, prepares decisions for the authorities, and coordinates the national operational response.<\/p>\n

An interministerial crisis response team may also be activated. Based at the Ministry of the Interior, it enables the Prime Minister and the government to provide political and strategic leadership during a major crisis, particularly to allocate national resources, coordinate ministries, and make the necessary decisions.<\/p>\n

Do not confuse local knowledge with decision-making authority<\/h2>\n

For JBV, presenting the fires in Gironde as proof that the critical decisions were made solely by those on the ground therefore amounts to an excessive oversimplification of how civil protection actually works.<\/p>\n

The women and men working on the front lines of a disaster are indispensable. They observe, alert others, advise, propose solutions, and carry out operations. But when the crisis exceeds normal capabilities, the overall strategy, the mobilization of reinforcements, and decision-making fall under an organized chain of command, from the mayor to the prefect, and then, if necessary, all the way up to the government.<\/p>\n

The real debate, therefore, is not about the value of local knowledge, which is beyond dispute. It concerns the relationship between this on-the-ground expertise and the human, material, and decision-making resources that can only be mobilized through departmental, regional, or national coordination.<\/p>\n

JBV<\/strong>, someone involved in crisis management<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

In summary\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Flowchart for activating an ORSEC (Civil Security Response Organization) plan:<\/div>\n
\n
\n
    \n
  1. Local level (where the fire started)<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • Alert \u2192 SDIS Deploys Resources<\/li>\n
    • The COS (Commander of Rescue Operations)<\/strong> leads in the field<\/li>\n
    • If it goes beyond the usual scope \u2192 notify the prefect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Departmental level (ORSEC activated)<\/strong>\n
        \n
      • The Prefect Activates ORSEC<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Activating the COD (Departmental Operations Center)<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Interagency coordination (fire department, police, health services, elected officials, etc.)<\/li>\n
      • The prefect sets the strategy; the COS carries it out<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Regional\/national reinforcements (in the event of a major crisis)<\/strong>\n
          \n
        • Support from the defense zone<\/strong> (district prefect)<\/li>\n
        • Deployment of national reinforcements (wildfire response teams, civil defense, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Interministerial level (exceptional crisis, such as the one in Gironde)<\/strong>\n
            \n
          • Activating a Interministerial Crisis Response Team (CIC)<\/strong> in Paris<\/li>\n
          • Overall oversight by the government (often through the Ministry of the Interior)<\/li>\n
          • Strategic Decisions (National Priorities, Substantial Resources, Communication)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Dans un nouveau texte, G\u00e9rard Dorwling-Carter souligne le r\u00f4le d\u00e9terminant des acteurs locaux lors des catastrophes, estimant que leur connaissance du territoire leur permet de prendre les d\u00e9cisions d\u00e9cisives. JBV, une personne impliqu\u00e9e dans la gestion de crise, nuance fortement cette pr\u00e9sentation. Selon elle, l\u2019efficacit\u00e9 du terrain est indispensable, mais elle s\u2019inscrit dans une organisation<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_robots":"","rank_math_facebook_title":"","rank_math_facebook_description":"","rank_math_twitter_title":"","rank_math_twitter_description":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-latribune"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93386"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93390,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93386\/revisions\/93390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antilla-martinique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}