Sécurité Civile

The Direction générale de la sécurité civile et de la gestion des crises (General directorate for civil defense and crisis management) is a civil defense agency of the French Government. It operates for the Ministry of the Interior and employs some 2,500 civilian and military personnel over 60 sites.[1] Known as the Protection Civile until 1976,[2] the Sécurité Civile is split into several branches:[3]

The emblem of Sécurité Civile which includes the international civil defense symbol.

Aircraft
Bombardier 415 "Superscoop" of Sécurité Civile

Sécurité Civile aircraft operate for the Rescue operation and civil-military cooperation branch under the Groupement des Moyens Aériens Sécurité Civile (Aerial Group).[4] Aircraft carry the title SECURITE CIVILE on the fuselage sides, together with the international civil defence symbol. The aircraft are divided into the Groupement des Helicopteres de la Securite Civile (Helicopter Group) and the Groupement des Avions Bombardiers d'Eau (Water Bomber Group).[5]

Helicopter group
Aérospatiale Alouette III of the Protection Civile demonstrating at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in 1973.
Eurocopter EC145 over Marignane Airport, Marseille, 2007

The Sécurité Civile helicopter group has 23 helicopter bases in mainland France and its overseas territories. It has a fleet of 35 helicopters and employs 230 pilots and flight engineers and 50 ground engineers. Over its 50 years of activity, the helicopter group has an impressive track record, with 480,000 flight hours, 250,000 rescue missions and 225,000 people rescued.[6] Helicopter group aircraft use the callsign "DRAGON", followed by the number of the département in which their base is located.[2]

Sécurité Civile currently operates 35 EC-145 helicopters that were delivered between 2002 and 2005. The fleet has accumulated over 100,000 flight hours.[6] The EC-145 fleet is used for search and rescue, fire fighting, emergency medical services (EMS), surveillance and law enforcement. EC-145s are deployed on 22 Sécurité Civile bases in France and the French Overseas Territories. An order has been placed for a further five helicopters, to be delivered from January 2009. This will enable the phasing out of the six remaining Alouette III helicopters.[7] The EC 145 carries out an average 10,000 rescue missions each year, representing over 13,300 flight hours.[6]

Bases

Helicopter group bases of operation are located at:.[8]

The Echelon Central (command centre), and helicopter maintenance base is located in Nîmes.

Helicopters are detached to several other bases seasonally. In summer, aircraft are detached to Courchevel, Alpes d'Huez, Gavarnie, Lacanau, and Chamonix. In winter, aircraft are detached to Chamonix and Alpes d'Huez.[8]

Water bomber group
A former Douglas DC-6 at Paris–Le Bourget Airport
Bombardier Dash 8 Sécurité Civile, France at Luxembourg Findel Airport
Sécurité Civile Conair Turbo Firecat at Stuttgart Airport

12 Bombardier 415s are currently operated by the Sécurité Civile, each able to drop 6,137 L (1,350 imp gal; 1,621 US gal).[9] France was the first nation to commit to the CL-415 "Superscoop" in 1992, so that it could phase out its Canadair CL-215s.[10]

Two pre-owned Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s, acquired from Scandinavian Airlines System, were modified by Cascade Aerospace of Abbotsford, British Columbia, for the Sécurité Civile to act as fire-fighting water bombers in fire season and as transport aircraft off season. This aircraft is designated the Q400-MR (Multi Role). The aircraft can be reconfigured into the passenger, cargo or aerial fire control role in under three hours[11] and can drop 10,000 L (2,200 imp gal; 2,600 US gal) in the tanker role.[12] 6 more ordered in 2017 for 365M€, 4 delivered by the end of 2021.

Bases

All fixed-wing aircraft are based at Garons Provence Airport.

Bomb disposal

307 Sécurité Civile bomb disposal experts are based at 20 bomb disposal units, including 2 overseas units (Guadeloupe and French Guiana). They are responsible for the detection, removal, disposal or destruction of suspicious objects. They also provide assistance during official travel or large demonstrations and de-arm and destroy unexploded ammunition still present from the two world wars.[13]

In 2004, 440 tonnes (430 long tons; 490 short tons) of munitions was disposed of, whilst 43 bomb disposal experts were deployed on the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings, 17 on the 60th anniversary of the landing in Provence and 16 during the visit of Pope John Paul II to Lourdes.[13]

References
  1. "Sécurité civile" [Civil Security] (in French).
  2. "Helicopter group history (in French)". Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  3. "Arrêté du 18 juin 2018 portant organisation et attributions de la direction générale de la sécurité civile et de la gestion des crises" [Order of June 18, 2018 on the organization and powers of the Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management] (in French). 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  4. "Sécurité Civile Organisational Chart (in French)". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  5. "World Airforces: France". Aeroflight.
  6. "Turbomeca and Securite Civile celebrate 100,000 flight hours of the Arriel 1E2". Shephard.co.uk.
  7. "DGA orders 5 Eurocopter EC145 helicopters for Sécurité Civile". EADS.
  8. Helicopter group organisation (in French)
  9. Envoi de deux Canadair sur l'île de Rhodes (French)
  10. Keijsper, Gerard (July 2008). Airforces Monthly: 'Water-Bombers Required!'. London: Key Publishing. pp. 38–44.
  11. Cascade Aerospace - Q400 Airtanker Conversion Archived 2009-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
  12. De Havilland Canada Dash 8
  13. "Le service du déminage de la sécurité civile" [The civil security demining service] (in French). Ministre de l’Intérieur. 2010-05-17. Archived from the original on 2012-05-23.
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