April 25, 2024
Equans France Signs an Agreement to Support Volunteer Firefighters
On Friday, April 19, at Equans’ headquarters in Courbevoie, Tiphaine Pinault, Director of Firefighterswithin the General Directorate for Civil Security and Crisis Management, and Pierre Hardouin, CEO of Equans France, a leader in the energy and services sector, signed an agreement aimed at supporting and encouraging volunteer firefighting.
Volunteer firefighters (SPV) are a key component of the regional network that ensures emergency response anywhere in the country, at any time. With a total of 198,800 SPVs, they represent—depending on the department—more than 80% of the firefighter workforce.
These citizens have chosen to devote part of their time to serving the community. With a response every 6.3 seconds in France, ensuring the long-term sustainability of their volunteer efforts is a major societal challenge—one exacerbated by climate change—to guarantee the safety and continuity of the operational response by fire and rescue services. By promoting volunteerism, employers who have signed agreements participate in local life as agents of solidarity, preserving the social fabric and the community’s mutual aid network.
By signing this agreement, Equans France aims to harmonize, formalize, formalize, and facilitate the conditions under which its employees balance their civic engagement in their local communities—as volunteer firefighters—with their professional activities. This commitment typically requires each volunteer firefighter to dedicate at least 15 days per year, whether on active duty or in training.
As such, Equans France supports this commitment by continuing to pay volunteer firefighters for up to 10 days per year during which they are on duty. Through this agreement, Equans encourages and supports the civic engagement of its 32,000 employees in France, spread across more than 700 branches.
This agreement also reflects the major role played by the 650 employees of its Axima Sécurité Incendie division, who are engaged in fire prevention on a daily basis. By providing protection for 3,000 buildings and industrial sites, Axima’s operations help contain more than a hundred fire outbreaks each year.
The signing of this agreement on behalf of Equans is in line with the purpose of our business—serving local communities—our CSR commitments, and our efforts to encourage and recognize our employees and partners for their dedication to the greater good. Through Axima Sécurité Incendie, a subsidiary of Equans France, our role is to protect people and property. Our line of work and our understanding of risks make us all the more committed to setting an example and supporting our employees who serve as volunteer firefighters. Pierre Hardouin, CEO of Equans France
Civic engagement is crucial to strengthening and maintaining the system that protects the public. Every day, volunteer firefighters, demonstrating unwavering dedication, contribute to this effort by fighting fires, rescuing accident victims, and ensuring risk prevention and assessment. Signing agreements of this kind is essential for the long-term viability of our profession. Whether it’s making our volunteer firefighters’ daily lives easier, enhancing their training, or inspiring new recruits, every action is another step toward building a safer, more united, and more resilient society. Tiphaine Pinault, Director of the Fire Department
