tributes to the one who fought the flames

The firefighters of Tain l’Hermitage have been in mourning since the announcement of the death of Chief Warrant Officer Martial Morin who lost his life as a result of an illness that occurred in the exercise of his mission. A national tribute will be paid to him.

[Mis à jour le 27 juillet 2022 à 16h52] He had tried to extinguish the flames which had covered 1000 hectares in the Bouches-du-Rhône in mid-July. Tainese chief warrant officer Martial Morin, a 54-year-old father and member of the Drôme departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS 26) died on Monday July 25 following an illness in the context of of his mission in the Bouches du Rhône, on July 14th. Chief of apparatus within the rescue center of Tain-l’Hermitage, he had left on a mission in the Bouches du Rhône when his column had been engaged towards the fire of “La Montagnette” in the municipalities of Tarascon and Graveson, in a few kilometers from Avignon. Throughout the night, Martial Morin had participated in the defense of sensitive points and staking. At the end of this physically very demanding mission, he reported feeling significant fatigue and severe pain in the throat.

If he had immediately been placed under the supervision of the medical team in place, his condition had deteriorated. Martial Morin was then transported to the Avignon hospital center. Despite several days of intensive care, he died on Monday July 25. On July 27, the Drôme firefighters shared their sadness on social networks: “It is with immense sadness that we inform you of the death of Chief Warrant Officer Martial Morin of the CIS of Tain-l’Hermitage des following an illness which occurred on July 15 in the exercise of his mission during the fight against a forest fire in Tarascon”. After the Minister of the Interior who reacted on social networks this Wednesday, July 27, it was the turn of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to express her condolences to her loved ones and her family.

Martial Morin joined as a volunteer firefighter at the Chanos-Curson center on July 1, 1998, 24 years ago. He continued his commitment there until 1^er January 2008 where he joined the emergency center of Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, which became CIS Le Chatelard. On July 1, 2019, he became chief warrant officer at the Tain-l’Hermitage Fire and Rescue Center. Aged 54, he was married with two children aged 30 and 31.

“Married and father of a son, also a volunteer firefighter in Drôme, and a daughter, Martial Morin was recognized for his kindness, his dedication and his unfailing commitment to the firefighters. As of Tuesday evening, his many colleagues paid tribute to him on social networks. There will be even more of them on Friday morning for the tribute that will be paid to Martial Morin”, can we read on the site of The gallery.

On July 14, Chief Warrant Officer Morin went on a mission to the neighboring department of Bouches-du-Rhône and intervened with other firefighters on “La Montagnette”, in the towns of Tarascon and Graveson, in a few kilometers from Avignon. The next day, he joined a defense column which intervened as reinforcements on the fire of “La Montagnette” in the communes of Tarascon and Graveson. He was then “responsible for the Tain truck in this column”, explained Comptroller General Amadeï.

If the intervention had gone well, the same evening, Martial Morin had shown sore throats to the nurse. “He then asks him to rest, his group then leaves without him on the intervention. 1 hour later he has breathing difficulties, the nurse then takes him to the command center so that he can see a doctor. He decides to send him to the hospital in Avignon. When he arrives at the hospital, he has a cardiac arrest. He is immediately taken care of and put under sedation and respiratory assistance, “reported the General Controller.

The doctors then tried three times to wake him up, without success. The analyzes carried out lead to the conclusion of an inflammation of the epiglottis, a gland in the throat which makes it possible to make the difference between air and food. The inflammation he suffered led to insufficient oxygenation of the brain. The last neurological examination showed irreversible sequelae, before the death of Martial Morin was recorded on July 25 at the hospital in Avignon.

To pay tribute to this volunteer firefighter for 24 years already, the Drôme Departmental Fire and Rescue Service, his friends and colleagues from the Tain l’Hermitage rescue center have decided to hold a ceremony on Friday July 29. at 11 a.m., Parc du Chayla in Tain-l’Hermitage, before the family ceremony. A national tribute should also be paid to him, with the presence of a member of the government. The head of government made a point of saying a few words in tribute to Martial Morin during questions to the government by the Senate: “I would like to pay tribute to him, send all my condolences to his friends and relatives, and once again salute the commitment of our firefighters, soldiers, law enforcement, community agents, who are our everyday heroes,” she said. Applause resounded in the hemicycle.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin immediately expressed his condolences and his support to “his family, his relatives and his comrades”. Other political figures also expressed their sadness at the news of the death. The deputy LR of the Alpes-Maritimes Eric Ciotti wrote in particular on his Twitter account: “I learn with great sadness, the death of Chief Warrant Officer Martial Morin, firefighter of the Drôme. He died fighting against the flames in Tarascon. Thoughts for his family, loved ones and brothers in arms”.