Ammar Kheder on duty as a volunteer firefighter

Service · January 2021 – August 2023 · Deux-Sèvres

Volunteer Firefighter

Two years and eight months as a sapeur-pompier volontaire with the SDIS 79 in rural west France.

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Alongside my studies, I served as a sapeur-pompier volontaire with the Sapeurs-Pompiers des Deux-Sèvres (SDIS 79) for two years and eight months. The unit covers rural and semi-rural areas of west France: house fires, road accidents, person assistance, water-related incidents, and the long tail of operations a small-town fire station sees in a year.

Volunteer firefighters in France carry the same operational responsibilities as career firefighters once they pass the certified training cycle. The on-call rhythm sits on top of work or studies: a pager goes off, you go.

This stretch of service shaped how I work in the rest of my life. It taught me to keep a level head when the situation does not, to make fast decisions on partial information, to operate inside a small team where every member counts, and to recognise that public service is not a slogan but a daily practice. Habits I carry into research, into running a company, and into how I show up in a room.

2y 8mo

Service
Jan 2021 – Aug 2023

SDIS 79

Unit
Deux-Sèvres, France

7

Certifications
FISPV cycle complete

SPV

Sapeur-Pompier
Volontaire

Certifications

  1. FISPV (Formation Initiale de Sapeur-Pompier Volontaire). The full initial training cycle for volunteer firefighters in France: legal framework, operational techniques, fitness, equipment, team protocols.
  2. PSC 1 (Prévention et Secours Civiques niveau 1). Civilian first aid certification.
  3. PSE 1 (Premiers Secours en Équipe niveau 1). First aid in a professional team.
  4. PSE 2 (Premiers Secours en Équipe niveau 2). Advanced first aid in team, prerequisite for SAP missions.
  5. SAP (Secours à Personne). Person assistance, the core EMS-style mission of French firefighters: cardiac events, falls, road victims, transport to hospital.
  6. INC 1 (Lutte contre l’Incendie niveau 1). Fire-fighting fundamentals: building fires, vehicle fires, vegetation fires, breathing apparatus.
  7. DIV (Opérations Diverses). The catch-all module: water rescue, animal rescue, weather-related interventions, technical assistance.

Gallery

Volunteer firefighter, Deux-Sèvres Volunteer firefighter, Deux-Sèvres Volunteer firefighter, Deux-Sèvres Volunteer firefighter, Deux-Sèvres

Credits

Unit
SDIS 79, Service Départemental d’Incendie et de Secours des Deux-Sèvres
Status
Sapeur-Pompier Volontaire (volunteer, on-call)
Period
January 2021 to August 2023 (2 years 8 months)
Training cycle
FISPV complete: PSC 1, PSE 1, PSE 2, SAP, INC 1, DIV

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