Michel Lafourcade

Colonel Michel Lafourcade in May 1995.

Michel Lafourcade (19 April 1941 – 4 October 2006) was a colonel of French firefighters, director of regional fire and emergency headquarters.[1]

Biography

Colonel Michel Lafourcade was born in Bélus, the son of Maurice Lafourcade, postmaster, and Marie Galharret, housewife. He was married to Jacqueline Chardac, social worker, with whom he had two children, Jérôme and Aurélie. Educated at the high school Pierre Loti of Rochefort, then graduated from the school of meteorology of Saint-Cyr-l'École. He began his career with the National Weather, in Beauvais from 1964 to 1966, then in French Guiana in Cayenne from 1966 to 1967.

In 1967, after having passed the examination ad hoc,[2] he was appointed inspector of the French Guiana fire and emergency headquarters, with the rank of major. He is then, at age 26, the youngest regional director of France.[3]

Back in Metropolitan France, he was appointed inspector of the Cantal headquarters in January 1974.[4] Inspector of the Meurthe-et-Moselle headquarters starting February 1978,[5] he got in that department the rank of lieutenant colonel. He has taken the title of regional director of the fire and emergency headquarters in January 1981, developed the mobile rescue units[6][7] and the first advanced medical post of French firefighters.[8][9][10][11]

In January 1988, he was promoted colonel and was appointed regional director of the fire and emergency headquarters of Var in Draguignan.[12] It is in this region that he gave the full measure of his skills.[13] For fourteen years, he conducted the headquarters with an undisputed authority and rare interpersonal skills.

His great human qualities played a major role in the difficult implementation of the departmentalization[14] of the fire and emergency services. This reform of the organization of the firefighter profession has been implemented smoothly, without conflicts, because of colonel Michel Lafourcade’s consultation and dialogue skills.[15][16] He retired in 2002.[17]

In addition to being a great firefighter, especially as representative of the regional directors from the sud-mediterranee zone, he has been an emeritus citizen of Draguignan.[18] Involved in the community life, particularly within the Rotary International where he created and chaired the Rotary Club Templiers,[19] he took part in many humanitarian and charitable activities. He died in Draguignan.

Decorations and Awards

Officer of the Legion of Honour[20] and Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite,[21] holder of the Youth and Sports Medal et the Firefighters Medal of Honour, colonel Michel Lafourcade has received various awards including those of the National Federation of Firefighters of France, the Federations of Firefighters of Germany and of Luxembourg.

Honors

A boulevard of Draguignan is named after him;[22] the former boulevard Maljournal bordering the fire and emergency headquarters of Var has been renamed boulevard colonel Michel Lafourcade on 1 December 2006.[23]

Bibliography

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Nécrologie du colonel Michel Lafourcade sur le site du SDIS 54.
  2. ↑ Ministère de l’Intérieur, Arrêté ministériel portant établissement d’une liste d’aptitude aux fonctions d’inspecteur départemental des services d’incendie et de secours, 3 mars 1967.
  3. ↑ Ministère de l’Intérieur, Arrêté ministériel de nomination en Guyane, 5 avril 1967.
  4. ↑ Ministère de l’Intérieur, Arrêté ministériel de nomination dans le Cantal, 17 septembre 1974.
  5. ↑ Ministère de l’Intérieur, Arrêté ministériel de nomination en Meurthe-et-Moselle, 13 février 1978.
  6. ↑ L’Est Républicain, Des colonnes mobiles de secours en Meurthe-et-Moselle, 17 décembre 1983.
  7. ↑ Michel Lafourcade, Les unités mobiles d'intervention, Planification et organisation, Centre national de protection et de prévention, avril 1986.
  8. ↑ Direction départementale des services d’incendie et de secours de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Un poste médical avancé : le PMA 54, 26 avril1986.
  9. ↑ Tournoux, Le poste médical avancé de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lutter, le sapeur-pompier de Meurthe-et-Moselle n° 27, 1986, pp 27-28.
  10. ↑ Larcan et Tournoux, 30 ans d'urgence médicalisée en Meurthe-et-Moselle : 1962-1992, Groupement des sapeurs-pompiers de Meurthe-et-Moselle, 1992, p. 26.
  11. ↑ Jean-Jacques Horb, Équipement : une étape de modernisation avec le colonel Lafourcade, Comité d'organisation du congrès national des sapeurs-pompiers à Nancy, 1993, p. 82.
  12. ↑ Ministère de l’Intérieur, Arrêté ministériel de nomination dans le Var, 18 décembre 1987.
  13. ↑ André Lucchesi et Pierre Léoni, Les tueurs d'incendie agissent en dix minutes, Le Figaro, 8 août 2001.
  14. ↑ Loi n° 96-369 du 3 mai 1996 relative aux services d’incendie et de secours sur le site de l'INERIS.
  15. ↑ Nice Matin, La départementalisation officialisée, 18 décembre 1998.
  16. ↑ Max Piselli, Un grand moment de ma vie d'élu, Bélugue 83, Bulletin trimestriel de l'Union départementale des sapeurs-pompiers du Var, octobre 2010, pp 4-6.
  17. ↑ Nice Matin, Le bilan du colonel Lafourcade, 15 décembre 2002.
  18. ↑ Ville de Draguignan, Extrait des registres des délibérations du conseil municipal, n° 2006-142, séance du 29 novembre 2006.
  19. ↑ Rotary International, La lettre du gouverneur, district 1730, décembre 2006.
  20. ↑ Décret du 17 avril 2003 portant promotion et nomination au grade d’officier de la Légion d'honneur, Journal officiel de la République française n°94 du 20 avril 2003.
  21. ↑ Décret du 15 mai 2000 portant promotion et nomination au grade d’officier de l'ordre national du Mérite, Journal officiel de la République française n°113 du 16 mai 2000.
  22. ↑ Ville de Draguignan, Extrait des registres des délibérations du conseil municipal, n° 2006-142, séance du 29 novembre 2006.
  23. ↑ Var Matin, Inauguration du boulevard Colonel Michel Lafourcade, 2 décembre 2006.
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