Rescue: Who is Mickaël Coly, the new fire chief of Marmande?

In May, the 43-year-old captain, who arrived from Tulle, succeeded Bénédicte Gautier as head of the Marmande center. Meeting

"It was written." Reading his resume, his entire destiny is linked to the profession of firefighter. Mickaël Coly has even been passionate about rescuing people since he was 5 years old.

"I've wanted to help people since I was little, when I saw a friend's father who was a firefighter. At school, when the teacher asked me to draw a house, I always added a fire truck next to it. And then, it probably also came from the fact that a friend's father did that job," recalls the Brive native.

Barely nine years later, the young man from Corrèze signed up as a volunteer firefighter, before joining the Soursac fire station at 16. Attached to his roots, he is still a volunteer firefighter at this center. His professional career began in 2003 in Tulle, as a fire chief's crew member. "It's the lowest rank," likes to remind the man who is now a captain.

Eleven years in the ranks followed, before becoming a captain, still in Corrèze, and more precisely in Ussel. Before arriving in Marmande, he held the position of center chief several times, both acting and not (as in Égletons). So, after twenty-two years of service in his native country, what prompted Captain Coly to settle in Marmande?

"I needed to discover other territories to enrich my knowledge and operational skills. I also wanted a command position without interim and new challenges, in a department plagued by forest fires and Garonne floods," says the new center head, delighted with his first steps in Lot-et-Garonne. Because since 2021, the one who takes over from Bénédicte Gautier (1) has been a water bomber helicopter manager, a new string to his bow that he deployed during the Landiras fires (33) in 2022. "The manager ensures the coordination of water drops where they are necessary, according to the commander's orders," the forty-year-old passionately explains.

Since May, he has been managing a force of 80 firefighters from the renovated Marmande fire station , including 23 professionals and 57 volunteers, who are strengthening the on-call and on-call workforce.

But the Brive resident is also head of the Marmande support and liaison company, which oversees 14 centers, supported by his deputies, Lieutenants Martial Bouteleux and Max Andrieux. His priority? Increasing the center's staff and availability to be more efficient. On this subject, the Sdis is looking for motivated volunteer firefighters available during the day, weekdays, and weekends. "Volunteering is something that must always be cultivated," assures the captain. Alongside these energy-intensive duties, when he has time left, Mickaël Coly explores other terrain: trail running, since he enjoys running or nature outings.

(1) Now a prevention officer at SDIS 47.