Sioen Fire and the Soldats du Feu Magazine organise each year an event for fire fighters that includes conferences, workshops and tests in Ardooie, the Sioen Headquarters. In 2020, the 17th edition took place. Fire fighters from France, Luxembourg and Belgium attend this multiple-day event.
The 2020 theme is - how could it not be - about the COVID-19 pandemic and the additional risks fire fighters are exposed to.
There was a broad range of panel discussions visitors could participate in. The themes varied from the usage of high pressure equipment, over the versatility of P.P.E. to how you define the P.P.E. soiling threshold. As always, there were workshops and demonstrations at the Ardooie headquarters of Sioen.
During this 15th edition, firemen could participate in fire tests, demonstrations and conferences. Multiple topics were discussed. Decontamination is a much debated topic that we, of course, could not leave out. Further, rescue and support, regulatory constraints and fleet maintenance were discussed.
Watch the video below to learn more about our 2017 edition.
This edition focused on sharing knowledge about road rescue interventions. Multiple car wrecks were cut entirely by some participating firemen during a workshop. In addition, the most modern equipment and garments were discussed in a debate, considering the most suitable intervention suits, the F1 and F2 helmets, etc. Finally, the participants could follow four different conferences on road rescue operations on all types of vehicles, helmet norms and the evolution of the trauma of traffic accidents.
Under the supervision of chronobiologist Benoît Mauvieux, several tests were performed together with the participants. The firemen, among others, took a pill that showed their body temperature in real time. Later on, they tested a P.P.E. range in a fire training combustion container. They also followed about a conference about chronobiology, a science that can predict when an incident will happen, rather than which type of incident.
During the 2014 edition, firemen could test a Vidal Protection (now Sioen Fire) suit with an integrated rescue harness. During an abseil organised by the team of the Soldats du Feu Magazine, the harness could be tested and on the ground they could test how the harness could be used to evacuate a firemen from a dangerous area.
Further, three conferences took place. One about the regulations and legislation concerning elevated work, one about the hazards for firemen during interventions on solar panels and finally, one about the new generation of flame retardant fabrics.
There were also two workshops. The first one was about the changing of a glued sole of a fireman’s boot and the other one involved an innovative application. The app can identify a car that was caught in an accident and informs you about its properties before and during an intervention.
On the first day of the event, a fire extinguishing test with an electric Renault car was performed. Extinguishing an electric car is not different from doing it with a classic car with a combustion engine, unless it takes longer than half an hour after the start of the fire. At that moment, the car can explode.
On the second day, several conferences took place. The first one, was about the rescuing of the rescuers and was given by Ronan Vinay, a consultant for the Soldats du Feu Magazine. Second, Claire Petit-Boulanger talked about the extinction of electric vehicles. She is a project manager on road safety. Finally, Paul Brooks from Magnum gave more information about the future of footwear for firemen.
The Soldats du Feu Magazine is a 100% independent magazine that is conceived and written by active firefighters. It approaches the profession as a firefighter from a very specific angle: tests and trials, field surveys, trade show reports, etc. They provide the practical information every firefighter needs.
More information: https://www.soldatdufeu.fr/
