French winegrower buys a fire engine to protect his vineyards

incent Teulon, a winegrower in the Gard area of Southern France, prioritises protection of his vineyards and the surrounding area. After woodland adjacent to his vineyards caught fire for the second time in five years, he therefore made a radical decision: “The location of the woodland, three kilometres up from the property, means that the initial flames are carried towards our vines by the Mistral wind. Up until now, we would load 1,000 litres of water onto the 4x4 to bring water close by, but felt powerless. So I decided to take this a stage further and started looking for an out-of-service fire engine”, says the winegrower who owns Château Vessière in Saint-Gilles.

Teulon found exactly what he was looking for in Belgium through an online advertisement. After paying €2,500 he brought it back to the winery then spent a little more on restoring its fire-fighting capabilities.

Although his aim is to intervene as quickly as possible in the event of a fire, he is adamant that he is not aiming to encroach upon the work of firemen. “We went to see how fires progress and the way they spread via dry grasses lining the lanes. The fire engine has been ready since April and filled with 3,000 litres of water so that it can delay and prevent the spread of a fire until the firefighters arrive”, he adds. The BRL Bas-Rhône canal he is connected to has a significant water shortfall and Teulon is quick to point out that he is not using precious water unnecessarily. “Fortunately, we have not had to use it yet this season, apart from taking it out once a month to practise what we have to do and make sure everything is in working order”.