If I had to rank in order of my appreciation the various French government services, topping the list would undoubtedly be the Paris firemen (les Pompiers de Paris).

This group of heroes has saved the life of one of my visiting relatives, and on another occasion, rescued me from a world of hurt as the victim of a hit and run.

Beyond saving lives and extinguishing burning buildings, Paris’ firemen apparently have another duty in their job description: fishing out dockless shared bikes from the canal and river.

I took the above photo this morning when I noticed a fireman in a wetsuit diving into the Canal St Martin to pull out a moBike (yes, that is seaweed dangling from the handlebars). I teasingly asked him if he had to do this every year, expecting to be surprised by his answer that it was more frequent than once a year. “Are you kidding?” he responded. “Several of us have to do this every day.” Every. freaking. day.

The scene was the only downer to an otherwise perfect Sunday morning in Paris.

I’ve lamented before about the sad cycle of Paris bike sharing. When Paris first initiated the Vélib bike sharing program back in 2007, it set Paris on the path to a delightfully eco-friendly liveable city. Granted, Paris city hall bungled the renewal of the Vélib contract with supplier JC Decaux, and arguably some funds were squandered on costly construction of docking stations throughout the city. However, the real culprits ruining the bike sharing scheme are the handful of abusers.

For example, some mischievous scoundrels began stashing their dockless shared bikes in their buildings’ inner courtyards, common in Paris apartments, checking out of the rental while essentially locking the bike away from public use. Or they are simply tossing them into the waterways, it appears.

I am a big fan of these bike sharing programs. During a recent trip in Northern Europe, I employed shared bikes to shuttle between meetings. I enjoyed the convenience, the opportunity to discover the various cities, and the chance to benefit from a little healthy exercise in the gorgeous summer weather.

Incidentally, I noticed that in Northern Europe consumers universally parked their dockless bikes in an orderly fashion. I imagine that there could be some broader conclusion which can be drawn about cultural differences throughout Europe from this observation.

So tip your cap to the Paris firemen for saving us from our own worst qualities.