Land-based resources · SDIS
Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS): the backbone of the emergency services
Approximately 253,000 firefighters, 97 departmental fire and rescue services, 4.75 million call-outs a year — one call-out every 6.6 seconds. We film the Canadair aircraft, we photograph the helicopters; but no forest fire is extinguished without them: the crews on the ground, hoses in hand, right up close to the flames.
Key points
- ≈ 253,000 firefighters in France, of which nearly 80% of volunteers — a model that is unique in the world.
- 97 SDIS are spread across the region, supported by military units from Paris and Marseille.
- 4.75 million procedures per year, one every 6.6 seconds — of which approximately 87 per cent are for personal assistance.
- On the front line, the tactical unit is the GIFF : 4 tankers and a command vehicle, around 20 firefighters.
- When a department is overwhelmed, the reinforcing columns converge : more than 3,000 firefighters at any one time in Gironde in the summer of 2022.
A contingency plan that is unique in the world
The French emergency services system is based on a unique feature that many countries envy us for: the mass volunteering. Nearly eight out of ten firefighters are not full-time professionals — men and women who have other jobs and, alongside their day jobs, volunteer to come to the aid of their fellow citizens.
This human potential is immense: approximately 253,000 firefighters, near 4.75 million procedures a year — one call every 6.6 seconds — and around 20 million calls received each year on the 18 and 112 emergency numbers. But this model, praised for its performance, is also described as being under pressure: demand is growing faster than staffing levels, and retaining volunteers has become a matter of national security, regularly raised in Parliament.
When it comes to forest fires, this reality becomes all the more apparent: when a fire breaks out, it is these men and women — often volunteers — who are the first to head into the flames, and who remain there long after the cameras have left.
The four faces of the fire service
Behind the uniform lie very different backgrounds, each complementing the other.
Volunteers (SPV) — the foundation
Nearly 80% of the workforce, amounting to more than 200,000 women and men. They have other jobs and volunteer alongside them, in return for an hourly allowance. Without them, the French model would collapse.
Professionals (SPP)
Approximately 44,000 local government employees whose job it is. In particular, they supply fire stations in the most densely populated and busiest areas.
Military personnel (BSPP and BMPM)
Approximately 13,000 military firefighters : the Paris Fire Brigade and the Marseille Maritime Fire Brigade, which provide emergency services in these two cities.
Young Firefighters (JSP)
More than 27,000 young people aged between 11 and 18 are discovering the profession, its values and its techniques: the training ground that prepares the next generation of volunteers.
From the 18th to the pitch: how the emergency services organise themselves
Behind every operation lies a well-oiled, structured organisation operating at departmental level.
The SDIS, the departmental level
Each department has a county fire and rescue service : the public body that employs the fire brigade and manages the vehicles — including the CCF — and organises coverage across the country. France has 97.
CTA-CODIS, the brain
If you dial 18 or 112, you’ll be put through to the CTA-CODIS : the centre that handles the alert and deploys resources. It is responsible for deciding which vehicles are dispatched and for monitoring each call-out in real time.
Fire and rescue services
The area is criss-crossed by barracks — fire and rescue centres (CIS) — which enable a rapid response anywhere. The exact opposite of a force concentrated in just a few locations.
National solidarity
When one department is overwhelmed, the others step in to help : the reinforcing columns are bringing together crews and vehicles from all over France to the disaster area.
Daily life: so much more than just the fire
Contrary to the idealised image, firefighters spend most of their time away from the flames. Of the 4.75 million call-outs each year, the emergency medical assistance accounts for nearly 87 per cent related to the activity: fainting spells, accidents, life-threatening emergencies. Fires — of all types, including forest fires — account for only around 9% of admissions.
But these 9 per cent account for some of the procedures the most demanding : they require a large number of personnel and a great deal of equipment, and can sometimes last for several days. On average, a rescue operation keeps three firefighters occupied for less than an hour and a half; a major forest fire, on the other hand, can tie up hundreds of firefighters for a week.
On forest fires: the GIFF and the reinforcement teams
When faced with a forest fire, firefighters tackle it in organised units. The basic unit is the GIFF — forest fire response team: four tanker lorries for forest fires and a command vehicle, comprising around twenty firefighters trained in fighting fires in natural environments, who advance in a coordinated column. For rapid deployment, some regional fire and rescue services (SDIS) also deploy light units, designed to strike quickly at a fire in its early stages.
When a fire is too big for a single department to handle, the national solidarity takes over. In the summer of 2022, the massive wildfires in Gironde mobilised more than 3,000 firefighters at the same time, reinforced by units from all over France; in the summer of 2025, the Aude fire — ‘the Ogre of the Corbières’, covering more than 17,000 hectares — once again brought together more than 2,100 firefighters from 80 per cent of the country’s departments. In July 2026, the major fire in Lacanau, in Gironde, once again mobilised reinforcement teams from other departments.
This ground-based system is constantly synchronised with the water-bombing aircraft, the helicopters and, where the scale of the project requires it, with the ForMiSC rescue workers. The sky slows the fire down… the ground truly extinguishes it — and the ground is them.
GIFF or reinforcement column? Two levels of deployment
GIFF — the tactical unit
- 4 CCF + 1 command vehicle
- Around twenty firefighters
- Get involved in your local area in just a few minutes
- Mission: to tackle the fire and defend key locations
- Scale: the area of a construction site
Pillar of Strength — National Solidarity
- Several GIFFs + command + logistics
- Sent from one department to another
- Pre-assembled, suitable for use over long distances
- Mission: to assess and review resources over the long term
- Scale: the massive fire that has spread across a department
France’s fire service in figures
| Total workforce | ≈ 253,000 firefighters |
|---|---|
| Volunteer firefighters | More than 200,000 (nearly 80 per cent of the workforce) |
| Professional firefighters | ≈ 44,000 |
| Military firefighters | ≈ 13,000 (Paris Brigade, Marseille Battalion) |
| Young Firefighters | More than 27,000 |
| Administrative and technical staff | ≈ 11,800 |
| Departmental Fire and Rescue Services | 97 SDIS |
| Annual operations | ≈ 4.75 million — one every 6.6 seconds |
| Proportion of personal assistance | ≈ 87% of procedures |
| Proportion of fires | ≈ 9% of procedures |
| Forest Fire Tactical Unit | GIFF — 4 fire engines + command vehicle (approx. 20 firefighters) |
| Emergency numbers | 18 (fire brigade) and 112 (European emergency number) |
Frequently Asked Questions about the Fire Service
Follow these updates live.
Aircraft and helicopters in the air, active fires, today’s alert status: the real-time maps on the Forest Fires website link each page in this section to the situation on the ground. And if you witness a fire breaking out, call 112 first and foremost.