European solidarity
European reinforcements: when Europe springs into action to tackle the fires
No country can plan its fleet on its own to cope with the most extreme summer conditions. Since 2019, the European Union has been pooling aircraft, helicopters and ground crews within RescEU: a joint reserve that France has already called upon — and to which it contributes.
Key points
- The EU Civil Protection Mechanism coordinates mutual assistance ; its reserve RescEU funds a joint fleet of around thirty aircraft.
- France called on it during the massive wildfires in 2022 : Greek Canadair aircraft, Swedish aircraft, ground columns from four countries.
- She is also contributor : its aircraft are regularly deployed to assist Greece, Portugal or the Balkans.
- Two DHC-515 ordered by France via RescEU will bolster the fleet by 2028.
- Activation is carried out via the European Civil Protection Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels, open 24 hours a day.
The reference sheet
A continental mutual insurance scheme
The principle is that of insurance: each state retains its national resources, but a common reserve — water-bombing aircraft, helicopters, specialist teams — is funded by the EU and based in ‘host’ states. When a country is overwhelmed, it activates the mechanism; theERCC The Brussels control centre then mediates between the requests and dispatches the nearest reinforcements.
This approach reflects a new climate reality: extreme summers are now a regular occurrence several countries at the same time. With southern Europe also experiencing heatwaves at the same time, pooling resources helps to smooth out the peaks — provided they do not all coincide. This is the system’s limitation, and the reason why the EU is expanding the joint fleet, notably with the DHC-515s currently on order.
What France gives, what it receives
- She sends : Canadair and ForMiSC in Greece almost every summer, with occasional support missions in Portugal, Italy, the Balkans, Canada and Chile.
- She receives : air and ground reinforcements during exceptional periods (notably in 2022), with direct integration into the French command.
- It houses : part of the RescEU transitional fleet and, eventually, the DHC-515s, which are 90 per cent funded by the EU but operated by the Civil Protection Agency.
To understand the tool that makes all this possible, the factsheet RescEU mechanism provides a breakdown of governance, the fleet and activations on a year-by-year basis.
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Aircraft and helicopters in the air, active fires, today’s alerts: 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.