The Paris Fire Brigade (french: Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris, BSPP) is a

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

unit which serves as the primary fire and rescue service for

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, the city's inner suburbs and certain sites of national strategic importance. The brigade's main area of responsibility is the City of Paris and the surrounding of

Seine-Saint-Denis () is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobig ...

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a ...

, and

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a département in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west ...

(the ). It also serves the

Centre Spatial Guyanais The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximat ...

Kourou Kourou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It i ...

, the DGA Military Rocket Test Centre in

Biscarosse Biscarrosse (; oc, Biscarròssa) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is located southwest of Bordeaux, and inland from the seaside resort of Biscarrosse-Plage on the Atlantic coast. Near Bis ...

, and the Lacq gas field. As with the other fire services of France, the brigade provides

technical rescue Technical rescue is the use of specialised tools and skills for rescue, including vehicle extrication, confined space rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, water rescue, and wilderness search and rescue. These often requi ...

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

and

fire prevention Fire prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public on the precautions which should be taken to prevent potentially harmful fires and how to survive these fires in the event that they do o ...

services, and is one of the providers of

emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...

. The brigade is one of two fire services in France that is part of the armed forces, with the other being the Marseille Naval Fire Battalion (BMPM). It is a unit of the

's Engineering Arm () and the firefighters are therefore

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparin ...

s (, thus ). With 8,550 firefighters, it is the largest fire service in Europe and the third largest urban fire service in the world, after the

Tokyo Fire Department The Tokyo Fire Department (TFD) (Japanese: 東京消防庁, Tokyo Shōbōchō) is a fire department headquartered in Ōtemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

and

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

. Its motto is ''"Save or Perish"'' (French "").

History

Founded in 1793 as the and following the 23-hour Austrian Embassy Fire in 1810 became a military organisation by imperial decree of Emperor

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. On 18 September 1811, it became the and was expanded to the in 1867. On 1 March 1967 became the .

Selection and training

The operational personnel ( i.e. other ranks or rank and file) are usually engaged for five years. They must have French nationality, be between 18 and 25 years old, have a clean

criminal record A criminal record, police record, or colloquially RAP sheet (Record of Arrests and Prosecutions) is a record of a person's criminal history. The information included in a criminal record and the existence of a criminal record varies between coun ...

and have at least a

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an in ...

''CAP'' certificate. The selection is three days long, with sports tests, psychomotor tests, medical examination, etc. Training takes place in the Training Group (, GI), at the fort of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. The first period lasts two months, with the

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial i ...

and

first responder A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, disaster, medical emergency, structure fire, crime, or ...

training, and basic military instruction (including shooting). They then undertake practical training of four months in an operational fire company (); this includes taking part in personal assistance and utility safety operations. The last stage of training is a further two months at the Training Group. Upon completing training, the firefighter joins a fire company.

Resources

The BSPP consists of 8,550 personnel with 81 stations and facilities who conduct 1200 operations daily. *463 pieces of equipment **130

Pumpers A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...

**63 Aerial Devices **66 Ambulances **71 Command and Patrol vehicles **133 Special Engines *** Fireboats ***

All terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is strad ...

s ***

Four wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer cas ...

Organisation

The brigade is commanded by a

Brigade General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

as part of the French Army's engineering arm. The brigade commander directly controls the Information and Public Relations Bureau, and who is assisted a Colonel-Adjutant, a General Council called a Cabinet and a

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

who controls the following Bureaus: *General Studies Bureau *Financial Programs and Budget Bureau and three Assistant Chiefs of Staff: *Assistant Chief for Employment **Operations Bureau **Formation and Instruction Bureau **Prevention Bureau *Assistant Chief for Logistics **Techniques Service **Infrastructure Service **Administrative Service **Telecommunications and Information Service *Assistant Chief for Human Resources **Human resources Bureau **Personnel Welfare Bureau *Chief Doctor **

Emergency medical service Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...

/ SAMU **Chief of the Health Service Operational staff are divided into three geographic groups, as well as a training group and a services group. The geographic groups are: * First fire group – northeast Paris and

* Second fire group – southeast Paris and

* Third fire group – west Paris and

Each of the geographic groups consists of 8 fire companies and a few special units that are not part of a company (including ambulance units). Each company in turn consists of 2-4 fire stations.

First fire group ()

The First fire group of the Paris Fire Brigade covers northeast Paris and

and is based in the

18th arrondissement of Paris The 18th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-huitième''. The arrondissement, known as Butte-Montmartr ...

. It consists of the following companies: * 7th at Blanche * 9th at

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

* 10th at Landon * 12th at

Ménilmontant Ménilmontant () is a neighbourhood of Paris, situated in the city's 20th arrondissement. It is roughly defined as the area north of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, south of Parc de Belleville, and between ''Avenue Jean-Aicard'' on the west and ...

* 13th at

Aulnay-sous-Bois Aulnay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in the Île-de-France region in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aulnaysiens ...

* 14th at Clichy-sous-Bois * 24th at Montreuil * 26th at Saint-Denis Additional units include: * Fire Group Staff * EMS/ SAMU * Facilities (Maintenance) Group

Second fire group ()

The Second Fire Group of the Paris Fire Brigade covers Southeast Paris and

and is based in the

13th arrondissement of Paris The 13th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''treizième''. The arrondissement, called Gobelins, is situated ...

. It consists of the following companies: * 1st at Chaligny * 2nd at Massena * 8th at

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

* 11th at Sévigné * 15th at Champigny * 17th at

Créteil Créteil () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Cr� ...

* 22nd at

Rungis Rungis () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, in the ''département'' of Val-de-Marne. It is best known as the location of the large wholesale food market serving the Paris metropolitan area and beyond, the '' Marché d'Int� ...

* 23rd at Saint-Maur Additional units include: * Fire Group Staff * EMS/ SAMU * Facilities (Maintenance) Group

Third fire group ()

Camion Renault Midliner CA20 des pompiers de Paris

The Third Fire Group of the Paris Fire Brigade covers Western Paris and

and is based in

Courbevoie Courbevoie () is a commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is in the suburbs of the city of Paris, from the center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the city limits of Pa ...

. It consists of the following companies: * 3rd at Port Royal * 4th at Colombier * 5th at Champerret * 6th at Grenelle * 16th at

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...

* 21st at Plessis Clamart * 27th at

Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 46,907. History On 9 April 1929, one-fifth of the ...

* 28th at

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...

Additional units include: * Fire Group Staff * EMS/ SAMU * Atelier Group

Training Group ()

Peugeot 308 SPVL921 des pompiers de Paris

The Training Group of the Paris Fire Brigade provides education and training to all Paris

firefighters A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

. It consists of the following: * Group Staff * EMS/ SAMU * Center for Formation and Cadres * Center for the Instruction of Recruits ** Basic Training Company ** Auto School, driving and repairs * Support Company

Special services

Controlled by Headquarters *Divers/

SCUBA Scuba may refer to: * Scuba diving ** Scuba set, the equipment used for scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving * Scuba, an in-memory database developed by Facebook * Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array, either of two in ...

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

*Canine Service * Paris Fire Brigade Band *Gymnastic Team *Air Service *Boat Service

Frequency of operations

The BSPP performs about 1200 interventions per day. During 2001: * 1st fire group: 163,081 interventions, including 9,606 fires * 2nd fire group: 136,078 interventions, including 5,583 fires * 3rd fire group: 150,376 interventions, including 5,234 fires There are 6.16 million inhabitants in the BSPP zone (1999). This represents: * per day: 19 interventions per 100,000 inhabitants * per year: 7,300 interventions, including 331 fires, per 100,000 inhabitants

Ceremonial duties

Traditionally, the Paris Fire Brigade parades twice during the Bastille Day military parade: once on foot, and a second time with its vehicles. During the parade members are armed due to their membership in the armed forces. Evening dance parties are held at fire stations on (or near to) Bastille Day. These are known as a (firefighters' ball).

References

External links

Official Website – French

Official Website – English

Official professional retraining web platform – French Only
{{Authority control Military fire departments