The Paris Fire Brigade (, BSPP) is a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

unit which serves as the primary fire and rescue service for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, 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 Bobi ...

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 department in the Île-de-France region of 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 and ...

(the ). It also serves the

Centre Spatial Guyanais The Guiana Space Centre (; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approxim ...

in Kourou, the DGA Military Rocket Test Centre in Biscarosse, 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 but not limited to confined space rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, ice rescue, swift water rescue, underwater rescue, and cave rescue. ...

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 that should be taken to prevent potentially harmful fires from occurring. It is a proactive method of preventing fir ...

services and is one of the providers of

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

. 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 The Marseille Naval Fire Battalion (, or ''BMPM''), is the fire and rescue service for the city of Marseille. The battalion is a branch of the French Navy (), and consists of fully military personnel, like the Paris Fire Brigade (a branch of the ...

(BMPM). It is a unit of the

's Engineering Arm () and the firefighters are therefore

sapper A sapper, also called a 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, preparing field defenses ...

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

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...

. 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. On 18 September 1811, it became the and was expanded to the in 1867. During the Franco-Prussian War and World War I the sapeurs-pompiers were mobilised for military service, while continuing to fulfill their firefighting responsibilities. On 1 March 1967, it 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 (not to be confused with a police record or arrest record) is a record of a person's criminal Conviction, convictions history. The information included in a criminal record, and the existence of a criminal record, varies betwe ...

and have at least a

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people for a Skilled worker, skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self em ...

''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 a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

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. First responders typically include Law enforcement, law enforcement officers (co ...

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 1,200 operations daily. *463 pieces of equipment **130 Pumpers **63 Aerial Devices **66 Ambulances **71 Command and Patrol vehicles **133 Special Engines *** Fireboats *** All terrain vehicles *** Four wheel drives

Organisation

The brigade is commanded by a Brigade General 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 supportin ...

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, pre-hospital care or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to ...

/ 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 Paris, arrondissements, or administrative districts, of Paris, the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as '' ...

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

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

* 10th at Landon * 12th at Ménilmontant * 13th at Aulnay-sous-Bois * 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 Paris, arrondissements of Paris. In spoken French, the arrondissement is referred to as ''le treizième'' ("the thirteenth"). The arrondissement is ...

. 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 ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...

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

Créteil Créteil () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, dep ...

* 22nd at Rungis * 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 Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is a suburb of Paris, from the Kilometre zero, center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the ci ...

. 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 (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

* 21st at Plessis Clamart * 27th at

Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. History On 9 April 1929, ...

* 28th at

Nanterre Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. 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, b ...

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. 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 *

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

Personnel

Ceremonial duties

Traditionally, the Paris Fire Brigade parades twice during the

Bastille Day military parade The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...

: 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