The Paris Fire Brigade

The Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) was created on September 18, 1811 following a fire at the Austrian embassy. Napoleon I was then challenged by the inadequacy of the security system related to firefighting and entrusted this mission to a military corps, the Paris Fire Battalion.Their motto: "Save or perish".

Table of contents:

• Some figures
• Who are they and what do they do?

The Paris Fire Brigade operates in 124 municipalities spread across 4 departments and covers 760 km² of area, including a high population density of nearly 7 million inhabitants. In addition to these city dwellers, there are more than 50 million visitors each year and 2 million Paris region residents each day. Their protection is ensured by 77 rescue centers including three CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) rescue centers and 2 nautical rescue centers. 

In 2019, this military engineering unit recorded one intervention every 60 seconds for more than 30,000 lives saved. More than 500,000 interventions were recorded, nearly 1,400 daily interventions. The average response time is 7 minutes, for an average rescue intervention duration of 87 minutes and fire intervention of 114 minutes. This unique inter-departmental structure thus exceeds the status of territorial collectivity in order to act for the national challenge.

The BSPP has agents from different training backgrounds with varied skills. From career military personnel  or under contract to non-commissioned officers from the brigade corps, the composition of this unit is full of diversity. It is also this diversity that makes its strength.

The Paris firefighters must continuously ensure the protection of people and property in the capital, but also in the inner suburban departments. There are on average 9.2 firefighters per km² in this area compared to 0.34 in the rest of France. 

These firefighters have at their disposal 130 fire engines, 63 aerial ladders, 66 vehicles to rescue victims, 71 reconnaissance instruments and more than 130 special machines.

If you wish to become a firefighter in the Paris Brigade you can apply here. To join this brigade, you will need to pass various tests such as a complete medical examination, physical tests, psychotechnical tests as well as an individual motivation and evaluation interview.

You can also find a retrospective of the most beautiful intervention shots from the beginning of this year on their Instagram page.