The nine unions representing French firefighters called a one-day strike on Thursday over what they say is chronic underfunding and extremely difficult working conditions.
Firefighter strikes are largely symbolic actions - rather than refusing to go and fight fires - but Thursday's action shows growing frustration within the sector, with firefighters tackling one of the worst years for wildfires on record.
In their strike notice, the nine unions denounce “major difficulties,” such as “chronic under-staffing” and a “glaring lack of material resources.”
Union leaders met the Interior Minister on Thursday afternoon, but it seems that the meeting did not go well - the unions have called for a "major demonstration" on September 29th in Paris.
They are calling for better funding and a "genuine national priority given to the health and safety of personnel”, as well as a major drive to professionalise the service.
Of France's roughly 250,000 firefighters, only 44,000 are full-time professionals - the rest are volunteers who leave their regular jobs to fight fires when there are emergency calls.
Union leader Ludovic Goblet, a firefighter based in Somme, told France Info: "We’re operating within a system that needs to be overhauled.
"We need more resources in terms of vehicles and equipment, because right now they’re not up to the task. They must now be compliant and adapted to the new, more severe weather events. We have indeed received new vehicles, but this has not increased our capacity: the new vehicles have simply replaced the old ones. We also need more personnel.
“To my knowledge, there has been no increase in the number of professional firefighters for about ten years.
"We welcome the fact that we have more volunteer firefighters, who make up nearly 80 percent of the force, but if they work day jobs, we cannot force them to be on call. We are asking for staffing levels that better meet our needs. We’re not asking for a 50-50 split between professional and volunteer firefighters, but at least for a balance that ensures continuity of service."
Junior interior minister Jean-Didier Berger told RMC radio on Thursday that “an ongoing dialogue [...] is taking place with representatives of the unions,” adding “we are fortunate in our country to have exceptional civil security conditions because we have committed significant resources to this effort.”
The summer of 2026 has been one of the worst on record for wildfires, with 115,000 hectares burned, including 42,000 hectares in the massive wildfire in Gironde in July.
The firefighting effort has required thousands of pompiers, mostly part-time volunteers aided by the professional firefighters of Paris and Marseille, as well as firefighters sent from neighbouring European countries, and Ukraine.
On August 12th, 80 départements were under an orange heatwave alert, while drought conditions have reached “historic levels,” according to Météo-France - conditions that are conducive to wildfires. Forty-five départments are at “high” fire rirsk.
