Who are France’s volunteer firefighters?

Earlier this week, Baptiste Gerfaud-Valentin, a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter, died while tackling a wildfire in the French Alps. 

His tragic death on Wednesday, July 8, in Le Planay (Savoie) reportedly came after he was struck by falling rocks, and highlights the risks taken by France’s many volunteer firefighters. 

In France, many of the people responding to emergencies are not full-time firefighters, but rather volunteers, the sapeurs-pompiers volontaires (SPV). 

They represent around 80% of France’s firefighting workforce and carry out a large share of emergency responses, according to Bruno Ménard, secretary general of the Syndicat des Sapeurs-Pompiers Volontaires de France, the union for France’s volunteer firefighters. 

“They are people who want to give time and energy to society,” he said. “They are kind-hearted people who want to help others.”

But he argues that the demands placed on volunteers are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Volunteer firefighters are not full-time employees. Their activity is carried out alongside their professional and personal lives.

For many, this means being available outside working hours, often through an on-call system.

“An on-call volunteer firefighter does around 110 to 120 hours of availability per month, which is 1,200 to 1,400 hours per year,” Mr Ménard said.

“Imagine someone who works 151 hours a month for their employer and then does 100 hours of firefighter activity on top. It is like working 250 hours.”

In some areas, he said, volunteers are required to take overnight shifts at the fire station between working days.

“They finish work at 18:00, go to the station at 20:00 for a shift until 8:00 the next morning, and then go back to work. If they have had several interventions during the night, they can go 36 hours without sleeping.”

Wildfires are putting more pressure on the system

The demands on firefighters have been even stronger during recent periods of major fires.

“Today the situation is becoming unbearable across France because there are fires everywhere,” he said.

He also referred to the death of Mr Gerfaud-Valentin, highlighting the risks taken by volunteers.

“They risk their lives and they do not even have the same protection,” he said, referring to the differences in social protection and support available to volunteer and professional firefighters. 

Volunteer firefighters do not receive a salary. They receive indemnities for their activity.

Mr Ménard said that an on-call volunteer firefighter receives around 40 centimes per hour of availability.

“You have to ask yourself: would you be able to give 110 hours of availability every month to public service and receive €40?”

Another issue Mr Ménard raised concerns about is the protection available to volunteers who are injured during operations.  

He said volunteers do not have the same social protection as professional firefighters. “We have had cases of volunteer firefighters who lost their jobs,” he said.

He gave the example of a nurse volunteer firefighter in Dordogne who was injured when the vehicle she was travelling in was hit during an intervention. According to Mr Ménard, she later lost her job and faced financial difficulties.

How to become one 

To become a sapeur-pompier volontaire, applicants must be at least 16 years old and pass medical and physical assessments to confirm they are fit for the role.

The role is open to both French and foreign nationals. Foreign applicants must be legally resident in France and meet certain civic requirements, including having their civil rights recognised in their country of origin and having no relevant criminal convictions.

Volunteers make an initial five-year commitment, which can be renewed. They complete training lasting around 30 days over the first one to three years, followed by ongoing training to maintain and develop their skills.

Applications are made through the local departmental fire and rescue service (Service départemental d’incendie et de secours, SDIS).