Founded in 1793 as the Corps des gardes-pompes de la ville de Paris 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 Bataillon de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris and was expanded to the Régiment de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris in 1867. On 1 March 1967 became the Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris.
Selection and training
The operational personnel are usually engaged for five years. They must have French nationality, be between 18 and 25 years old, have a clean criminal record and have at least a vocational trainingCAP certificate. The selection is three days long, with sports tests, psychomotor tests, medical examination, etc. Training takes place in the Instruction Grouping, at the fort of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. The first period lasts two months, with the first aid and first responder training, and basic military instruction. 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 Instruction Grouping. 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.
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 who controls the following Bureaus:
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 Seine-Saint-Denis
Second fire group – southeast Paris and Val-de-Marne
Third fire group – west Paris and Hauts-de-Seine
Each of the geographic groups consists of 8 fire companies and a few special units that are not part of a company. Each company in turn consists of 2-4 fire stations.
First fire group (''Premier groupement d'incendie'')
The First fire group of the Paris Fire Brigade covers northeast Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis and is based in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It consists of the following companies:
Second fire group (''Deuxième groupement d'incendie'')
The Second Fire Group of the Paris Fire Brigade covers Southeast Paris and Val-de-Marne and is based in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It consists of the following companies:
Third fire group (''Troisième groupement d'incendie'')
The Third Fire Group of the Paris Fire Brigade covers Western Paris and Hauts-de-Seine and is based in Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine. It consists of the following companies:
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. 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 with the FAMAS, the famous French bullpup-style assault rifle, reminding them of their membership in the armed forces. Evening dance parties are held at fire stations on Bastille Day. These are known as a Bal des pompiers.
