Firefighters : the stuff of which heroes are made | M6 | Zone Interdite

First it was the police, the gendarmes, the doctors, and now it’s the Paris firefighters among whom discontent is growing. Firefighter is the profession most loved by the French people, but the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) is going through an unprecedented crisis. Since the abolition of national military service, the famous firefighters institution is understaffed and young people no longer seem motivated to join. Overworked firemen, dilapidated fire stations, unnecessary calls for help, the danger present of being called into difficult suburbs, even stone-throwing, these factors regarding the life and work of firemen certainly have not contributed to recruitment. With more than 450,000 call outs last year, 1267 daily, the Paris fire fighters are everywhere. In ten years, call outs have increased 70% but with no increase in manpower. How to deal with such an increase in demand? And firemen’s military status, as that of gendarmes, forbids them from forming labor unions or even demonstrating. However, the unrest in the profession is very present. At the Aubervilliers Fire Station, Warrant Officer Ligier is rigorous regarding training and discipline. Here men have to face the most dangerous and spectacular fires of the capital: huge warehouses, where alcohol and hydrocarbons are stored. He’s the head of these “warriors of fire”, considered the elite of their profession, and he keeps watch over everything, even as to the new firemen’s regular duties. “Pompon” is corporal at the Ménilmontant fire station which often receives calls from victims needing help. Rather than call the police or the emergency medical services, Parisians prefer to dial 18: they know that within minutes the firemen will be there. As a result, there are often unjustified requests for help. At the Aulnay-sous-Bois fire station, the firemen are often caught in a cross-fire: in the troubled suburban cities, they become targets for young gangs who set garbage cans or automobiles afire and who throw stones at the fire trucks: a stone throwing which causes material damage and infuriates the firemen….