The Paris Fire Brigade

Missions of the Paris Fire Brigade

The detachment from the Paris Fire Brigade fulfils a wide range of missions including :

• fire prevention and fire-fighting
• preventing explosions and countering their effects
• providing assistance for road traffic accidents, dealing with water damage and electrical incidents
• first-aid for the injured
• assisting individuals
• pollution analysis
• looking for missing persons
• evacuating animals
• protecting property
• search and reconnaissance
• other interventions (dealing with false alarms etc.).

Different types of response

In 2002, the Fire Brigade responded to 3,000 calls. As well as interventions related to preparation of Ariane 5 launches, the firemen answer calls for situations such as the following :

Type of incident	Number in 2002
Fire	17
Accidents	19
Monitoring sensitive zones	85
Detecting gas leaks	139
First-aid to the injured	149
Animal related	208
Fire detection	330

The role of the fire service at launch time

On launch evenings, some fifty firemen are on duty. Some remain on standby in their homes, ready to warn the local population in the event of danger. Others are deployed on the site, notably by keeping four ambulances manned and on alert at nearby posts.

 

Logistical resources of the Fire Service

 

• 3 boats
• 8 fire engines
• 4 ambulances
• Equipment for traffic accident responses, extraction from wrecked vehicles, prevention of chemical risk etc.