This is a mobilization that will last. The inter-union of the sapeurs-pompiers, which brings together the nine representative unions of the fire and rescue services (Sdis), filed on Friday, August 28 a national strike notice running from September 8 to October 20, 2026. The movement will be followed by a sitting demonstration on September 26, 27 and 28, in Place de la République, straddling the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements of Paris.
After a summer darkened by wildfires, firefighters are calling for more resources to cope with an upsurge in missions. They are also pressing for a massive recruitment drive of professional firefighters (they number around 44,000 today, not counting volunteers) and the rapid adoption of a civil security modernization bill.
The choice of dates is no accident. On September 8, the Directorate-General for Civil Security must present to the unions this long-promised bill, promised at the end of the Beauvau de la sécurité civile. On October 20, the vote on the first part of the draft budget for 2027 will take place. Between these two deadlines, the inter-union coalition intends to keep up the pressure.
The August 13 meeting with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered no relief. After being received for almost two hours at Place Beauvau, the representatives left very disappointed, denouncing the lack of concrete measures.
The Beauvau for Civil Security, launched in mid-2024, was supposed to yield an ambitious law backed by additional funding. Its conclusions were indeed presented, but no bill has been submitted to Parliament since. A missed milestone that today fuels anger at the fire stations.
A strike notice doesn't mean that all firefighters will walk off the job for the entire period. It merely opens the door to legally mobilize on any day within the period, through various forms of action, including work stoppages.
Emergency services remain assured, thanks in particular to the assignment principle that keeps operational staffing in place. The move could, however, start to affect the daily running of the fire stations, already described as operating in degraded mode—staffing gaps and repeated calls for volunteers to be put on standby.
The firefighters’ mobilization takes place within a broader social context. The inter-union alliance is also urging people to join the public-service action day on September 29, supported by seven representative organizations in the sector.
The stage is set for a tense rentrée, in Paris as in the rest of the country. The crucial question, summed up by the inter-union coalition: will the texts unveiled on September 8 finally live up to expectations?
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Dates and Opening Time
From September 8, 2026 to October 20, 2026
