France: Firefighters

Sapeurs-pompiers

Last modified: 2024-12-21 by olivier touzeau
Keywords: firefighters | sapeurs-pompiers | ensosp | helmet | stars: 12 (yellow) |
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• Organization of French firefighters
• Departmental Corps of Firefighters
  • SDIS (Service départemental d'Incendie et de secours)
• National Higher College of Firefighters Officers (École nationale supérieure des officiers de sapeurs-pompiers, ENSOSP)
  • Colour of the ENSOSP
  • Pennant of the ENSOSP
  • Corporate flag of the ENSOSP
• Paris Firefighters Brigade
• Marseilles Navy Firefighters Battalion

See also:

• France

Organization of French firefighters

In France, the firefighters are organized in Departmental Corps, depending on the Ministry of the Interior, with two exceptions:
- in Marseilles, the firefighters are organized in a Navy Battalion;
- in Paris and the surrouding deparements (Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne), the firefighters are organized in an Army Brigade.

Ivan Sache, 10 September 2011 and Olivier Touzeau, 3 January 2024

Departmental Corps of Firefighters

Flag of the Departmental Corps of Firefighters of Ain, from left to right, reverse, cravate and obverse - Images by Pascal Vagnat, 28 April 2002

Following the reorganization of the Firefighters Corps in 1997, each department has now its own corps of firefighters. The above image shows, as an example, the flag of the Departmental Corps of Firefighters of the Department of Ain (from left to right, reverse of the flag, unfolded cravate, and obverse of the flag).
The flag of each Departmental Corps of Firefighters (Corps départemental des sapeurs-pompiers) is prescribed by Decree 2001-108, adopted on 6 February 2001 and published in the French official gazette No. 32, p. 2074, on 7 February 2001.

Article 1. A flag shall be granted to each Departmental Corps of Firefighters.

Article 2. The flag granted to each Departmental Corps of Firefighters shall be a square cloth of side 90 cm, bordered with a 5 cm long golden fringe; it shall be made of three vertical stripes of equal width, showing the national colours: blue, white and red.
The 2.10 m long blue staff shall be in two parts.
The 24 cm long golden bronze finial shall bear on one side of its basis the capital letters "RF" [for "République Française"] and on the other side the capital letters "SP" [for "Sapeurs-Pompiers"].
The 90 x 24 cm cravate shall be of tricolor cloth with a 5 cm long, two-tailed golden fringe.

On the obverse of the emblem and as described below shall be gilded with gold leaf on a specific coating:
- the following words written in 50 mm capital letters:

RÉPUBLIQUE
FRANÇAISE
The space between the upper border of the flag and the top of the letters of "RÉPUBLIQUE" shall be 20 cm; the space between the words "RÉPUBLIQUE" and "FRANÇAISE" shall be 4 cm.
- the following words written in 40 mm capital letters:
CORPS DÉPARTEMENTAL
DE SAPEURS-POMPIERS
DE (followed by the name of the department)
The space between the lines shall be 30 mm. The inscription shall be placed 5 cm below the word "FRANÇAISE".

On the reverse of the emblem shall be written in 50 mm capital letters, with a space of 40 mm in height, the motto of the firefighters [Courage and Dedication]:

COURAGE
ET
DÉVOUEMENT
The space between the upper border of the flag and the top of the letters of "COURAGE" shall be 33 cm.

In the four angles of the obverse shall be gilded with gold leaf on a specific coating, in 50 mm capital letters, "RF". In the four angles of the reverse shall be gilded with gold leaf on a specific coating a 8 cm high flamed grenade, inscribed into a wreath of oak and laurel leaves.
The wreaths shall be placed two by two, lower left - upper right and lower right - upper left.
On both ends of the cravate shall be embroidered in gold a 6 cm high flamed grenade, inscribed into a golden wreath of oak and laurel leaves.

Article 3. The flag granted to each Departmental Corps of Firefighters shall be displayed in public by decision of the Chief of the Deparemental Corps of Firefighters, Departmental Director of the Fire and Assistance Services. The flag shall be escorted by a guard of firefighters.

Article 4. The Minister of the Interior is responsible for the execution of the present Decree, which shall be published in the official gazette.

There seems to have been some delay in the distribution of the flags. According to the daily newspaper Le Courrier Picard (20 June 2005), the Departmental Corps of Firefighters of Somme waited for its flag until 18 June 2005. On that day, Michel Sapin, Prefet of the Region Picardie, officially delivered the corps flag to Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Colin. A guard for the flag was set up (according to Article 3 of the Decree).
The flag is similar to the one shown above, except that "DE L'AIN" is replaced by "DE LA /SOMME" (on two lines).

Ivan Sache, 27 June 2005

SDIS

In each department, the Service Départmental d'Incendie et de Secours (SDIS, Departmental Fire and Rescue Service) is responsible for operations within its territory of the civilian fire services.
The SDIS is subject to dual authority. The operational authority is exercised by the prefect and the mayor within the framework of their respective police powers. The second is an administrative authority exercised by the Board of Directors of the SDIS (CASDIS) which includes departmental councilors, mayors and elected officials from intermunicipal authorities. The president of the Departmental Council is, by right, president of the CASDIS.

Some SDIS have their own flags, for example:

• Charente-Maritime
• Finistère
• Indre
• Loire
• Mayenne
• Pas-de-Calais
• Vienne

Olivier Touzeau , 3 January 2024

National Higher College of Firefighters Officers (École nationale supérieure des officiers de sapeurs-pompiers, ENSOSP)

ENSOSP was founded in 1977 by the Ministry of the Interior, as ENSSP (École nationale supérieure des sapeurs-pompiers) and inaugurated in January 1979 in Nainville-les-Roches, near Paris. The college was renamed ENSOSP in 1986. By Decree of 7 June 2004, ENSOSP is an Établissement public national à caractère administratif (National public institute with administrative duties), placed under the tutorship of the Ministry in charge of civil defense, here the Ministry of the Interior.
On 1 September 2007, the historical site of Nainville was decommissioned and the institute moved to Aix-en-Provence, with a "technical capacity" at Vitrolles.

Ivan Sache, 11 January 2009

Colour of ENSOSP

The colour of ENSOSP can be seen on a photo taken during the "Farewell to Nainville" ceremony, held on 28 June 2007.
The colour of ENSOSP is prescribed by Decree 2001-109, adopted on 6 February 2001 and published in the French official gazette No. 32, p. 2075, on 7 February 2001.

Article 1. A flag shall be granted to the National Higher College of Firefighters Officers.

Article 2. The flag granted to the National Higher College of Firefighters Officers shall be a square cloth of side 90 cm, bordered with a 5 cm long golden fringe; it shall be made of three vertical stripes of equal width, showing the national colours: blue, white and red.
The 2.10 m long blue staff shall be in two parts.
The 24 cm long golden bronze finial shall bear on one side of its basis the capital letters "RF" [for "République Française"] and on the other side the capital letters "SP" [for "Sapeurs-Pompiers"].
The 90 x 24 cm cravate shall be of tricolor cloth with a 5 cm long, two-tailed gold fringe.

On the obverse of the emblem and as described below shall be gilded with gold leaf on a specific coating:
- the following words written in 50 mm capital letters:

RÉPUBLIQUE
FRANÇAISE
The space between the upper border of the flag and the top of the letters of "RÉPUBLIQUE" shall be 20 cm; the space between the words "RÉPUBLIQUE" and "FRANÇAISE" shall be 4 cm.
- the following words written in 40 mm capital letters:
ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE
DES OFFICIERS DE SAPEURS-POMPIERS
The space between the lines shall be 30 mm.

On the reverse of the emblem shall be written in 50 mm capital letters, with a space of 40 mm in height, the motto of the firefighters [Courage and Dedication]:

COURAGE
ET
DÉVOUEMENT
The space between the upper border of the flag and the top of the letters of "COURAGE" shall be 33 cm;

In the four angles of the obverse shall be gilded with gold leaf on a specific coating, in 50 mm capital letters, "RF".
In the four angles of the reverse shall be gilded with gold leaf on a specific coating a 8 cm high flamed grenade, inscribed into a wreath of oak and laurel leaves.
The wreaths shall be placed two by two, lower left - upper right and lower right - upper left.
On both ends of the cravate shall be embroidered in gold a 6 cm high flamed grenade, inscribed into a golden wreath of leaves of oak and laurel.

Article 3. - The flag granted to the National Higher College of Firefighters Officers shall be displayed in public by decision of the Director of Defence and Civil Defence. For the ceremonies taking place within the National Higher College of Firefighters Officers, the decision of displaying the flag shall be taken by the Senior Officer commanding the College. The flag shall be escorted by a guard of firefighters, members of the College.

Article 4. - The Minister of the Interior is responsible of the execution of the present decree, which shall be published in the official gazette.

Ivan Sache, 11 January 2009

Pennant of ENSOSP

The square pennant of ENSOSP, diagonally divided blue-red, can be seen on a photo taken during the "Farewell to Nainville" ceremony, held on 28 June 2007.

Ivan Sache, 11 January 2009

Corporate flag of ENSOSP

Corporate flag of ENSOSP - Image by Herman Felani, 11 January 2009

The corporate flag of ENSOSP is flown at their premises, alongside with the French national flag, the European Union flag, and the French Sécurité civile flag (see photos by Dominique Pipet, December 2008).
The flag is white with the college logo in colour at the centre. The logo is a depiction of a firefighter's helmet with red and blue wavy bars possibly representing France itself, and the stars of the European Union. The abbreviation ENSOSP appears at the base of the stylised helmet. On the flag, the name of the college in full appears at the base of the logo.

Herman Felani, 11 January 2009