French firefighters threaten strike over "shortage of everything"

French firefighters are threatening a massive strike at the end of September, citing exhaustion and a severe lack of resources after battling the nation's worst wildfires in at least 80 years. The summer's blazes have scorched over 120,000 hectares, an area equivalent to one-third of Sweden's Skåne region.

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There has been a shortage of everything, of personnel and of water trucks that can be used in the forest. We have a thousand fewer trucks today than ten years ago.

"There has been a shortage of everything, of personnel and of water trucks that can be used in the forest. We have a thousand fewer trucks today than ten years ago," said Xavier Roy, a union representative for the firefighters, to French media. He highlighted that four firefighters have died and 130 have been injured this year.

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If the government does not significantly increase funding, we will go on the largest strike ever at the end of September.

The firefighters are demanding 21,000 new positions, higher pay, and significantly more resources. They accuse the government of hypocrisy, especially after an leaked recording revealed internal discussions where a minister acknowledged the system's shortcomings, despite previous denials of resource shortages. The firefighters argue that the government's response has been inadequate, particularly when human and material damage is so extensive.

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No one can seriously claim that the system has worked well enough, when there is so much human and material damage?

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was booed during a visit to Le Porge in Gironde, where 183 houses burned down. While new investments are now promised, the firefighters are unlikely to back down easily. They insist that the firefighting service must be adapted to the new reality of climate change, which scientists link to the severity of the fires.

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We are politicians. I am the interior minister. Of course, I was previously a prefect and think like a civil servant, but now I am a politician. When you have political opponents who claim there is a shortage of resources, it is normal to take a position...