Firefighters from several European Union countries have been fighting fires in France over the past few weeks. This is the result of the activation of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM), established in 2001. But how do all these firefighters – who do not speak the same language and do not have the same equipment or procedures – manage to work in unison to battle the flames once they are on the ground?
Unsurprisingly, the official language used to coordinate operations is English. However, amongst the thousands of firefighters deployed – whether they are French, German, Ukrainian or Romanian – many do not have a good command of English or can only speak very basic English. To coordinate communications at European level, liaison officers have therefore been appointed. Among the selection criteria is proficiency in English.
Each reinforcement team arrives from its country of origin accompanied by a liaison officer responsible for liaising with the host country. “All instructions are given in English to this liaison officer, who translates them so that they can be put into practice on the ground,” explains Commander Arnault Angonin, representative of the National Federation of Fire Brigades. Last week, in the Var, he helped to welcome a Romanian reinforcement unit.
"It is precisely the manoeuvres, techniques and working methods that may vary from one country to another, but that is of little importance," adds the commander: "We focus on the objective to be achieved, regardless of the method. As for the technical aspects of implementation, these are specific to each country; they are up to them."
"We set a target, and it is the liaison officer – who is in command of his unit – who decides on the manoeuvre to be carried out by his personnel," explains Arnault Angonin, a representative of the National Federation of Fire Brigades.
Firefighters on the ground, on the other hand, have little need to communicate with their counterparts of other nationalities: “There isn’t necessarily any interaction between teams of different nationalities in the theatre of operations. It can happen in the moment; using basic English and gestures, we manage to make ourselves understood.” There is also little interaction with the local population, as reinforcement teams are rarely deployed in contact with the local population. They are primarily positioned to “defend sensitive locations”.
The next issue is that of equipment. Each reinforcement unit arrives with its own vehicles, lorries, hoses and even aerial resources. It is up to the host country to provide what is necessary so that the equipment can be connected to its network: “The firefighters arrive with their own equipment. When they arrive on site, adaptors are provided for them. In practical terms, these adaptors allow, for example, Romanian hoses to be connected to French hoses. And that enables them to operate just like any French fire service vehicle.”
There are also walkie-talkies, which enable teams to communicate during operations. Here too, each reinforcement unit arrives with its own radio network and walkie-talkies. The liaison officer is issued with a walkie-talkie connected to the French network and relays the orders issued by the command structure over his radio network.
Despite all these obstacles, strong bonds are forged between firefighters of different nationalities. To symbolise their camaraderie, one tradition endures: the exchange of badges. “It’s the first thing firefighters do when they meet; it’s the first sign of camaraderie,” emphasises Arnault Angonin.
The end of a reinforcement mission is marked by a photograph of the deployed teams with their respective flags: “We live alongside them for several days, or even several weeks, in theatres of operations that are quite intense. So, inevitably, bonds are formed. When it’s time to leave… I won’t say it’s with a few tears, but it does create bonds,” concludes the commander.
An article written by Audrey Abraham (franceinfo), initially published on 6 August 2026, 07:19 (CEST)