Live · Fires in Gironde: Swiss firefighters deployed, militia system under strain

Herz — Climate Desk · 31 July 2026 at 05:29 · 31 July 2026 at 05:57 · 30s summary · 2 min read

1. 31.07 07:57
   The fire is now stabilized and contained after 9 days of firefighting. Highway A63 has reopened and 9 communes have been reintegrated.

What we know

Swiss firefighters are currently in Gironde supporting French services battling wildfires in the region. According to Le Temps, they are housed in a local secondary school. Significant damage has been documented in areas including Le Porge and Biscarrosse.

A second detachment of Romande firefighters is scheduled to take over relief operations in Gironde on Sunday.

Switzerland's militia system under pressure

Switzerland has 74,318 firefighters in total, with only 1,046 working as full-time professionals. The remaining approximately 73,272 operate under the militia system—an organizational principle where citizens fulfill public duties on a part-time basis alongside their primary employment, without permanent civil servant status.

Rising forest fires, floods, and storms—linked to climate change—are testing this model. A major point of tension is the willingness of employers to release their employees who are also volunteer firefighters for extended international deployments.

Context: Fires in the Landes forest

The wildfires affecting Gironde and the Landes began in mid-July 2026. According to Wikipedia, they are mobilizing more than 2,750 firefighters from Nouvelle-Aquitaine and other regions and countries, as well as more than 2,940 members of the gendarmerie and police forces.

An increasingly significant share of interventions is linked to natural hazards.

— Didier Denoreaz, vice-president of the Vaud Firefighters Federation, cited by Le Temps

Denoreaz also praised the commitment of Swiss firefighters on the French front lines.

Timeline

1. Mid-July 2026
   Wildfires begin in the Landes forest in Gironde and the Landes.
2. First Swiss firefighter detachment deployed to Gironde, housed in a local secondary school.