France: Firefighters mobilize in the wake of the shooting of a colleague

While a firefighter was seriously injured by gunfire on Sunday during an intervention near Marseille, firefighters gathered on Monday in front of their stations across several French cities to denounce violence targeting rescue personnel.

In France, following the shooting of a firefighter in Les Pennes-Mirabeau, north of Marseille, the nine representative unions of professional firefighters called for a national mobilization this Monday to denounce violence against emergency rescue workers.

In a joint statement, the union organizations called on "all fire stations in France to bring their vehicles out in front of rescue centers, flashing beacons on and sirens sounding, to express our anger and our solidarity with one voice."

Gatherings were held notably in Les Pennes-Mirabeau, Marseille, Bordeaux, Valence, and Béziers.

Authorities condemn the attack

The Director General of Civil Security, Julien Marion, strongly condemned the attack.

"Targeting a firefighter in the line of duty is targeting all firefighters," he stated.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, expressed on X his "indignation at this senseless, violent assault against our firefighters, who commit themselves to protecting others."

Firefighter assaulted during an intervention: condition improving

The firefighter, a 53-year-old chief warrant officer who was commanding the emergency response team, was seriously injured by gunfire while responding to a vehicle fire in Les Pennes-Mirabeau, in Bouches-du-Rhône.

The incident occurred late Sunday afternoon in the Plan de Campagne commercial area. Firefighters had been dispatched to extinguish a fire involving a heavy goods vehicle and several light vehicles when they were "targeted with firearms," according to the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, Jacques Witkowski.

The victim was transported to a hospital in Marseille, where he underwent surgery on Sunday evening. His condition, initially considered very concerning, was improving on Monday, according to Civil Security Director General Julien Marion.

"The latest news we have received, particularly after the night, is rather reassuring, although we must naturally remain very cautious regarding the progression of his health condition," he clarified.

Another firefighter as well as an emergency vehicle were also hit.

Suspect arrested

According to preliminary findings of the investigation, the suspected shooter is a 51-year-old marginalized man already known to police for minor offenses.

The suspect reportedly started the vehicle fire himself before attacking emergency workers and barricaded himself in a caravan upon the arrival of police forces and the RAID tactical unit, according to Romain Amaro, the mayor of Les Pennes-Mirabeau.

The man was ultimately apprehended and placed in police custody for "attempted murder of a person carrying out a public service mission, destruction and damage by dangerous means, and possession of Category B weapons," announced Aix-en-Provence public prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon.

According to figures from the National Federation of French Firefighters, an intervention takes place every six seconds in the country.

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