Unions warn of ‘woefully low’ firefighter numbers as EU faces record wildfires

Summer of 2025 has brought the worst wildfire season in decades for the EU. More than one million hectares have burned since January — with Spain and Portugal alone accounting for over two-thirds of the devastation. Yet the number of firefighters across Europe remains “woefully low”, European trade unions warn.

Fresh data from Eurostat shows that in 2024, the EU had 390,600 professional firefighters, up nearly 8% compared to 2023.

Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and Spain employ the largest forces, each with between 42,100 and 61,700 firefighters. By contrast, Cyprus, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland maintain the smallest, ranging from just 1,400 to 3,400 staff.

While most member states increased recruitment, five countries reduced their numbers — including Sweden (-23%), Belgium (-10%), and Portugal (-6%).

“It is scandalous that some countries continue to cut firefighter numbers just as wildfires grow in size, threatening people’s lives and livelihoods,” said Esther Lynch, secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Counting firefighters across the EU is not straightforward, however. National systems vary widely: in Ireland there are almost no volunteers, while Austria relies on some 200,000 volunteer firefighters supported by just a few thousand professionals.

The problem is not attracting or retaining talent, unions argue, but rather creating stable, funded jobs. Local and regional authorities often impose “severe cuts”, a spokesperson from the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) told Euronews.

Between 2022 and 2023, EU governments increased spending on fire-protection services by 8.5%, reaching €40.6 billion. But unions say that is far from enough given the growing threats linked to climate change.

“As fires and flooding increase due to climate change, we cannot have standstill budgets,” said EPSU’s secretary general, Jan Willem Goudriaa.

“It is now time to substantially increase public investment for forest maintenance, water management, fire services, and civil protection, as well as prevention,” he added.

In March 2025, the European Commission unveiled a preparedness strategy to strengthen the bloc’s ability to anticipate, prevent and respond to crises such as natural disasters.

The strategy sets out 30 proposals, some focused on wildfire management — but unions warn they lack the necessary financial backing.

In 2024, 20 member states recorded above-average sizes of areas burned. In response, unions are calling for major investments in professional firefighters, reforms to better integrate prevention into civil protection, and for part of EU defence funds to be redirected toward crisis response.

Over the last two years, “the focus on civil protection has not been put on the staffing levels and the work on prevention,” EPSU’s secretary general wrote in a letter sent to EU Commissioner for crisis preparedness Hadja Lahbib on 25 August.

“We need more member states to increase their capacity and not just rely on the market to tackle wildfires,” he added.