The Paris Fire Brigade (French: Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris, BSPP) is a French Army unit which serves as the primary fire and rescue service for Paris, the city's inner suburbs and certain sites of national strategic importance.The brigade's main area of responsibility is the City of Paris and the surrounding départements of Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, and Hauts-de-Seine (the petite couronne). It also serves the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, the DGA Military Rocket Test Centre in Biscarosse, and the Lacq gas field. As with the other fire services of France, the brigade provides technical rescue, search and rescue and fire prevention services, and is one of the providers of emergency medical services.The brigade is one of two fire services in France that is part of the armed forces, with the other being the Marseille Naval Fire Battalion (BMPM). It is a unit of the French Army's Engineering Arm (l'arme du génie) and the firefighters are therefore sappers (sapeurs, thus sapeurs-pompiers). With 8,550 firefighters, it is the largest fire service in Europe and the third largest urban fire service in the world, after the Tokyo Fire Department and New York City Fire Department. Its motto is "Save or Perish" (French "Sauver ou périr")..
Background Sex differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have been studied in adults but remain poorly explored in younger populations. We aimed to assess sex differences in OHCA across age groups to provide a comprehensive overview. Methods All OHCA occurring between May 2011 and December 2018 in Paris and its suburbs were analysed. Primary outcomes included sex differences in OHCA characteristics and survival to hospital discharge across three age groups: paediatric patients (28 days-18years), young adults (18–35 years) and older adults (≥35 years). Secondary outcomes included aetiology and 1-month survival. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with OHCA in females versus males. Results Among 18 767 OHCA cases, 6185 (33.0%) were females, 360 (1.92%) were paediatric patients, 1240 (6.61%) young adults and 17 167 (91.5%) older adults. In paediatric patient, male were older (6.00 vs 2.78 years, p=0.029) and had shorter no-flow times (5.00 vs 10.0 min, p=0.007). Among young adults, OHCA in males occurred more often in public areas (61.9% vs 35.3%, p<0.001) and during sport (6.47% vs 1.53%, p<0.001); females had shorter no-flow time (3.00 vs 5.00 min, p=0.035). In older adults, males were younger (64.3 vs 71.8 years, p<0.001), more shocked (40.2% vs 23.7%, p<0.001) and more commonly managed with amiodarone (16.5% vs 8.11%, p<0.001). OHCA in males occurred more often in public areas (33.9% vs 19.8%, p<0.001) and during sport (1.94% vs 0.30%, p<0.001). After adjustment, females underwent coronary angiography less often (OR (95% CI) 0.54 (0.46 to 0.64)). Survival to hospital discharge was lower in females across all age groups, reaching statistical significance in older adults (6.23% vs 9.37%, p<0.001). Conclusions Sex differences in OHCA characteristics and outcomes were observed across all age groups and became more pronounced with increasing age, consistently indicating a better prognosis for males.
BACKGROUND:The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) is the French National Gendarmerie's tactical unit, operating in high-risk environments involving armed suspects, hostage situations, or counterterrorism. Since 1984, the GIGN has relied on an original medical support model integrating a military physician-nurse team within its tactical elements. The study aimed to describe this support within the specific context of a physician-led prehospital emergency medical system. METHODS:We conducted a retrospective, descriptive, observational study of all GIGN operations identified from a prospective registry and performed in the French homeland between July 12, 2018, and October 12, 2022. The primary outcome was the occurrence of at least one casualty, defined as receiving a medical evaluation during an operation. Operational characteristics, medical organization, casualty severity, and access times to medical resources were analyzed. Univariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with casualty occurrence. RESULTS:Among 242 analyzed operations, at least one casualty occurred in 21% of missions (n=50), with a total of 90 casualties managed. Law enforcement missions were associated with a significantly higher risk of casualties compared with judicial missions (39% vs. 15%; OR: 3.64, 95% CI: 1.82-7.23). Armed or suspected armed adversaries were present in 79% of operations, with explosives linked to the highest risk. Median theoretical access times were 15 minutes (IQR, 9-22) to a physician-staffed prehospital emergency unit and 40 minutes (IQR, 22-63) to a trauma center, with 22% of operations located more than 1 hour away. Prehospital transfusion was potentially available in 66% of operations, mostly delivered within 60 minutes. CONCLUSIONS:GIGN operations are conducted in environments with substantial exposure to severe trauma. Its embedded support model enables early advanced medical care targeting preventable causes of death and plays a central role in operational planning, coordination with civilian emergency services, and casualty management. ( J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2026;101: S81-S88. Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.). LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.
