Air assets
Helicopters for fighting forest fires: Dragon, Super Puma, Condor
They take off in a matter of minutes, draw water from a reservoir, drop it with metre-level precision into a valley — and some fly whilst the Canadair aircraft are grounded. Reconnaissance, water-dropping, airlift, rescue : helicopters are the Swiss Army knife of aerial operations.
Key points
- The Civil Protection Service operates 37 Dragon helicopters (EC145/H145) spread across 23 bases — rescue operations first, followed by forest fire support.
- In the summer, the government rents out heavy water bombers (Super Puma, up to 4,000 litres) and light aircraft (Condor): maximum flexibility, including night airdrops for the Puma.
- A helicopter draws water from any water source — hilltop reservoir, swimming pool, flexible water tank — where a Canadair aircraft requires 250 metres of water.
- Its precision when hovering makes it the weapon of choice for renewed gunfire, inaccessible valleys and the close proximity of dwellings.
- The fire and rescue services in the south are also equipping their own departmental water-bombing helicopters.
Three silhouettes against the sky lit by the fireworks
Dragon EC145 / H145
The yellow and red guardian angel: 15,935 operations in 2024, ranging from mountain rescue to forest fire support.
Read the factsheet Rented out in the summerSuper Puma
Up to 4,000 litres, 10 to 14 drops per hour, and a unique capability: dropping at night.
Condor
Light water bombers that increase the coverage over high-risk mountain ranges.
Read the factsheetWhat helicopters do better than aeroplanes
There is no such thing as a ‘Canadair versus helicopter’ rivalry: the two complement each other. Aeroplanes can carry cargo further, faster and in greater quantities. Helicopters, on the other hand, offer what fixed-wing aircraft cannot:
- Accuracy : whilst hovering or flying at low speed, he drops his payloads with metre-level precision — onto a clearing, the edge of a settlement, or a steep-sided valley that no aeroplane would dare to enter.
- Flexibility in refuelling : Just 30 seconds spent hovering over an agricultural reservoir, a swimming pool or a flexible water tank set up by the fire brigade, and it’s full again. The short rotation time makes up for the lower capacity.
- Versatility : the same aircraft drops off and airlifts a group of firefighters to a ridge, evacuates an injured person and directs ground operations.
- At night : Trained crews and night-vision goggles enable the Super Pumas to operate after sunset — a time when the fighting slows down and the enemy becomes vulnerable, but when the aircraft are grounded.
And, as always, helping people
Whilst part of the fleet is fighting the fire, the rest continues with its primary mission: to come to the rescue. Rescuing hikers trapped by smoke, medical evacuations, assessing areas requiring evacuation for the benefit of mayors and prefects — during major fires, the Dragons carry out a succession of multi-faceted missions. This is the fundamental difference compared with aeroplanes: a helicopter is as much a means of saving people as it is of fighting flames. Instructions for residents can be found in our section During the fire.
Follow these updates live.
Aircraft and helicopters in the air, active fires, today’s alerts: the real-time maps on the Forest Fires website link each page in this section to the situation on the ground. And if you witness a fire breaking out, call 112 first and foremost.