Assessment of the condition of psychic health of French firefighters: Burnout

Abstract

To date, there has been little research on burnout in firefighters despite the acknowledged impact of occupational stress on both individuals and society. According to a survey conducted by the French National Research and Security Institute, the annual cost to society of occupational stress in France is 2–3 billion euros. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of occupational burnout in a large and representative sample of French firefighters. A nationwide survey was conducted in 2021, targeting all categories of firefighters (except for military firefighters in Paris and Marseille) both in metropolitan France and in its overseas departments and territories. This survey came in two parts: questions eliciting basic sociodemographic and job-related data, followed by the Burnout Assessment Tool which assesses the intensity of job-related burnout. We collated results for 3038 firefighters: 2418 men (79.59%), 619 women (20.38%), and 1 gender neutral (0.03%). Findings revealed that while 2455 respondents (80.8%) did not meet the criteria for burnout, 345 (11.4%) reported mild/moderate symptoms of burnout, and 238 (7.8%) could be deemed to have severe burnout symptoms. Further research is warranted into the causes of burnout and its prevention in this specific population.