Firefighters are increasingly facing health risks due to exposure to toxic smoke from forest fires. Recent reports have highlighted the long-term effects of this exposure, including decreased lung function and chronic lung diseases. The pension fund for territorial civil servants (CNRACL) noted in 2017 that exposure to harmful substances can lead to these health issues. Anses, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, confirmed in a June report that smoke from wildfires can have a detrimental effect on short-term non-accidental mortality and cause respiratory symptoms such as coughing, irritation, and shortness of breath. These symptoms can persist for up to 2-3 years after exposure. Guillaume Vasselin, a firefighter with 30 years of experience, developed a severe asthmatic condition with debilitating coughs four months after the megafires in the Gironde region in 2022. He was declared operationally unfit the following winter but was not formally connected to smoke exposure until April 2023. Vasselin submitted a dossier for the recognition of an occupational disease and has not returned to work since. The CNRACL report also highlighted an increased mortality rate from cancer among firefighters, particularly linked to the unintentional inhalation of retardant products, which are known to be carcinogenic and harmful to reproduction. Senator Émilienne Poumirol, a former president of the board of directors of the Sdis 31 and author of a report on occupational cancers among firefighters, expressed concern over the lack of epidemiological studies in France on the health impact of smoke exposure. Such studies are well-documented in Anglo-Saxon countries. Sébastien Dephot, a representative of an autonomous union among Gironde firefighters, noted that in 2026, the amount of material burned in three or four days in Gironde exceeded all figures from 2022. During the megafire that covered 42,000 hectares, he observed colleagues experiencing small vomiting episodes and returning to their trucks, likely victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can also cause headaches, dizziness, or nausea. Firefighters often face a taboo surrounding their health, as many prefer to keep their symptoms silent out of fear of being declared unfit. During the Gironde megafire, firefighters wore their fire hood over an FFP2 mask, a combination that quickly became unbreathable. Guillaume Millet, a CFDT delegate at Sdis 33, noted that for two days, when he blew his nose, it was all black. If soot is in the nose, it is also in the lungs and bronchi. Marc Vermeulen, who leads Sdis 33, admits that the current protection is "improvable" but acknowledges that a new filtering hood offering better respiratory protection also presents a heat stroke risk. A recent parliamentary mission has recommended the creation of a national fund to finance the medical follow-up of firefighters as well as research and development on respiratory protection, uniforms, decontamination, and individual sensors.