In some EU member states, 80% of firefighters are volunteers.

Omissions

• The exact figure of 80% does not appear explicitly in any of the sources retrieved; the sources found document even higher volunteer shares (Germany ~97%, Poland overwhelmingly volunteer), so the claim appears conservative rather than exaggerated.
• Only secondary sources (a journalistic outlet and an international fire-services association) could be located for the volunteer share; no primary official statistics (Eurostat/national ministry) directly quantifying the volunteer share by member state were found — Eurostat publishes only the number of professional firefighters.
• The statement is a general, non-attributed rhetorical figure ('some member states'); it is not tied to a specific country or reference year, which limits precise verification.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — 'EU had 372 400 professional firefighters in 2025'In 2025, there were 372 400 professional firefighters in the EU, representing 0.18% of the total employment in the EU.
• SecondaryThe European Correspondent — 'Fighting fires for free'In Germany, around one million volunteers serve alongside just 35,000 professional firefighters – that's 97% of firefighters working for free.
• SecondaryCTIF (International Association of Fire and Rescue Services) — Poland country page508 career fire stations. 18,610 volunteer fire stations. Number of Career Firefighters: Approximately 28,000. (Poland's fire service is overwhelmingly volunteer-based.)