Defence Fire Training and Development Centre

Last updated

Defence Fire Training and Development Centre
Near Manston, Kent in England
Dftdc-defence-fire-training-and-development-centre-manston.jpg
The entrance to the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre
Kent UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
DFTDC
Location in Kent
Coordinates 51°20′53″N1°21′00″E / 51.348°N 1.350°E / 51.348; 1.350
TypeDefence Training Establishment
Area39 hectares (96 acres)
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
Operator Royal Air Force (1959–2007)
British Army (2007–2020)
ConditionClosed
Website Official website
Site history
Built1959 (1959) (as the Air Ministry Fire Training School)
In use1959–2020 (2020)

The Defence Fire Training and Development Centre (DFTDC, formerly FSCTE Manston) was the site of the Ministry of Defence's firefighter training. It occupied part of a former Royal Air Force base near the village of Manston in the southeast corner of England. The remainder of the former RAF Manston was part of Kent International Airport, a civilian airfield, until the site was closed on the 15 May 2014.

Contents

History

RAF firefighter on the multi-simulator training unit at DFTDC RAF Firefighter During a Training Exercise MOD 45152012.jpg
RAF firefighter on the multi-simulator training unit at DFTDC

The USAF returned the Manston base to the RAF in 1959, and a number of training establishments were established there, including the Air Ministry Fire Training School.[ citation needed ] On 1 January 1989 the RAF consolidated the RAF Fire Fighting and Rescue Squadron from RAF Catterick to Manston along with the Air Force Department Fire Service School, Manston, forming the RAF Fire Services Central Training Establishment (CTE). [1] [2] In 1995, the station was chosen to be the central training facility for all MOD firefighter training operations, and became MOD FSCTE.

On 31 March 1999, the remainder of RAF Manston closed, leaving FSCTE as the sole occupant of the previous domestic side of the base. The airside part of the base was signed over to the existing commercial operator to form Kent International Airport. [3] In April 2007 the Army assumed responsibility for firefighting throughout the British armed forces, with the creation of the Defence Fire Risk Management Organisation (DFRMO) at Andover. This led to the transfer of FSCTE from RAF Strike Command at RAF High Wycombe to HQ Land Forces at Wilton (now Andover), controlled locally by HQ 2 Brigade at Shorncliffe Barracks, Folkestone.

On 22 October 2020, the final class of RAF fire fighters graduated at FSCTE before training moved to the Fire Service College, ending the RAF's 104 years association with Manston. Reservists from 3rd Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and an Air Cadet Squadron will remain on-site. [4]

Manston Fire Museum

Inside the base, the old RAF CTE building was a museum of firefighting, especially as it related to the RAF, called the Manston Fire Museum. This started as the private collection of Flt Sgt Steve Shirley; when he was posted to Manston the RAF agreed to take it over and it opened as the Ministry of Defence Fire Museum in June 1995. [5] It was renamed the Manston Fire Museum in November 1998. [5] The collection included vehicles, models, badges, patches, uniforms, helmets, prints, extinguishers and fire fighting equipment. [5] The museum closed in 2014 and the collections were transferred to the Museum of RAF Firefighting at Scampton. [6]

Manston Asylum Processing Centre

From February 2022 buildings and temporary structures located on the former DFTDC Manston site were being used as a processing centre for the people reaching the UK in small boats. [7] Officially referred to by the Home Office as the Manston Asylum Processing Centre migrants are meant to be held at the facility for short periods of time while undergoing security and identity checks.

See also

Related Research Articles

Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at grid reference TR334663 on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport (KIA), since closed, and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre (DFTDC), following on from a long-standing training facility for RAF firefighters at the RAF Manston base. In March 2017, RAF Manston became the HQ for the 3rd Battalion, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment (PWRR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF St Mawgan</span> Royal Air Force station in Cornwall, England

Royal Air Force St Mawgan or more simply RAF St Mawgan is a Royal Air Force station near St Mawgan and Newquay in Cornwall, England. In 2008 the runway part of the site was handed over to Newquay Airport. The remainder of the station continues to operate under the command of the RAF. RAF St Mawgan used to have the widest military runway in the UK (300 ft) and was the home of the Cornwall Air Ambulance service and more recently 505 (Wessex) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Syerston</span> Royal Air Force training station in Nottinghamshire, England

Royal Air Force Syerston, commonly known simply as RAF Syerston, is a Royal Air Force station in the parish of Flintham, near Newark, Nottinghamshire, England. Opened in 1940, it was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a bomber base during the Second World War, operating Vickers Wellingtons, Avro Manchesters, and the Avro Lancaster heavy bombers. Post-war, it became home to Jet Provosts of the 2 Flying Training School. It is now home to the Royal Air Force Central Gliding School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Wyton</span> UK military intelligence analysis facility in Cambridgeshire, England

Royal Air Force Wyton or more simply RAF Wyton is a Royal Air Force station near St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is decommissioned and is now used by the UK Strategic Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Andover</span> Former Royal Air Force flying base in Hampshire, England

RAF Andover is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station in England, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Andover, Hampshire. As well as RFC and RAF units, units of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and the Air Transport Auxiliary were also stationed at the airfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Catterick</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Catterick or RAF Catterick is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Catterick, North Yorkshire in England. It is located alongside the A6055 road on the outskirts of Catterick Village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendon Aerodrome</span> Aerodrome in London, 1908–1968

Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MDP Wethersfield</span> Airport in Essex, England

MDP Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence facility in Essex, England, located north of the village of Wethersfield, about 6 mi (9.7 km) north-west of the town of Braintree. Originally an RAF station, the original accommodation areas have now been converted to become the headquarters and training centre of the Ministry of Defence Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Waltham Airfield</span> Airport in White Waltham, Berkshire, England

White Waltham Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome located at White Waltham, 2 nautical miles southwest of Maidenhead, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England.

Aberporth Airport is situated southwest of Aberporth, Ceredigion, Wales. The airport is being developed as West Wales Airport for domestic flights. It is also developing as a centre for the deployment of civil and military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as 'drones'. The airport underwent major improvements in 2008 which extended the length of the runway from 945 to 1,257 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Attlebridge</span> Former Royal Air Force base in Norfolk

Royal Air Force Attlebridge, or simply RAF Attlebridge, is a former Royal Air Force station located near Attlebridge and 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Watton</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, England

Royal Air Force Watton or more simply RAF Watton is a former Royal Air Force station located 9 mi (14 km) southwest of East Dereham, Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF West Freugh</span> Military airfield in Scotland

RAF West Freugh is a former Royal Air Force station located in Wigtownshire, 5 miles (8 km) south east of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Driffield</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Driffield or RAF Driffield is a former Royal Air Force station in the East Riding of Yorkshire, in England. It lies about 2 miles (3 km) south-west of Driffield and 11 miles (18 km) north-west of Beverley. It is now operated by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, as the Driffield Training Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Wrexham</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Wrexham

Royal Air Force Wrexham, or more simply RAF Wrexham, is a former Royal Air Force station at Borras, on the outskirts of Wrexham, Wales and north-east of the city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Cranage</span> Former RAF base in Cheshire, England

Royal Air Force Cranage or more simply RAF Cranage is a former Royal Air Force Satellite station operated during the Second World War. It was located just to the North of Middlewich, Cheshire, England.

Royal Air Force Woolfox Lodge, or more simply RAF Woolfox Lodge, is a former Royal Air Force station next to the A1 road in Rutland, UK. The airfield is split between the parishes of Empingham and Greetham. It was open from 1940 until 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Church Fenton</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Church Fenton or RAF Church Fenton is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located 4.3 miles (6.9 km) south-east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England and 6.3 miles (10.1 km) north-west of Selby, North Yorkshire, near the village of Church Fenton.

No. 6 Flying Training School RAF is a Flying Training School (FTS) within No. 22 (Training) Group of the Royal Air Force that delivers flying training to University Air Squadrons and Air Experience Flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Alconbury</span> Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

Royal Air Force Alconbury, or more simply RAF Alconbury, is an active Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon, England. The airfield is in the civil parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of Great Stukeley, Little Stukeley, and Alconbury. Flying operations are no longer based at the site, with most of the land, including the runway, having been sold in 2009 to become the new settlement of Alconbury Weald.

References

  1. ↑ Jackson 1995, p. 84.
  2. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 227.
  3. ↑ "History of RAF Manston". RAF Manston History Museum. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
  4. ↑ "End Of An Era For Battle Of Britain Airfield And RAF Fire Training". raf.mod.uk. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Manston Fire Museum - The Home Page of Manston Fire Museum". Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  6. ↑ "Manston". Museum of RAF Firefighting. May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015. It is with much regret that we have to announce the closure of the Manston Fire Museum.
  7. ↑ "Manston migrant centre: What are the problems?". BBC News. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.