Fire services in the United Kingdom

Last updated

A fire engine of the London Fire Brigade, the second-largest service in the country after the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service LFB Dual Pump Ladder IMG 7079.jpg
A fire engine of the London Fire Brigade, the second-largest service in the country after the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in action Merseyside Fire and Rescue on STanley STreet, Liverpool.jpg
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in action

The fire services in the United Kingdom operate under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Contents

As of 2023, emergency cover is provided by 49 fire and rescue services (FRS) in the UK. [1] The older terms of fire brigade and fire service survive in informal usage and in the names of a few organisations. England and Wales have local fire services which are each overseen by a fire authority, which is made up of representatives of local governments. Fire authorities have the power to raise a Council Tax levy for funding, with the remainder coming from the government. Scotland and Northern Ireland have centralised fire services, and so their authorities are effectively committees of the devolved parliaments. The total budget for fire services in 2014-15 was £2.9 billion. [2]

Central government maintains national standards and a body of independent advisers through the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, which was created in 2007, while His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services provides direct oversight. The devolved government in Scotland has a similar agency, HMFSI Scotland.

Firefighters in the United Kingdom are allowed to join unions, the main one being the Fire Brigades Union, while chief fire officers (the heads of the various FRS) are members of the National Fire Chiefs Council (formerly the Chief Fire Officers Association), which has some role in national co-ordination. [3]

The fire services have undergone significant changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational procedures in the light of terrorism attacks and threats.

History

A 1951 Dennis P12 fire appliance belonging to the Wiltshire Fire Brigade Dennis1951FireTender.jpg
A 1951 Dennis P12 fire appliance belonging to the Wiltshire Fire Brigade

Legislative framework

Legislation (United Kingdom, Great Britain or England and Wales)

Fire services are established and granted their powers under fairly new legislation which has replaced a number of Acts of Parliament dating back more than 60 years, but is still undergoing change; a rough timeline can be seen below.

In 2002, there was a series of national fire strikes, [5] [6] with much of the discontent caused by the aforementioned report into the fire service conducted by Sir George Bain. In December 2002, the Independent Review of the Fire Service was published with the industrial action still ongoing; it made radical proposals to how the fire service should be organised and managed. Bain's report ultimately led to a change in the laws relating to firefighting.

There are further plans to modernise the fire service according to the Local Government Association. Its website outlines future changes, and specific projects:

"The aim of the Fire Modernisation Programme is to adopt modern work practices within the Fire & Rescue Service to become more efficient and effective, while strengthening the contingency and resilience of the Service to react to incidents." [12]

Select committee

The fire service in England and Wales is scrutinised by a select committee of the House of Commons. In June 2006, the fire and rescue service select committee, under the auspices of the Communities and Local Government Committee, published its latest report.

The committee's brief is:

The Communities and Local Government Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Communities and Local Government and its associated bodies. [13]

The committee's report, and the subsequent government response in September 2006, [14] are important as they outlined progress on the FiReControl, efforts to address diversity and the planned closure of HMFSI in 2007 among many issues.

Both documents are interesting[ clarification needed ] as they refer back to Professor Bain's report and the many recommendations it made and continue to put forward the notion that there is an ongoing need to modernise FRSs. For example, where FRSs were historically inspected by HMFSI, much of this work is now carried out by the National Audit Office.

On 8 February 2010, the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee heard evidence on the Fire Control project. [15] Called to give evidence were Councillors Brian Coleman and James Pearson from the Local Government Association. Also giving evidence Matt Wrack from the Fire Brigades Union and John Bonney Chief Fire Officers Association. The second session heard evidence from Shahid Malik MP Fire Minister, Sir Ken Knight Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Shona Dunn Director for Fire and Resilience Department for Communities and Local Government, Robin Southwell CEO and Roger Diggle Project Director EADS. The committee was chaired by Phyllis Starkey MP and attracted significant media attention. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Legislation and administration (England)

Because of the Government of Wales Act 2006, future legislation might be passed that can only affect England.

Legislation and administration (Northern Ireland)

Fire and rescue services in Northern Ireland are provided by a single entity, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, a Statutory Corporation funded by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

Legislation and administration (Scotland)

Fire services in Scotland are the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish Government. [22] Previously the responsibility lay with the Secretary of State for Scotland (the relevant "Secretary of State" referred to in legislation applicable to Scotland).

Legislation and administration (Wales)

Government responsibility for fire services

Central government

Historically, there had been about 1,600 local authority fire services under the responsibility of the Home Office in England and Wales until World War II. In 1941, the creation of the National Fire Service brought all UK fire brigades under central government control. The National Fire Service was in turn under the auspices of the Civil Defence Service. Post-war legislation returned control to the Northern Ireland Government, the Home Office (for services in England and Wales) and the Secretary of State for Scotland.

England

Fire on West Pier in Brighton, England West Pier fire with boat 20030328.jpg
Fire on West Pier in Brighton, England

The fire service has always been the ultimate responsibility of a government department, historically assisted by an executive agency called His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate or HMFSI, [31] its function was described thus:

To achieve our vision by education and legislation, in an environment that encourages best practice, equality and diversity, health and safety and best value, and through inspection, to advance the development and continuous improvement of fire brigades.

Directly after the May 2001 general election, control of the fire service in England and Wales passed from the Home Office to the Department for Transport, Local Government and Regions (DTLR). This department was then broken up, creating the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) which took central government responsibility.

In May 2006, the ODPM was re-structured, creating the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), and it became the central government department for fire authorities in England, [32] [33] but would be advised by a new department under the direction of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser. The department became the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in 2018, and then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in September 2021.

Fire service ministers

The fire service minister is the most senior politician whose brief directly includes fire and rescue issues in England and Wales, other parts of the UK never having had the matter specifically under the control of a UK minister in peacetime. The fire service minister is not part of the prime minister's cabinet. The post is held by a junior minister or Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State who reports to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who takes ultimate responsibility for fire and rescue, but that is part of a much wider brief.

Previous ministers include:

  • Angela Smith: A former spokeswoman for Essex Fire and Rescue
  • Jim Fitzpatrick, himself a former firefighter in the London Fire Brigade and FBU representative
  • Nick Raynsford the minister in charge when legislative control shifted from the Home Office to the ODPM. Mr Raynsford was also the minister during the 2002/3 national strikes

Regional government

Below national level, there are regional and local bodies whose role it is to establish a fire authority, implement the legislation from the tier above, while working alongside the relevant HMFSI and other interested bodies.

The next level beneath that of local authority, is a brigade which usually comes under the operational command of a high ranking senior officer. Traditionally Chief Fire Officers have risen through the ranks from firefighter, although under modernisation plans brigades can now operate graduate entry, and fast track promotion as is already the case with the armed forces and the police. The London Fire Brigade announced details of its graduate scheme in 2007. [36] Chief Fire Officers (CFO) 'speak' collectively via the Chief Fire Officers Association.

  • Fire authority: local councillors elected to set policy on its fire and rescue services, and distribute funding, and approve major spending
  • Local authority: Chief executive - overall powers for all an authority's functions, including fire, rescue and resilience
  • Brigade: Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Brigade Manager, or (in Greater London) Commissioner - overall operational, strategic and command of a brigade or fire and rescue service
Buncefield fire Buncefield explosion from M1 motorway.jpg
Buncefield fire

CFOs do attend some operational incidents. Hertfordshire's CFO, Roy Wilsher, took command at the Buncefield oil depot fire in 2005, forming part of the gold command team. If a CFO attends an incident, they will usually be the commanding officer of that incident.

Scotland

Except for the period when the National Fire Service existed, matters concerning fire fighting fell within the remit of the Scottish Office (later the Scottish Executive, now the Scottish Government). [37] In Scotland, His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland (commonly known HMFSI) exists to inspect the fire service to ascertain how they are discharging their functions under relevant legislation. It functions as an autonomous body under the charge of the Justice Ministry of the Scottish Government. [38]

Since 1 April 2013, there has been a single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in place of the eight former regional services.

Northern Ireland

Matters concerning fire fighting fell within the remit of the government of Northern Ireland, with two exceptions; the period of the existence of the National Fire Service (Northern Ireland), and the period of direct rule from Westminster when the government of Northern Ireland did not exist. [39] [40]

Wales

Responsibility for fire and rescue services and promotion of fire safety in Wales lies with the Welsh Government. [41] [42]

Inspections

In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, fire services are inspected by what was known as the Fire Service Inspectorate. In February 2007, the government announced it was establishing a new unit to provide ministers and civil servants with "independent professional advice on fire and rescue issues". It is headed by a new role known as the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser. The roles carries the historical function of His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate. The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser is also titled His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire Services. Its role (among others) is to work towards reducing the number of fire deaths in England and Wales, and implement changes to FRS required by the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. [43]

In Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is inspected by His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland.

Fire service structure

FRS or brigade-level

Brigades are further sub-divided according to local practice as follows:

Firefighters

The following types of work pattern are found at fire stations:

Large town fire stations have full-time crews, though many employ retained firefighters as well. Small rural ones are usually staffed only by retained firefighters.

Ranks and roles

Ranks and roles vary between services, but include: [49]

Former ranks include:

Other fire service title Chief fire officer Deputy chief fire officerAssistant chief fire officerArea managerGroup managerStation managerWatch managerCrew managerFirefighter
London titleCommissionerDeputy commissionerAssistant commissionerDeputy assistant commissionerGroup commander
(borough commander)
Station commanderStation officerSub-officerLeading firefighterFirefighter
Scottish titleChief fire officerDeputy chief fire officerAssistant chief fire officerDeputy assistant chief fire officerArea managerGroup managerStation managerWatch managerCrew managerFirefighter
Isle of Man titleChief fire officerDeputy chief fire officerDivisional officerAssistant divisional officerStation officerSub officerLeading firefighterFirefighter
Gibraltar titleChief fire officerDeputy chief fire officerDivisional officerStation officerSub officerLeading firefighterFirefighter
Insignia London Fire Brigade - Commissioner rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Deputy Commissioner rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Assistant Commissioner rank insignia.svg Scottish FRS - Deputy Assistant Chief Officer.png London Fire Brigade - Deputy Assistant Commissioner rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Group Commander rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Station Commander rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Station Officer rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Sub-Officer rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Leading Firefighter rank insignia.svg London Fire Brigade - Firefighter rank insignia.svg

Resilience

A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighter, training in a smoke house Smoke house training.jpg
A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighter, training in a smoke house

The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CSS), [51] which provides advice for individuals in case of a major disaster:

"The (web)site provides easily understandable guidance for the general public on how to prepare themselves, their families and their homes and businesses to cope during an emergency or disaster."

Any such emergency or disaster is likely to involve a UK FRS, and the generic term for such contingency plans has become known as resilience [52] The 'Preparing for emergencies website' gives specific government advice on fire safety, specific examples include the summer fire safety campaign, and schools' fire safety guide which are just two examples. [53]

Fire service funding

In the UK, an FRS generally provides its services for free, although there are some special services that can be charged for, and some additional services that can be paid for. The service is free to the end user in the case of an emergency. Funding for the fire service comes from two principal sources: a central government grant, and a small levy on the local council tax. This levy is called a precept.

There was a 17% reduction in fire service funding between 2010 and 2016, according to the National Audit Office. [54]

Modernisation

The need for modernisation

A London Fire Brigade station at Romford Romford fire station.JPG
A London Fire Brigade station at Romford

In 2002, Professor Sir George Bain was asked by the government to conduct a wide-ranging review of the fire service in the UK. His report, the Independent Review of the Fire Service, led to rapid changes to fire and rescue services, and was the basis of what eventually became the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. Bain's terms of reference were described in September 2002 as follows:

"Having regard to the changing and developing role of the Fire Service in the United Kingdom, to inquire into and make recommendations on the future organisation and management of the Fire Service..." [55]

Bain's report was unpopular with firefighters, and a long period of industrial action started in 2002 and continued until 2003 when a new pay and conditions package was put together.

One of the areas identified by Bain as being in need of modernisation was FRS approach to fire prevention and community fire safety. There is now more emphasis on fire prevention and providing public information coupled with encouraging businesses and individuals to take responsibility for providing a risk assessment of businesses — which became law in October 2006. Additionally, changes to central government, local government, and geographical boundaries have affected the fire service in the UK.

The fire service in England consists of local authority brigades or FRSs, which come under the administrative control of metropolitan and shire, or county fire authorities (e.g. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service).

Most statutory firefighting bodies consist of a fire authority and brigade, the former responsible for political and administrative aspects of service provision and the latter for delivering it. For example, Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. The armed forces, private fire brigades and airports all make their own firefighting provision.

Another area identified in Bain's report was the FRS' capacity to respond to major incidents. Bain's review stated that the fire service should have specific responsibilities for: "Emergency preparedness coupled with the capacity and resilience to respond to major incidents of terrorism and other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats". [55] In England and Wales, three projects are being rolled out that will help the FRS deal with incidents like these. The projects come under the umbrella of the Fire Resilience programme. The programme will provide the FRS with a far greater resilience and control to handle all types of incident.

In 2010, firefighters from across the UK and European Union held an urban search and rescue exercise near Portsmouth. Exercise Orion simulated rescuing survivors from buildings and bridges which had collapsed during an earthquake. [56]

New Dimension

New Dimension was the first Fire Resilience project to be implemented. It provided FRSs with a wide range of equipment and vehicles to help deal with major challenges like floods and terrorist attacks.

FireLink is the new digital FRS wide area communications system in England, Scotland and Wales. The FRS use wide area radios to communicate between vehicles and control rooms but there has never been a fully compatible system. FireLink is more efficient and provides greater resilience for command and control. The fire service's ability to communicate efficiently, across different brigades and with other emergency services has never been easy. The issue was raised by Sir Desmond Fennell, who conducted the public inquiry into the King's Cross fire in 1987. Fennell recommended when his report was published in 1988 that fireground communications be addressed as an issue of "high importance". [57]

FiReControl

Prof Bain's report highlighted many areas of proposed change that include working practices, shift hours and time spent on fire prevention duties. One of the proposals which is now well under way is the reduction of fire service control rooms.

At present, each of England's 45 (the number FRS was reduced from 46 in April 2007 with the merger of Devon and Somerset FRSs [58] ) FRSs handles its own calls from either the 999 system or mobile phone companies. Additionally, calls are accepted from the other emergency services by dedicated landlines. The FiReControl project planned to build nine new purpose-built Regional Control Centres (RCCs). The aim was to rationalise call handling and aim for greater communication between the emergency services.

At present, 999 calls - whether by mobile telephone or landline - are answered by a BT operator, who feeds the call to a fire, police, ambulance, or coastguard Emergency Control Centre as required. Staff, known as control operators or control officers, also despatch the fire appliances, maintain radio communications and provide detailed risk and geographical information. These operators are employed by a FRS, wear a similar uniform to firefighters, and have their own rank structure. The role of specialist fire officers and control operators overlaps where they work jointly in control or command centres, but the subject of mobilising, command and control would change as the FiReControl project advances.

Following much local resistance, and change of government, the FiReControl project was abandoned in 2010. No new control rooms were opened.

Fire safety

Historically fire safety was a function of local authorities rather than the fire service however in 1947 the introduction of the Fire Services Act gave the Fire Brigades their first responsibilities for fire safety. The Fire Precautions Act 1971, the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 gave more powers to the service.

Today, the modernisation of the UK fire service has taken into account the role that it plays in fire safety issues and that issue is high on the agenda of most fire and rescue services. Many brigades started to produce Integrated Management Plans (IMP) to take into account these new responsibilities and produced plans for not only fire safety in the workplace but also in the community. Now all fire and rescue services have community based fire safety departments.

The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 now lays out in Section 6 what the fire service must do. It states that a fire and rescue authority must make provision for the purpose of promoting fire safety in its area and this must include the provision of information, publicity and encouragement in respect of the steps to be taken to prevent fires and death or injury by fire not only by the enforcement of specific fire safety legislation, but also by a proactive strategy targeted at all sections of the community.

Powers

Fire safety statistics in the UK

Fire casualties in the UK from 1981-82 to 2014-15 Fire casualties in the UK.png
Fire casualties in the UK from 1981–82 to 2014-15
Fires in the UK 1999-00 to 2014-15 Fires in the UK.png
Fires in the UK 1999–00 to 2014-15

Fires and fire fatalities have dropped significantly in the UK over the past ten years as seen in the graphs to the right. [59]

Incident reporting

Information about each fire incident is collected by each FRS to DCLG standards. The reporting standards include the following parameters: [60]

Public fire and rescue services

England

See also: Fire Gateway clickable map of fire and rescue services in England

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has had a single statutory fire service since 1950.

See also: History of fire brigades in Northern Ireland

Scotland

Scotland has also had a single statutory fire service since 1 April 2013, with its headquarters in Cambuslang.

See also: History of fire brigades in Scotland

Wales

Brigade Principal areas (unitary authorities) covered
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Swansea
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan

Wales saw a reduction in the number of fire brigades on local government reorganisation in 1996, from eight (the number of former administrative counties) to three, made up of groups of the new principal areas.

Crown Dependencies

Although not part of the United Kingdom, the Crown dependencies fire and rescue services operate in close cooperation with, and to the same standards as, the UK fire and rescue services. They are:

Other UK fire and rescue services

There are several specialised and private FRSs in the United Kingdom.

Airport fire services

A fire appliance at Manchester Airport Manchester Airport Fire Engine.jpg
A fire appliance at Manchester Airport

Private airport fire services in the UK protect all categories of airports and aerodromes. They are usually referred to as rescue and firefighting services. One of the biggest aviation fire services is operated by BAA. [61] [62] Non-BAA airports operate their own fire services to comply with legislation which states that airports must be provided with RFFS. One such example is London City Airport; its website describes the principal objective of an airport fire and rescue service: "as to save lives in the event of an aircraft accident or incident". [63] The number and type of firefighting appliances based at an airport will be determined by the airport's category. [64] Airports in the UK are categorised from 1 to 10. A category 10 airport caters for the biggest aircraft; the standards are determined by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service

The Ministry of Defence operates its own fire and rescue organisation. Originally this consisted of a civilian fire service known as the "Defence Fire Service" and the RAF Firefighting and Rescue Service. They were known collectively as the Ministry of Defence Fire Services, but in 2004 were formed into the Defence Fire and Rescue Service. This also includes private contractors brought in to protect sites such as small defence establishments.

The DFRS is the largest non geographical or local authority FRS in the UK, though the training, rank structure and equipment used are similar to that operated by their local authority fire service counterparts.

As a general rule the RAF personnel cover runways or airfields with particular expertise in defusing aircraft munitions, [65] with the civilians covering domestic sites, but there were cross overs and both services could be called to airfield and domestic situations.

Both RAF and defence personnel can serve abroad both in peacetime and at war.

Fire services protecting royal properties

Van of the Royal Household Fire Service, Buckingham Palace Royal Household Fire Service van.jpg
Van of the Royal Household Fire Service, Buckingham Palace

Several state properties, including royal residences and the Palace of Westminster, are protected by their own fire services in the interests of protecting sites of heritage and royal importance. The Royal Household Fire Service is responsible for firefighting at Royal properties.

Private and industrial FRS

Some large factories operate their own private or industrial fire services to protect their interests and provide a first attack capability until local authority fire crews arrive.

These companies often combine fire and medical response under the banner of "Plant Protection" BMW and Jaguar Land Rover are two examples of factories with this provision.

Civil nuclear

Sellafield and all operational nuclear power station operators have their own on-site fire service which is required by law under site nuclear licensing conditions.

Ports

Some large ports have their own fire service, such as Felixstowe.

Event fire safety services

Several private event fire safety units operate in the UK at major events such as air shows, regattas, concerts and on film sets. They sometimes use the services of off-duty fire fighters and emergency personnel to provide fire cover at outdoor events. The cover normally consists of one or two standard fire appliances with perhaps a rapid response or control vehicle.

A smaller number of companies offer complex event fire safety packages for large events or civil contingencies, including the provision of specialist off-road fire appliances, dedicated pump rescue ladders and other technical and specialist vehicles. Their roles are to provide a niche response where the fire services have no legal obligation or the specialist vehicles required for the high risk category.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volunteer fire department</span> Fire department composed of volunteers

A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond to emergency calls for long periods of time, and are summoned to the fire station when their services are needed. They are also expected to attend other non-emergency duties as well.

Fire police are fire department members who, based upon their jurisdictional authority, receive sworn police powers, special training, and support firefighting efforts at emergency incidents. In addition to securing firefighting equipment, incident and fire scenes, and the station itself, fire police perform traffic and crowd control. In some jurisdictions, fire police are exterior firefighters and may be called upon at fire scenes to perform any of the duties of an interior firefighter except those that require a self-contained breathing apparatus. On occasion, fire police also assist regular police: they perform road closures, traffic control, crowd control at public events, missing persons searches, parade details, salvage, security, and other miscellaneous tasks as requested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Rural Fire Service</span> Volunteer firefighting agency

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is a volunteer-based firefighting agency and statutory body of the Government of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Fire Brigade</span> Fire and Rescue service in London

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865, under the leadership of superintendent Eyre Massey Shaw. It has 5,992 staff, including 5,096 operational firefighters and officers based at 102 fire stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire and Rescue New South Wales</span> Emergency service in New South Wales, Australia

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) previously known as NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB), is an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. FRNSW is responsible for firefighting, rescue and HazMat services in the major cities, metropolitan areas and towns across New South Wales. Fire and Rescue NSW is the fourth largest urban fire service in the world, with over 6,800 firefighters serving at 335 fire stations throughout the state, supported by 465 administrative and trades staff and 5,700 community fire unit volunteers. FRNSW are the busiest fire service in Australia, attending over 124,000 incidents a year.

Chief fire officer (CFO), formerly often just chief officer, is the highest rank in the fire and rescue services of the United Kingdom. There are currently 50 chief fire officers serving in the United Kingdom in charge of the local authority fire services. There is also a chief fire officer responsible for the Ministry of Defence Fire Services, which includes the Defence Fire and Rescue Service and the RAF Fire Service. Some UK airport fire services also designate their seniors officers as CFOs, though these officers rarely wear the same rank insignia as a local authority chief fire officer.

As firefighting has a rich history throughout the world, traditions in this profession vary widely from country to country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service</span> Firefighter organization in Merseyside

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the county of Merseyside in north-west England and is the statutory Fire and Rescue Authority responsible for all 999 fire brigade calls in Sefton, Knowsley, St. Helens, Liverpool and Wirral.

FiReControl was a project, initiated in the United Kingdom in March 2004, to reduce the number of control rooms used to handle emergency calls for fire services and authorities. Presently there are 46 control rooms in England that handle calls from the local public for emergency assistance via the 999 system. A new radio network – FireLink – is being developed and built that will be compatible with FiReControl.

In England and Wales a fire authority or fire and rescue authority is a statutory body made up of a committee of local councillors which oversees the policy and service delivery of a fire and rescue service. Prior to the Fire Services Act 2004 many fire and rescue authorities were known as fire and civil defence authorities; this designation is no longer used.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to firefighting:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service</span> Statutory fire and rescue service

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the area of the unitary authorities of North Yorkshire and the City of York. The service covers an area of 3,209 square miles (8,310 km2) and serves a population of 830,000. It is divided into eight groups related to the above districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of fire brigades in the United Kingdom</span>

The history of fire brigades in the United Kingdom charts the development of fire services in the United Kingdom from the creation of the United Kingdom to the present day.


The history of fire safety legislation in the United Kingdom formally covers the period from the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 but is founded in the history of such legislation in England and Wales, and Scotland before 1708, and that of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a retained firefighter, also known as an RDS firefighter or on-call firefighter, is a firefighter who does not work on a fire station full-time but is paid to spend long periods of time on call to respond to emergencies through the Retained Duty System. Many have full-time jobs outside of the fire service. Retained firefighters are employed and trained by the local fire and rescue service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Knight</span> Former London Fire Commissioner

Sir Kenneth John Knight, is a retired British firefighter and public servant. From 2003 to 2007, he was the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade and Commissioner for the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority. From 2007 to 2013, he was the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser for England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service</span> Fire and rescue service in England

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, formerly known as the Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade, is the fire and rescue service (FRS) for the metropolitan boroughs of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland, serving a population of 1.14 million people across an area of 208 square miles (540 km2). Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority is responsible for the running of the service, as well as the publication of performance indicators in accordance with its legal obligations. In April 2017, Chris Lowther was appointed chief fire officer.

Firefighting is the act of extinguishing destructive fires. A firefighter fights these fires with the intent to prevent destruction of life, property and the environment. Firefighting is a highly technical profession, which requires years of training and education in order to become proficient. A fire can rapidly spread and endanger many lives; however, with modern firefighting techniques, catastrophe can usually be avoided. To help prevent fires from starting, a firefighter's duties include public education and conducting fire inspections. Because firefighters are often the first responders to victims in critical conditions, firefighters often also provide basic life support as emergency medical technicians or advanced life support as licensed paramedics. Firefighters make up one of the major emergency services, along with the emergency medical service, the police, and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Fire and Rescue Service</span> National fire and rescue service of Scotland

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. It thus became the largest fire brigade in the United Kingdom, surpassing the London Fire Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Rescue Victoria</span> Australian firefighting organization

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) is a fire and rescue service in the state of Victoria, Australia, that provides firefighting, rescue, HAZMAT and Emergency Medical Response services in areas of metropolitan Melbourne and major regional centres throughout Victoria.

References

  1. "A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023)". Open Geography Portal. Office for National Statistics. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. "UK Government spending" (PDF). p. 69.
  3. "About the NFCC". National Fire Chiefs Council. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. Scottish Government, St Andrew's House (29 April 2002). "The Scottish Fire Service of The Future" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  5. "Countdown to fire strike". 13 November 2002. Retrieved 25 March 2018 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. "In pictures: Fire strike in London". 14 November 2002. Retrieved 25 March 2018 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  7. FRS Online (accessed 02 Sep 07) links to full report PDF: Independent Review of the Fire Service pub Dec 2002 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Legislation.gov.uk". www.opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  9. "The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005". www.opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  10. "The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005". www.opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  11. "New fire safety regulations come into force in England". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  12. "LGA: Fire Service Modernisation". Archived from the original on 16 August 2004. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  13. "House of Commons Communities & Local Govt Committee Fire & Rescue Service, Fourth Report of Session 2005–06, Volume I: introduction" (PDF). Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  14. "Government Response to the Communities & Local Government Committee's Report on the Fire and Rescue Service, 29 September 2006, TSO" (PDF). Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  15. "FiReControl - Communities and Local Government Committee Contents". UK Parliament. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  16. "FILE ON 4" (PDF). BBC. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  17. "FBU denounces failing fire control project as 'the worst ever'". tribunemagazine.co.uk. 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  18. "Blast for 999 centre delays". Manchester Evening News. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  19. "FRS Circular 3/2010 - Fire and Resilience Programme Highlights - January/February 2010". department of communities and local government. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  20. "Northern Ireland Fire authority: A brief history, by Bill Broadhurst & Harry Welsh (accessed 18 May 07)". Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
  21. "Explanatory Memorandum to Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006". www.opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  22. "Scottish Executive - Justice - Fire" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  23. "General History". Archived from the original on 1 October 2006.
  24. Fire Service History Archived 7 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  25. "Scottish Executive - The Scottish Fire service" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  26. "NFS". Archived from the original on 1 October 2006.
  27. "Scottish Executive - The Scottish Fire Service" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  28. "Fire Service pay". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
  29. "Scottish Executive (Justice) Fire Safety (accessed 19 feb 07)" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  30. "Fire (Scotland) Act 2005". www.opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  31. Dept for Communities and Local Govt, HMFSI Archived 5 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  32. Dept for Communities and Local Government Archived 4 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  33. "Fire prevention and rescue – GOV.UK". www.fire.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  34. "Minister of State". Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and Home Office. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  35. Brokenshire, James (17 June 2020). "Response to the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Fire Services Management Committee (accessible version)". Home Office. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  36. "London Fire Brigade: Graduates (accessed 03 Jul 07)". Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  37. "HMFSI: Scottish Executive" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  38. "Scottish Executive: Justice Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland (accessed 30 May 07)" . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  39. "Northern Ireland Assembly". Archived from the original on 21 August 2003. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  40. "Home Page - Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service". Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  41. Schedule 7 Government of Wales Act 2006
  42. "Welsh Government - Topics". new.wales.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  43. Department for Communities and Local Government, News Release 022, New Advisory Unit for Fire and Rescue Services to be Set Up, 8 February 2007
  44. "LFEPA London Fire Brigade, Borough teams". Archived from the original on 5 November 2002. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  45. LFEPA London Fire Brigade A to Z of fire stations Archived 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  46. "Retained Firefighters - UK Fire Service Resources". Fireservice.co.uk.
  47. "Peterborough Volunteers Fire Brigade". www.cambsfire.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  48. "Borth - Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service". www.mawwfire.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  49. "Ranks and roles in the Service". Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.
  50. "UK Firesafe Organisation". Archived from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  51. "HM Government, Cabinet Office/CSS 'Preparing for Emergencies'". Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  52. "HM Government, Cabinet Office: UK Resilience". Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  53. "HM Government, 'Preparing for emergencies', Fire Safety". Archived from the original on 16 August 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  54. Cuts undermining fire services, says Fire Brigades Union BBC
  55. 1 2 "Independent Review of the Fire Service, online press release 20 Sep 2002, Independent review starts into pay and modernisation of the Fire Service, Accessed 25 Sep 2006". Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  56. Duemmel, Bob (26 February 2011). "Exercise Orion 2010". Firehouse. Endeavor Business Media. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  57. [Dept of Transport, Investigation into the King's Cross Underground Fire, pub HMSO, November 1988]
  58. "Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service web (accessed 2 Sep 07". Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  59. "Fire Statistics Monitor: England April 2014 to March 2015" (PDF).
  60. "Help Centre". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  61. "Heathrow: Corporate site - Our company, your airport". www.baa.com. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  62. "Heathrow: Corporate site - Our company, your airport". www.baa.com. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  63. "London City Airport Consultative Committee, Fire and Rescue Service (accessed 16 Feb 2007)". Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  64. "Fire Service: Aviation firefighting (accessed 12 Oct 07)". Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  65. "RAF Recruitment - Home". www.raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2018.