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Operational area | |
---|---|
Country | Isle of Man |
Address | Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service Department of Home Affairs Headquarters Tromode Road Douglas IM2 5PAContents |
Agency overview | |
Established | 1940 |
Employees | 163 |
Chief Fire Officer | Mark Christian |
Facilities and equipment | |
Stations | 7 |
Website | |
www |
The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service is the fire brigade of the Isle of Man Government, providing fire and rescue cover throughout the Isle of Man, an independent Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. The service operates under the Department of Home Affairs.
The Isle of Man received its first two fire engines from England in October 1803. These were independently operated by an insurance company and were horse-drawn and hand-operated. In the late nineteenth century, legislation was introduced permitting town commissioners to establish local fire brigades. The Peel commissioners did so in 1884, followed by Port Erin in 1903 and Laxey in 1920. Some larger settlements, such as Ramsey and Douglas, had entered into local arrangements with the military or with the privately owned insurance company fire brigades, for local fire cover. The outbreak of war brought calls for a unified fire brigade. In February 1940, the Local Government (Fires) Act was implemented, establishing a single Isle of Man Fire Brigade, with seven fire areas - Douglas, Laxey, Ramsey, Kirk Michael, Peel, Rushen and Castletown. These fire areas are the same today. [1]
A total of 110 retained (part-time) firefighters are stationed across all seven of the island's fire stations. Douglas fire station has a permanent watch of full-time firefighters, numbering 32 in total, working in shifts. The service is headed by a Chief Fire Officer (Mark Christian, appointed 2023), and has a rank structure based on that of the United Kingdom.
Current title | Chief fire officer | Deputy chief fire officer | Divisional officer | Assistant divisional officer | Station officer | Sub-officer | Leading firefighter | Firefighter |
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Rank insignia |
The service has seven fire stations. The largest, at Douglas, is crewed by both wholetime firefighters and retained firefighters, whilst the other six stations at Laxey, Ramsey, Kirk Michael, Peel, Rushen and Castletown, are staffed by retained crews only. [2] Retained firefighters make up around two thirds of the total complement of just over 150 firefighters. [2]
In common with most international airports, the Isle of Man Airport, historically known as Ronaldsway Airport, maintains its own independent fire service. This service cooperates closely with the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service. The airport fire station is now considered too small for its current appliances and crews, and a contract has been awarded for the construction of a new £200,000 fire station, starting in 2022-2023. [3]
The Isle of Man is an island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland in Northern Europe, with a population of almost 85,000. It is a British Crown dependency. It has a small islet, the Calf of Man, to its south. It is located at 54°15′N4°30′W.
Castletown is a town in the Isle of Man, geographically within the historical parish of Malew but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it was the Manx capital until 1869. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved medieval castle, originally built for a Viking king.
Port Erin is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it is designated as a village district, with its own board of commissioners. The district covers around 1 square mile, and is adjacent to: Port St Mary to the south-east; the main part of Arbory and Rushen parish district to the north and east; the sea to the west; and an exclave of Arbory and Rushen parish district to the south. Following recent residential expansion, the settlement is now contiguous with that of Port St Mary, and on 18 July 2018 Tynwald authorised a public enquiry into the proposed expansion of the district boundary to include some of this expansion.
Ramsey is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the Island after Douglas. Its population is 8,288 according to the 2021 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the Island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of the main points of communication with Scotland. Ramsey has also been a route for several invasions by the Vikings and Scots.
The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is 3 ft narrow gauge and 15+1⁄2 miles long. It is the remainder of what was a much larger network that also served the western town of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the mining village of Foxdale. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity.
Ballasalla is a village in the parish of Malew in the south-east of the Isle of Man. The village is situated close to the Isle of Man Airport and 2 miles (3 km) north-east of the town of Castletown.
Manx National Heritage is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the Island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastline and landscape. It holds property, archives, artwork, library and museum collections in trust for the Manx nation. It is the Isle of Man's statutory heritage agency and an Isle of Man registered charity (№ 603).
Local governmentin the Isle of Man was formerly based on six sheadings, which were divided into seventeen parishes. The island is today divided for local government purposes into town districts, village districts, parish districts, and "districts", as follows:
Scouting on the Isle of Man is represented by the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. The Scout Association's Island Headquarters are at Cunningham House in Douglas. The association has its own campsite, Mullin ny Carty. Some of the Groups also have their own bunkhouses or campsites, in addition to their own headquarters.
The Isle of Man Bank is a bank in the British Crown dependency of the Isle of Man, providing retail, private and business banking services to the local population. Incorporated in 1865, it has operated as a trading name of RBS International since 2019. It is licensed by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority in respect of deposit taking and investment business and registered as a general insurance intermediary.
The Isle of Man Coastguard also known as the Manx Coastguard is the coastguard service of the Isle of Man Government. It is responsible for the provision of coastguard services throughout the Isle of Man, an independent Crown dependency located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. Its main responsibilities are coastal patrol, pollution control, and the provision of shore-based search and rescue services.
The Isle of Man Football Association Cup is the foremost football cup competition for teams playing on the Isle of Man. The tournament, founded in 1889, features the twenty six teams from the Isle of Man Premier League and Division 2. The tournament is overseen by the Isle of Man Football Association.
This is a list of Registered Buildings and Conservation Areas of the Isle of Man. It includes buildings and structures in the Isle of Man designated by Isle of Man's Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA) "as having special architectural or historical interest". Over 250 buildings and structures are listed, and 275 more have been identified as having potential for listing. It also lists the 21 Conservation Areas, historic districts" which protect "period"-type architecture, quality of building materials, relationships of enclosures and open spaces, and other aspects of the look and feel of historic buildings and areas.
The 2017–18 Isle of Man League was the 109th season of the Isle of Man Football League on the Isle of Man. St Georges were the defending champion, having won the championship the previous season.
The Isle of Man Premier League is the highest division of the Isle of Man Football League and the highest overall in the Isle of Man football league system. The Premier League, which was introduced for the 2007–08 season, was previously known as the First Division. Each year, the top finishing club is crowned league champion, and the two lowest placed clubs are relegated to Division Two.
The Isle of Man Hospital Cup, also known as the Keystone Law Hospital Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an association football single-elimination tournament held for football clubs in the Isle of Man. It was created in 1921 by Noble's General Hospital, and is overseen by the Isle of Man Football Association. Money is raised for the hospital during matches and a percentage of the final gate receipts to a charity on the Isle of Man. The cup competition includes a group stage and a knock-out stage for all divisions in the Isle of Man Football system.
The 2018–19 Isle of Man League was the 110th season of the Isle of Man Football League on the Isle of Man. St Georges were the defending champions, having won the previous three championships.