The RBFRS headquarters is located at Newsham Court, Pincents Kiln, in the Reading suburb of Calcot. The service operates from 16 fire stations across Berkshire.[2]
The Berkshire & Reading Fire Brigade was formed in 1948 after the passage of the Fire Services Act 1947, which led control back to brigades in 1948.[1]
The Berkshire & Reading Fire Brigade stayed the same until 1974, when Queen Elizabeth II announced Berkshire was to become a royal county. This was due to the presence of Windsor Castle within the county's boundaries, and as a result, the Berkshire and Reading Fire Brigade changed its name to the Royal Berkshire Fire Brigade.[1] On 1 April 1974, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972 taking effect, the northern parts of Berkshire transferred to neighbouring Oxfordshire, resulting in a reduction of the service's operational area as well as the loss of staff, premises & equipment to the present Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service.
Royal Berkshire Fire Brigade operated under the name until 1985, when the name was changed to Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service and a new service crest was introduced.[1]
Performance
Every fire and rescue service in England and Wales is periodically subjected to a statutory inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The inspection investigates how well the service performs in each of three areas. On a scale of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been rated as follows:
Wokingham Road fire station in Reading is also home to the Red Cross Fire Emergency Support Service, who have their own specialist vehicle at the station.[6] The Red Cross team are mobilised by RBFRS control staff to respond to people affected by incidents such as fire or flood.[7] Established in Berkshire in 1993,[7] they can provide food, clothing, and arrange emergency accommodation.[6]
Notable incidents
Left a B&RFB Dispatch Riders helmet, Middle a RBFB Sub Officer 'Middlesex' Produced by Cromwell and Right is a RBFRS Pacific F7.
1992 Windsor Castle fire– 20{{ndash]}21 November 1992: A work light set a curtain alight inside Windsor Castle, and after workers on site had tried to put the fire out, RBFRS was alerted by Windsor Castle of the fire inside the building, with the first appliances arriving on scene at 11:44am. During the duration of the fire, around 36–39 pumping appliances and seven specialist appliances attended the scene, with 225 firefighters and 35 officers tackling the fire and also aided the military to help bring out books, carpets and artefacts to safety. After nine hours, the fire was declared under control at 8:00pm, and was fully extinguished at 2:30am after over 15 hours.[8]
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