Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Operational area
Country  England
County  Warwickshire
Agency overview
Employees 550
Facilities and equipment
Stations 17
Website
Official website

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service serving the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England.

The service covers an area of 1,975.33 km² and a population of around 546,600 people. It employs 550 staff and has 17 fire stations with 32 fire engines.

The service is administered by Warwickshire County Council. Its headquarters are in Leamington Spa.

A new interim Chief Fire Officer Andy Hickmott was appointed in May 2013 following Graeme Smith's retirement. He was in the fire service for 30 years and joined Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2009.

History

The service was created in 1948[1] by the Fire Services Act 1947 and was originally called Warwick County Fire Brigade.

It did not cover the cities of Coventry or Birmingham, which had their own fire brigades. In 1974 the service lost area to the newly created West Midlands Fire Service.

2007 warehouse fire

On 2 November 2007, crews were mobilised to a major fire at a vegetable packing plant operated by Wealmoor Ltd on an industrial estate in the village of Atherstone on Stour. Up to 100 firefighters and five ambulance crews were called to the scene and 16 fire engines were used to tackle the blaze. Part of the structure collapsed under the intensity of the fire.[2]

Four firefighters of the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were killed: Ian Reid, who died in hospital, and Ashley Stephens, Darren Yates-Badley, and John Averis whose bodies were recovered from the debris.[3]

In February 2011, it was announced that two Watch Managers and one Station Manager, who were all at one time in command of the incident, were to face charges of manslaughter by gross negligence over the deaths of the men. They were acquitted in May 2012.[4] Warwickshire County Council was charged with failing to ensure safety at work[5] and pleaded guilty at a hearing in Wolverhampton in January 2012.[6] It was fined £30,000 in December 2012.[7]

Fire Stations/Appliances

Station Callsign Station Name Duty System Appliances
FS20NuneatonWholetime1x WrL, 1x LRP, 1x L4V, 1x PM for MDU
FS21BedworthRetained1x LRP, 1x SFU
FS22ColeshillSelf Rostering+ & Retained1x WrL, 1x WrT, 1x L4V, 2x PM* for: RTCU, FOT, WrC, GPU
FS23PolesworthRetained1x WrL
FS24AtherstonePeak Demand & Retained1x WrL, 1x WrT, 1x BASCV, 1x L4V
FS26RugbyWholetime1x WRL, 1x LRP, 1x WRU, 2x Boats, 2X L4V, 1x LAR
FS27KenilworthRetained1x LRP, 1x FESU
FS29Leamington SpaSelf Rostering & Day Crew+1x WrL, 1x LRP, 1x CSV, 1x Aerial, 1x L4V, 1x PM* for: WrC
FS30SouthamRetained1x WrL
FS31Fenny ComptonRetained1x WrL
FS34Shipston-On-StourRetained1x WrL
FS35Stratford-Upon-AvonDay Crew+ & Retained2x WrL, 1x PM for HVP DHB, 2x L4V
FS36Bidford-On-AvonRetained1x WrL
FS37AlcesterDay Crew+1x WrL, 1x L4V, 1x EPU*
FS39Henley-in-ArdenRetained1x WrL
FS40WellsbourneRetained1x LRP
FS41GaydonPeak Demand1x LRP

Fire Appliance Glossary/Callsigns

  • Water Ladder (WrL): P1/P2
  • Light Rescue Pump (LRP) : P3
  • Aerial Rescue Pump (ARP): A6
  • Small Fires Unit (SFU): L1
  • Light 4x4 Vehicle (L4V): M8 / M9 (LAR large animal rescue unit)
  • Water Rescue Unit (WRU): R6
  • Command Support Vehicle (CSV) : C1
  • Fire & Emergency Support Unit (FESU): T9
  • Prime Mover (PM): T1/T2
  • Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) : H1

Pods:

  • Foam Tender (FOT)
  • General Purpose Unit (GPU)
  • Road Traffic Collision Unit (RTCU)
  • Water Carrier (WrC)


New Dimension :

  • Mass Decon Unit (MDU)
  • High Volume Pump (HVP)
  • Double Hose Box (DHB)
  • Mass Decon Disrobe (MDD)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service Press Release – 50 Years Of The County Fire Service Warwickshire – 24 November 1998
  2. ↑ "Firefighter dies tackling blaze". BBC News. 3 November 2007.
  3. ↑ "Four Firefighters believed dead". BBC News. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  4. ↑ "Fire officers cleared over Atherstone warehouse deaths". BBC News. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Charges over Warwickshire firefighters' deaths". BBC News. 28 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Firefighter warehouse deaths: Warwickshire council pleads guilty". BBC News. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Atherstone fire: Warwickshire County Council fined £30,000". BBC News. BBC. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.

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