Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service

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

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Operational area
CountryEngland
CountyWarwickshire
Agency overview
Annual calls11341 (2018)
Employees550
Chief Fire OfficerKieran Amos
Facilities and equipment
Stations17
Website
www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue

The service covers an area of 1,975 km2 (763 square miles) 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.

In April 2019, Kieran Amos was appointed Chief Fire Officer after the retirement of Andy Hickmott. Amos was formerly the Assistant Chief Fire Officer for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

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
Main article: 2007 Warwickshire warehouse fire

On 2 November 2007, crews were mobilised to a major fire at a vegetable packing plant operated by Wealmoor 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 and appliances

Warwickshire's stations run on five types of shift

  • Wholetime - Wholetime stations have one or two appliances crewed 24 hours a day by four watches of Red Blue Green & White. They work two 12-hour day shifts and two 12-hour night shifts followed by four days off
  • Retained Retained stations and some stations which have a second pump are crewed by paid volunteers who live or work within five minutes of the station. They are alerted to an incident via pager
  • Day Crew Plus - Day Crew Plus stations have an appliance crewed 24 hours a day on a self-rostering system where the firefighters allocate their own 24 hour shift pattern. They work on station during the day and spend the night in an accommodation facility on the station site
  • Peak Demand - Peak Demand stations have an appliance crewed 12 hours a day by two watches of Alpha & Bravo. The appliance isn't available during the night
  • Peak Demand Plus - Coleshill is the only Peak Demand Plus Station. It has one appliance crewed 24 hours on the same self rostering system as DCP, except they spend the night retained at home as opposed to an accommodation facility.
Station Callsign Station Name Duty System Appliances
FS20NuneatonWholetime1x WrL, 1x LRP, 1x L4V, 1x PM for MDU
FS21BedworthRetained1x LRP, 1x SFU
FS22ColeshillPeak Demand Plus & 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, 1x L4V, 1x LAR
FS27KenilworthRetained1x LRP, 1 x PM* for WrC
FS29Leamington SpaWholetime & Day Crew+2x WrL, 1x EPU, 1x TL, 1x L4V,
FS30SouthamRetained1x WrL
FS31Fenny ComptonRetained1x WrL
FS34Shipston-on-StourRetained1x WrL
FS35Stratford-upon-AvonDay Crew+, Retained1x WrL, 1x LRP, 1x PM for HVP DHB, 2x L4V
FS36Bidford-on-AvonRetained1x WrL
FS37AlcesterDay Crew+1x LRP, 1x CSV
FS39Henley-in-ArdenRetained1x WrL
FS40WellsbourneRetained1x LRP, 1x LV
FS41GaydonPeak Demand1x LRP
Aerial appliance

Fire appliance glossary / callsigns
  • Water Ladder (WrL): P1/P2
  • Light Rescue Pump (LRP) : P3
  • Turntable Ladder (TL): A7
  • Small Fires Unit (SFU): L1
  • Light 4x4 Vehicle (L4V): M8 / M9
  • Large Animal Rescue Unit (LAR): R3
  • 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
  • Logisitcs Van (LV) :

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)

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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