Kent Fire and Rescue Service
| Kent Fire and Rescue Service | |
|---|---|
 Kent Fire and Rescue Service area |
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| Coverage | |
| Area | Kent |
| Size | 1,433 square miles (3,710 km2) |
| Population | 1.65 Million |
| Operations | |
| HQ | The Godlands, Straw Mill Hill, Tovil, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6XB |
| Staff | 2,000 |
| Stations | 55 (increasing to 58 in 2014/2015) |
| Co-responder | 6 Stations |
| Chief Fire Officer | {{{CFO}}} |
| Deputy Chief Fire Officer | {{{DCFO}}} |
| Website | Kent Fire and Rescue Service |
| Fire authority | Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority |
Kent Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Kent covering a geographical area south of London, to the coast and including major shipping routes via the Thames and Medway rivers. The total coastline covered is 225 km (140 mi); it has 55 fire stations, and 4 district fire safety offices. The FRS provides emergency cover to a population of nearly 2 million.[1]
The area meets the boundaries of the London Fire Brigade to the north of the county, Surrey to the north west and East Sussex to the south west of Kent.
Contents |
History [edit]
The first fire brigade appeared in Kent in 1802 when the Kent Fire Office formed an insurance brigade in Deptford (which was at the time part of Kent). In the same year, and completely separately from insurance companies, Hythe became the first town in Kent to set up its own fire brigade, followed by Ashford in 1826.
By the 20th century, it was quite fashionable for local authorities to have their own fire brigades. Maidstone had seen the formation of its borough fire brigade in 1901 when the Royal Insurance Company provided a new Shand Mason horse-drawn steam fire engine, named The Queen. This company had taken over the Kent Fire Office in the same year, simultaneously disbanding their own brigade. Things often became very competitive between individual town and village brigades, in many instances, each one trying to outdo its neighbour. In 1910, Bromley became the first town in Kent to house motorised fire engines, with two new Merryweather vehicles being stationed there.
Until 1938, the provision of a fire brigade was a discretionary power, and naturally there were a few local authorities that regarded it as an unnecessary expense. However, due to the threat of war, Parliament enacted the Fire Brigades Act 1938 and made it a duty and so created over 1,600 individual fire authorities across the nation. It was these local brigades and the Auxiliary Fire Service – also formed in 1938 – that valiantly coped with the consequences of the Battle of Britain and much of The Blitz. In August 1941, local brigades and the AFS were absorbed into one organisation called The National Fire Service. It was in 1941 that the current Headquarters house The Godlands was requisitioned for war-time use by the National Fire Service and it has remained with the fire service ever since.
World War II brought dark days indeed for Kent fire-fighters. Fire-fighting has been and will probably always be a dangerous occupation, and the Roll of Honour 1899-1990, compiled by Geoffrey Cooper, an ex-Kent fire-fighter, details the deaths of Kent fire-fighters while on duty. Of the 122 'Kent' names listed, 15 were pre-1939, 16 were post-1939 and 91 died during World War II. Nationally, well over 1,000 fire-fighters died during World War II, with stories of fire stations and the water supplies needed for fire-fighting being targeted by German bombers, to maximise the damage caused by incendiary bombs. The last death on duty of a Kent fire-fighter was in 1990.
The fire service was returned to local authority control on 1 April 1948 under the Fire Services Act 1947, with responsibility in England and Wales being given to the 146 counties and county boroughs of the day. The County of Kent and the City and County Borough of Canterbury combined to form Kent Fire Brigade, taking over 79 fire stations from the National Fire Service.
Subsequent local government reorganisations have had their effect upon the brigade, most significantly in 1965 when eight fire stations in the northwest of the county were transferred to the newly created Greater London area. Further reorganisation in 1974 saw Canterbury lose its county borough status and the fire brigade became the exclusive responsibility of Kent County Council. In 1998, the structure of local government changed again and Kent combined with the new Medway Towns unitary authority for fire brigade provision.
On 1 October 2003, Kent Fire Brigade was renamed Kent Fire and Rescue Service to better reflect the requirements demanded of it for many years. These changes were reflected nationally by the enactment of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 which came into effect on 1 October 2004.
In the spring of 2011, Kent Fire and Rescue underwent changes to its structure, these included restructuring from three divisions to 5 area groups: North Kent, East Kent, West Kent, South Kent and Mid Kent. Each group consists of a number of clusters, which are made up of a number of certain stations where resources are locally managed. The Letter prefix for each division was dropped in the station call sign, for instance Swanley, under the old system was named as Station S31 the S standing for South Division, now it is just Station 31.
Retained to Part Time [edit]
On the first of June 2011 the Retained Duty System was replaced with the Part Time Duty system, Under the old system Retained Firefighters responded from home or work and typically provided cover for around 120 hours a week. Under the new system the Firefighters only provide up to 60 hours a week. There are 2 elements to the new system, 'On Call' and 'Positive Hours'. The 'On Call' element is provided by responding to a pager within 4 minutes of an emergency call. The 'Positive Hours' element includes spending time on station either for training or maintenance, or in some cases providing cover at other stations where crewing requires, Firefighters are now on a fixed salary depending on their cover provided.
Emergency Calls and Incidents [edit]
On an annual basis, Kent Fire and Rescue Service receives approximately 35-40,000 emergency calls. It mobilises resources to about 25,000 emergency incidents each year. The number of emergencies attended has reduced by approximately 25% over the past 10 years, in part a result of Community Safety work undertaken by the Service, and the annual number of deaths and casualties at incidents attended by the Service has also fallen over that time.
Fire Appliances [edit]
There are 6 types of front line Fire Engine in Kent, these are as follows;
Pump (P) - this is the standard appliance across Kent, these are crewed by Part Time Firefighters at the majority of Part Time stations and are the 2nd appliance at all Day Crewed Stations and some Whole Time Stations. These carry mainly fire fighting equipment including; Light Portable Pump, Selection of Delivery Hose, 4 Breathing Apparatus Sets, 2 Hose Reels, First Aid Kit and Defib. 10 Metere ladder, Roof Ladder, Rescue Chocks and Blocks. Chimney Fire fighting equipment, Beaters, Fire Extinguishers.
Pump Ladder (PL) - The same as the standard pump but carries the 13.5 metre ladder and 7 metre Ladder.
Extended Pump Ladder (EPL) - This is a pump ladder but with a Hydraulic Ram and Cutters ('Jaws of Life'), Water Rescue Suits for Water First Responding, Thermal Image Camera.
Rescue Pump Ladder (RPL) - This is an Extended Pump Ladder but carries Dedicated Cutting equipment, Spreaders, Rams and Air Bags. It also carries a Positive Pressure Ventilation Fan (PPV) and Grindex Pump.
Rescue Pump Platform (RPP) - This new (2008) type of appliance carries everything that a Rescue Pump Ladder carries but rather than a 13.5m Ladder it houses a dedicated rescue platform for gaining access to HGV cabs and for use on uneven ground.
Combined Aerial Rescue Pump (CARP) - Introduced in 2010 there is the only type of this appliance in Kent, based at 74 Tunbridge Wells it is a combination of Rescue Pump Ladder and Aerial Ladder Platform. Based on a Scania P chassis it can be used as a front line appliance or as an Aerial appliance.
Support Appliances [edit]
Alongside Kent Fires front line Fire fighting appliances there are various support appliances stationed around the county these are;
Water Unit - Located at Larkfield and Ashford and crewed by Part Time Firefighters and are mobilised when water supplies are not sufficient. Based on a Scania chassis they carry 11000 litres of water and 2 dams.
Water Management Unit - Located at Tunbridge Wells and Faversham and crewed by Part Time Firefighters these machines carry larger diameter hose and 4 Light Portable Pumps and are usually used at larger incidents where water supplies are not sufficient or water relays are needed, it is also mobilised with a supporting pump and is used when the High Volume Pump is mobilised. It was built by Angus Fire and is on a Scania chassis.
Aerial Ladder Platform - Based at Thanet and Medway and on Scania chassis these are used when a conventional ladder is not sufficient or where a water tower is needed
Turntable Ladder - Based at Ashford and Canterbury and on an unusual Iveco Magirus chassis and is used for high rise rescues and as a water tower.
Fire Fogging Unit - Based on a Vauxhall Brava it houses a small pump ideal for grass and woodland fires
Incident Command Unit - Based at Sittingbourne and on a Scania 94G Prime Mover, it will attend all incidents involving 10 pumps or more.
Fire stations [edit]
Kent Fire and Rescue Service operates 55 fire stations, 14 of which are crewed day and night (wholetime) some also have a Part Time appliance, 9 day crewed (Monday to Friday 09:00 - 18:00, Saturday and Sunday 09:00 - 13:00 - these stations also have a pump crewed by part time firefighters co-located with them) and the remaining 32 stations are crewed by part time firefighters who live in the local community, near to their fire station and can arrive there within four minutes of being mobilised. Kent also has one Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Station located in Maidstone behind Maidstone Fire Station, Opened in 2009 it houses state of the USAR training and has a collapsed building simulator inside, one of the first in the UK. There are 5 Stations groups or divisions, North, South, East, West and Mid Kent. Located within each group are Station Clusters which number 19. Clusters are groups of Fire Stations that are managed locally, each cluster consists of its Fire Stations, 3 Station Managers, and 1 Group Manager.
South Kent Group
Ashford 11
Whole Time and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 11R1, Pump 11P1, Water Unit 11W1, Turntable Ladder 11A1, New Dimension DIM POD 11H9
Chilham 12
Part Time
Pump 12P1
Wye 13
Part Time
Pump 13P1
Charing 14
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 14P1
Aldington 15
Part Time
Pump 15P1
Dover 16
Whole Time and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 16R1, Pump 16P1, Command Support Unit (CSU) 16C1
Whitfield 18
Part Time
Pump Ladder 18P1
Folkestone 19
Whole Time and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 19R1, Pump 19P1, Water Support Unit 19T1, Fire Investigation Unit 19F1.
New Romney 20
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 20P1
Hythe 21
Part Time
Pump Ladder 21P1
Dymchurch 22
Part Time
Pump 22P1, Co Responder Car
Lydd 23
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 23P1
Cranbrook 24
Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 24R1
Hawkhurst 25
Part Time
Pump 25P1
Tenterden 26
Extended Pump Ladder 26P1
West Kent Group
Dartford 30
Whole Time
Rescue Pump Platform 30R1, Extended Pump Ladder 30P1, Fire Fogging Unit 30M1
Swanley 31
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 31P1
Horton Kirby 32
Part Time
Pump 32P1
Swanscombe 33
Part Time
Pump Ladder 33P1
Thames-Side (Gravesend) 35
Wholetime
Rescue Pump Platform 35R1, Extended Pump Ladder 35P1, Command Support Unit 35C1, New Dimension DIMA Unit 35T9
Sevenoaks 68
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pumpe Ladder 68R1, Pump 68P1
Westerham 69
Part Time
Pump 69P1
Edenbridge 70
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 70P1, Co Resonder Car
Mid Kent
Maidstone 60
Wholetime
Rescue Pump Platform 60R1, Extended Pump Ladder 60P1, Command Support Unit 60C1, DIM Unit Van 60T1, DIM Pod 60H8
USAR 61
Wholetime on Pagers
New Dimension Pods 61T 61H (5 Pods per crew member)
Lenham 62
Part Time
Pump 62P1
Headcorn 63
Part Time
Pump 63P1, Diesel Bowser (Used by Fleet Services)
Marden 64
Part Time
Pump 64P1
Larkfield 65
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 65R1, Pump 65P1, Water Unit 65W1, Water Support Unit and Inland Boat 65T1
Borough Green 67
Part Time
Pump 67P1
Tonbridge 72
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 72R1, Pump 72P1, Water Support Unit 72T1
Paddock Wood 73
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 73P1, Co Responder Car
Tunbridge Wells 74
Whole Time and Part Time
Combined Aerial Rescue Pump (CARP) 74R6, Extended Pump 74P1, Water Management Unit (Hose Layer) 74W1 (can also be crewed at Tonbridge 72)
Southborough 76
Part Time
Pump 76P1
North Kent
Cliffe 36
Part Time
Pump 36P1
Hoo 37
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 37P1, Co Responder Car
Grain 38
Part Time
Pump 38P1
Strood 39
Whole Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 39R1, Bulk Foam Unit 39T1, Land Rover 4x4 39T2
Medway 43
Whole Time and Part Time
Rescue Pump Platform 43R1, Extended Pump Ladder 43P1, Pump 43P2 (appliance relocated here from Chatham/Gillingham), Aerial Ladder Platform 43A1, Incident Support Unit 43T1 43T2
Rainham 44
Part Time
Pump 44P1
Sittingbourne 45
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 45R1, Pump 45P1, Incident Command Unit 45T1
Teynham 46
Part Time
Pump 46P1
Sheppey 48
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 48R1, Pump 48P1, Offshore Boat and Land Rover 48T1
Eastchurch 49
Part Time
Pump 49P1
East Kent
Canterbury 80
Whole Time
Rescue Pump Platform 80R1, Extended Pump Ladder 80P1, Turntable Ladder 80A1, Incident Support Unit 80T1
Aylesham 81
Part Time
Pump Ladder 81P1
Wingham 83
Part Time
Pump 83P1
Faversham 84
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 84R1, Pump 84P1, Water Management Unit 84W1, Animal Rescue Unit 84R2
Whitstable 85
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 85R1, Pump 85P1, New Dimension High Volume Pump and Vauxhall 4x4 85T1, Marine Incident Response Group Off Shore Boat and Support Appliances (MIRG) 85T2 85T3 85T4 85T7 85T8 85T9
Herne Bay 86
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 86R1, Pump 86P1, Fire Fogging Unit 86M1
Margate 87
Whole Time and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 87R1, Pump 87P1
Westgate 88
Part time
Pump 88P1
Ramsgate 90
Whole Time and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 90R1, Pump 90P1
Deal 91
Day Crewed and Part Time
Rescue Pump Ladder 91R1, Pump 91P1, Line Rescue 91R2
Eastry 92
Part Time
Pump 92P1, Co Responder Car
Sandwich 93
Part Time
Extended Pump Ladder 93P1, Fire Fogging Unit 93M1, Command Unit 93G1 (93M1 and 93G1 used only during Open Golf events)
Co-responder Stations [edit]
Kent Fire and Rescue Service works in partnership with the South East Coast Ambulance Service to provide emergency medical cover to area of Kent. These are 6 areas that have been identified as having a greater need for ambulance cover. The aim of a co-responder team is to preserve life until the arrival of either a Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) or an ambulance. Co-responder vehicles are equipped with oxygen and automatic external defibrillation (AED) equipment. 6 of Kent fire stations operating as co-responders:
- Edenbridge
- Paddock Wood
- Eastchurch
- Hoo
- Eastry
- Dymchurch
