Defence Fire and Rescue Service

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007)

The Defence Fire and Rescue Service is the primary firefighting and rescue service protecting British defence estates and property.

1 History
2 Firefighting and rescue
- 2.1 "Over the fence" response
3 Other responsibilities
4 External links

[edit] History

The Ministry of Defence Fire Service was formed on 1 April 1991 by the amalgamation of the Navy Department Fire Prevention Service, Army Department Fire Service, Air Force Department Fire Service and Procurement Executive Fire Service. It was later renamed the Defence Fire Service. It was a civilian organisation which protected mainly domestic sites at RAF, Army and Navy installations.

It later became part of an umbrella body, the Ministry of Defence Fire Services, which also included the RAF Firefighting and Rescue Service, a military organisation which protected mainly RAF airfields and runways.

In the RAF, airmen and women receive basic military training before going on to train in various "trades" or "areas of expertise" such as mechanics, pilots, electricians, navigators, etc.. Firefighting is a "trade" therefore which some airmen/women choose to be trained in.

The Defence Fire and Rescue Service was created following the introduction of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004; all military firefighting teams and services simply came under the new banner of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service, regardless of whether they were civilian or RAF crews.

[edit] Firefighting and rescue

Both civilian and RAF fire crews are trained in exactly the same way. The training is in line with their local authority fire service counterparts. Traditionally RAF crews were skilled at dealing with live aircraft munitions and airfield crash rescue operations, but there was often a cross over of roles with civilian Defence Fire Service crews protecting some air bases, and RAF crews protecting domestic sites.

The main training facility for all MOD firefighters is as FSCTE Manston.

[edit] "Over the fence" response

As a general rule the MoD fire service only operates within the confines of the site it is protects. However it is a fire service recognised by the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and as such it has jurisdiction and powers of entry just like any other local authority fire service at incidents involving fire or risk to life. As such there are often local agreements for MoD fire services to cover a certain area around the site they protect and can be called for assistance by their local authority fire service colleagues as and when required.

[edit] Other responsibilities

The new MoD fire service is a Fire and Rescue Authority in its own right, and is a statutory authority for the purpose of enforcing fire safety standards (The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2004) at all defence sites. It is interesting to note that should a fire safety offence be committed on defence property, the MoD could in theory prosecute itself.