The
London Fire Brigade (
LFB) is the
statutoryA statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a country, state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law and the regulations issued by...
fire and rescue service for
LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is run by the
London Fire and Emergency Planning AuthorityThe London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority is a functional body of the Greater London Authority and was established under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Its principal purpose is to run the London Fire Brigade....
and is the third-largest fire service in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, of which 5,800 are operational firefighters and officers. In October 2007, Ron Dobson was appointed as the Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Planning, which includes the position of Chief Fire Officer. Mr. Dobson took over from
Sir Ken KnightSir Ken Knight, CBE, QFSM, DL, MIFireE is the current Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser,and defacto, HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services in the England & Wales.The position of "Chief Fire & Rescue Adviser" is a new government role created in 2007....
who had been commissioner since 2003.
In 2007/08 it attended 144,753 emergency calls, including 32,886 fires of which 13,993 were of a serious nature, making it one of the busiest fire brigades in the world. In 2007/08, it received 9,750 hoax calls, the highest number of all the fire brigades in the United Kingdom, but only mobilised to 2,765 of them. The LFB is the fourth largest fire brigade in the world, after the Tokyo Fire Department, the New York Fire Department and the
Paris Fire BrigadeThe Paris Fire Brigade , is a French Army unit which serves as the fire service for Paris and certain sites of national strategic importance....
, but the largest dedicated fire and rescue service as the others incorporate emergency medical response teams. As well as
fire fightingFirefighting is the act of extinguishing destructive fires. A firefighter fights these fires to prevent destruction of life, property and the environment. Firefighting is a highly technical profession which requires years of training and education in order to become proficient.-Firefighters'...
, the LFB also responds to serious road traffic accidents, floods, 'shut in lift' releases, other various rescue operations and hazardous material incidents; it conducts emergency planning and performs
fire safetyFire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
inspections and education. It does not provide an
ambulance serviceAn ambulance is a vehicle for transporting sick or injured people, to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury. The term ambulance is used to describe a vehicle used to bring medical care to patients outside of the hospital or to transport the patient to hospital for follow-up...
as this function is performed by the
London Ambulance ServiceThe London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the largest "free at the point of contact" ambulance service in the world. It responds to medical emergencies in Greater London, England with the 400 ambulances at its disposal....
as an independent
NHS TrustA National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
, however all firefighters are trained in
first aidFirst aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a lay person to a sick or injured casualty until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care past the first aid...
and fire engines - or 'appliances' as they are known - carry first-aid equipment including basic resuscitators.
Organisation
London Fire Brigade consists of four directorates that all report to the commissioner - currently
Ron DobsonRon Dobson QFSM is the Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Planning at the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, which includes the role of Chief Fire Officer of the London Fire Brigade,...
- they are: Fire and Emergency Planning , Operational Policy and Training, Community Safety, Resources and Corporate Services. In May 2007, the
Department for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England, since May 2006...
announced that Sir Ken had been appointed as the first
Chief Fire and Rescue AdviserIn February 2007, the government in the UK announced it was setting up a new unit to advise ministers on fire and rescue issues and creating the role of Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser confirming in May the same year that Sir Ken Knight had been appointed to the position. In October 2007, Sir Ken...
.
The LFB's headquarters is in Union Street, Southwark, adjacent to the existing
SouthwarkSouthwark, or the Borough, is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1.5 miles east of Charing Cross.-Naming:Southwark is the area of London immediately south of London Bridge...
training centre
Historical organisation
In 1938, the LFB was organised into two Divisions: Northern and Southern, divided in most places by the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
. Each was commanded by a Divisional Officer. Each division was divided into three Districts, each under a Superintendent, with his headquarters at a "superintendent station". The superintendent stations themselves were commanded by District Officers, with the other stations under Station Officers.
Legislative powers
Fire and rescue authorities in England come under the government department that used to be known as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). This department was responsible for legislation covering fire authorities. However, in 2006, a structural change to central government led to the creation of the
Department for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England, since May 2006...
. It is now responsible for fire and resilience in England and therefore London .
The
Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It received the Royal Assent on 22 July 2004 and came into effect on 1 October 2004. It only applies to Great Britain and most provisions apply only in England and Wales...
changed many working practises , it was brought in to replace the
Fire Services Act 1947The Fire Services Act 1947 was the primary legislation relating to firefighting operations in Great Britain from just after the war, until it was repealed and replaced in England and Wales by the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 which came about after the Independent Review of the Fire Service...
(amended 1959).
The new act was drafted in response to the Independent Review of the Fire Service , often referred to as the Bain Report, after its author
Professor Sir George BainProfessor Sir George Sayers Bain, a Canadian by birth born in Winnipeg and attended Miles MacDonell Collegiate, was President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2004.- Biography :...
. It recommended radical changes to many fire brigade working procedures and led to a
national fire strikeThe 2002-2003 UK firefighter dispute began when the UK firefighters union, the Fire Brigades Union , voted to take strike action in an attempt to secure a better salary...
in 2002.
Further changes to the legislative, organisational and structural fabric of the brigade, which could include varying the attendance time, the location of front line pumps (fire engines) and number of personnel, plus mandatory performance targets, priorities and objectives are set by the DCLG in the form of a document called the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework. The framework is set annually by the government and applies to all brigades in England. Responsibility for the rest of the UK fire service is devolved to the various parliaments and assemblies. On UK wide issues, the Chief Fire Officers Association provides the collective voice on fire, rescue and resilience issues. Membership is made up from senior officers above the rank of assistant chief officer, to chief officer or the new title of brigade manager.
- See also: Fire Service in the UK
History
Following a multitude of ad-hoc firefighting arrangements and the 1666
Great Fire of LondonThe Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
, various
insurance companiesInsurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
established fire fighting units to fight
fireFire is the rapid oxidation of a combustible material releasing heat, light, and various reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the...
s that occurred in buildings that their respective companies had insured. As the demands grew on the primitive fire brigades they began to co-operate with each other until, on January 1,1833, the
London Fire Engine Establishment was formed under the leadership of
James BraidwoodJames Braidwood founded the world's first municipal fire service in Edinburgh in 1824, and was the first director of the London Fire Engine Establishment...
. With eighty
firefighterFirefighters, or firemen, are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car accidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s and thirteen
fire stationA fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
s, the unit was still a private enterprise, funded by the insurance companies and as such was responsible mainly for saving material goods from fire.
Several large fires, most notably at the
Palace of WestminsterThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
in 1834 and warehouses by the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
in 1861 , spurred the insurance companies to lobby the government to provide the Brigade at public expense and management. After due consideration, in 1865 the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act was passed, creating the Metropolitan Fire Brigade under the leadership of Captain (later Sir)
Eyre Massey ShawCaptain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw was the Superintendent of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade , and its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establishment, from 1861 to 1891...
. In 1904 the Brigade was officially renamed as the
London Fire Brigade.
During the Second World War, fire brigades were amalgamated into a single
National Fire ServiceThe National Fire Service was the single fire service created in Great Britain in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service was created in 1942....
. The separate London Fire Brigade for the
county of LondonThe County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area today known as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
was re-established in 1948. With the formation of
Greater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
in 1965, this absorbed most of the Middlesex Fire Brigade, the borough brigades for
West HamWest Ham was a local government district in the extreme south west of Essex from 1886 to 1965, forming part of the built-up area of London, although outside the County of London...
,
East HamEast Ham was a local government district in the far south west of Essex from 1878 to 1965. It extended from Wanstead Flats in the north to the River Thames in the south and from Green Street in the west to Barking Creek in the east...
and
CroydonCroydon was a local government district in north east Surrey, England from 1849 to 1965.-History:A local board of health was formed for the parish of Croydon St John the Baptist in 1849. On March 9, 1883 the town received a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough...
and parts of the
EssexEssex is a county in the East of England region of the United Kingdom. The county town of Essex is Chelmsford.-History:In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary...
,
HertfordshireHertfordshire , abbreviated Herts, is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford....
,
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
and
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
brigades.
In 1986 the
Greater London CouncilThe Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area.-Creation:...
- or GLC - was disbanded and replaced by a new statutory authority, called the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority or more simply, the LFCDA. On July 3, 2000, the
London Fire and Emergency Planning AuthorityThe London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority is a functional body of the Greater London Authority and was established under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Its principal purpose is to run the London Fire Brigade....
, took over statutory responsibility from the LFCDA.
At the same time, the
Greater London AuthorityThe Greater London Authority is the city-wide governing body for London, England. It consists of a directly-elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers.-Purpose:...
was established to administer the LFEPA and in turn the LFB, and coordinate emergency planning for London. Consisting of the
Mayor of LondonThe Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London . Since 4 May 2008, Conservative Boris Johnson holds the position...
and other elected members; the GLA also takes responsibility for the
Metropolitan Police AuthorityThe Metropolitan Police Authority is the police authority responsible for supervising the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London ....
,
Transport for LondonTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England...
and other functions.
In 2008 the UK Media reportedly widely on the high profile, London Fire Brigade, racial discrimination and harassment case. Fireman Jason Toal claimed colleagues mocked his accent and filled his helmet with urine, and his boots with eggs, during a campaign of racist bullying, harassment and victimisation at 3 fire stations.
Former Commissioners and Chief Officers
- 2007 to present Ron Dobson
- 2003 to 2007 Sir Ken Knight
Sir Ken Knight, CBE, QFSM, DL, MIFireE is the current Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser,and defacto, HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services in the England & Wales.The position of "Chief Fire & Rescue Adviser" is a new government role created in 2007....
- 1991 to 2003 Brian Robinson(first commissioner)
- 1987 to 1991 Gerald Clarkson
- 1980 to 1987 Ronald Bullers
- 1976 to 1980 Peter Darby
- 1970 to 1976 Joseph Milner
Joseph "Joe" Milner CBE, QFSM was a senior officer in the British fire service....
- 1962 to 1970 Leslie Leete
- 1948 to 1962 Sir Frederick Delve
- 1941 to 1948 All fire brigades nationalised
The National Fire Service was the single fire service created in Great Britain in 1941 during the Second World War; a separate National Fire Service was created in 1942....
- 1939 to 1941 DCO Jackson (Firebrace seconded to the Home Office)
- 1938 to 1941 Aylmer Firebrace
- 1933 to 1938 Major Cyril Morris
- 1918 to 1933 Arthur Dyer
- 1909 to 1918 Lieutenant Commander Sampson Sladen RN
- 1903 to 1909 Rear Admiral Hamilton
- 1896 to 1903 Captain Wells
- 1891 to 1896 James Sexton Simmonds (resigned)
- 1861 to 1891 Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw
Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw was the Superintendent of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade , and its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establishment, from 1861 to 1891...
Superintendent of the Metropolitan Fire BrigadeMetropolitan Fire Brigade could refer to:*Metropolitan Fire Brigade - The operational arm of the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board which operates in the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia....
- 1833 to 1861 James Braidwood Director of the London Fire Engine Establishment (died in action)
Extract from: London Fire Brigade - key dates
Role structure
The London Fire Brigade, along with many UK fire and rescue services has adopted a change in rank structure. The traditional ranks - to the left of the column below have been replaced in the LFB, by new titles more descriptive to the job function.
The old titles are still in use in many of the UK's other brigades and fire authorities.
| Old title |
Modern title |
| Firefighter |
Firefighter |
| Leading Firefighter Leading Firefighter was a rank in the British fire services, between Firefighter and Sub-Officer. A Leading Firefighter was usually in charge of a single fire appliance...
|
Crew Manager |
| Sub-Officer Sub-Officer is a term used in many military forces used to indicate ranks below commissioned officers. Sub-Officer is equivalent to the term NCO in the Commonwealth and USA...
|
Watch Manager A |
| Station Officer Station Officer is a rank in a number of Commonwealth and other fire services, including those in Australia, the United Kingdom and the New Zealand Fire Service.-Australia and New Zealand:...
|
Watch Manager B |
| Assistant Divisional Officer |
Station Manager |
| Divisional Officer |
Group/Borough Manager |
| Deputy Assistant Chief Officer |
Area Manager |
| Assistant Chief Officer |
Assistant Commissioner (LFB)
Brigade Manager (outside London) |
| Deputy Chief Officer |
Deputy Commissioner (LFB)
Brigade Manager (outside London) |
| Chief Fire Officer A Chief Fire Officer or CFO is the highest ranking Officer in the UK Fire & Rescue Service. There are currently 59 Chief Fire Officers serving in the United Kingdom in charge of County Fire Services....
|
Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Planning (LFB).
County Fire Officer, Brigade Manager (outside London) |
Historical Ranks
| 1833–1938 |
1938–1965 |
1965–1992 |
1992–2001 |
2001–2003 |
| Fireman 4th Class |
Fireman |
Fireman/Firewoman |
Fire fighter |
Fire fighter |
| Fireman 3rd Class |
Senior Fireman |
Leading Fireman/Firewoman |
Leading Fire fighter |
Crew Commander (A) |
| Fireman 2nd Class |
Sub Officer |
Sub Officer |
Sub Officer |
Crew Commander (B)
(or Watch Commander A [1 Pump Stations Only]) |
| Fireman 1st Class |
Station Officer |
Station Officer |
Station Officer |
Watch Commander (B) |
| Junior Fireman |
Assistant District Officer |
Assistant Divisional Officer
(Station Commander from 1986) |
Assistant Divisional Officer (or Station Commander) |
Station Commander
(or Deputy Group Commander) |
| Senior Fireman |
District Officer |
Divisional Officer |
Divisional Officer |
Divisional Officer
(or Group Commander) |
| Senior District Officer |
Deputy Assistant Chief Officer |
Assistant Chief Officer (or Area Commander) |
Assistant Chief Officer
(or Area Commander) |
| Deputy Superintendent |
Deputy Chief Officer |
Deputy Chief Fire Officer |
Deputy Chief Officer |
Deputy Chief Officer |
Assistant Chief Fire Officer
(or Area Commander) |
| Superintendent |
Chief Officer |
Chief Fire Officer |
Chief Fire Officer |
Chief Fire Officer |
Recruitment and training
Professional firefighter training lasts about four months and takes places at the LFB's specialist training centre in Southwark. On successful completion, the newly-qualified firefighter is posted to one of the fire stations within the London area to work on a shift pattern - currently two day shifts (nine hours), followed by two night shifts (15 hours), followed by four days off. Working patterns were the subject of scrutiny in Professor Bain's Independent Review of the Fire Service.
After training school, firefighters serve a one year period when they are on probation, and many choose to take formal promotion exams. Qualification and full pay are not reached until the candidate completes their LGV driving course as well as their development folder which usually takes around 12–18 months. Ongoing training - both theoretical and practical continues throughout the firefighter's career.
Promotion
Firefighters gain promotion by taking examinations. Until July 2006, these were administered by the Fire Services Examinations Board who set national written exams for promotion to the rank of Leading firefighter, Sub-officer and Station officer (see above).
Some promotion exams can be substituted by qualifications from the
Institution of Fire EngineersThe Institution of Fire Engineers is a worldwide body that provides research, training, conferences and professional qualifications for firefighters and civilians who work in fields related to fire fighting, the science of fire fighting and prevention, and related technology.-Structure:Localised...
. Firefighters and civilians - for example building inspectors, scientists, surveyors and other practising professionals take these qualifications either by written test or research.
Future promotion exams will be set using the Integrated Personal Development System or IPDS.
Firefighting, special services and fire prevention
Firefighters respond to fires and special services.
A special service is defined as every other non-fire related emergency and includes:
- Persons shut in lifts (14,416 in 2007/08),
- Road traffic accidents (5,228 in 2007/08),
- Flooding (6,024 in 2007/08),
- Effecting entry (6,850 in 2007/08),
- Hazardous material incidents (511 in 2007/08),
- 'Making safe' operations (2,922 in 2007/08),
and a variety of other rescue operations such as persons under trains, train derailments, plane crashes, waterborne rescues (most notably the
Marchioness disasterThe Marchioness disaster occurred on the River Thames in London, England, in the early hours of 20 August 1989, when the pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle. The two boats collided near Cannon Street Railway Bridge...
).
The full scope of a brigade's duties and powers are enshrined in The Fire and Rescue Act 2004.
Firefighters and, in some cases, specialist teams from the brigade's Fire Investigation Unit also investigate
arsonArson is the crime of deliberately and maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires caused by lightning for example. The study of the causes is the subject of fire investigation...
incidents, work alongside the police and provide evidence in court.
The other core duty of the brigade is to 'prevent damage', and day-to-day fire prevention duties.
Firefighting cover
The London Fire Brigade provides fire cover according to a system of four risk categories, these have traditionally been used across the UK, where every building is rated from "A" risk to "D" risk. The risk category determines the minimum number of appliances to be sent to an incident:
"A" risk
Areas with high density of large buildings and/or population, for example office blocks or factories.
Three fire engines to be sent within eight minutes, the first two to arrive within five minutes.
"B" risk
Areas with medium density of large buildings and/or population, for example multi-storey residential blocks.
Two engines deployed, one within five minutes, the second within eight minutes.
"C" risk
Low density suburban areas and detached properties.
One fire engine to be sent within ten minutes.
"D" risk
More rural areas not covered by bands A-C.
One fire engine to be sent within 20 minutes.
In 2007/08 the first fire engine to respond to a 999 call arrived within five minutes on 58.8% of the time, and within eight minutes on 90% of the time.
The second fire engine deployed arrived within eight minutes on 81.9% of the time, and within ten minutes on 92.4% of the time.
Mutual assistance
The
Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It received the Royal Assent on 22 July 2004 and came into effect on 1 October 2004. It only applies to Great Britain and most provisions apply only in England and Wales...
, gives brigades the power to assist other brigades or fire authorities in what is known as mutual assistance. The LFB played a comprehensive role in assisting Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service with the Buncefield oil fire in 2005.
The brigades that adjoin the LFB are as follows:
- Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory FRS for the county of Essex in the southeast of England, and is one of the largest FRSs in the country, with a patch covering almost 400,000 hectares and a population of over 1½ million people.In 2005, ECFRS attended a total of 24,291...
- Kent Fire and Rescue Service
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 225km ; it has 66 fire stations, and 13...
- Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
The Surrey Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the County of Surrey, England, with 24 fire stations. It is comes under the administrative and legislative control of Surrey County Council, who fund the service by collecting a precept via council tax, and from central...
- Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is a statutory fire and rescue service covering the area of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England...
- Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
The Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, is the Local Authority Fire Service serving the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. It comprises the four districts of Buckinghamshire – Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe – and the unitary authority of Milton Keynes.Some 550...
- Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It is adminstered by a Fire Authority which is an internal part of Hertfordshire County Council...
- BAA
BAA Airports Ltd. is the owner and operator of seven British airports and the operator of several other airports worldwide, making the company one of the largest transport companies in the world...
The LFB also mobilises several of its appliances to support BAA firefighters at London's Heathrow Airport, and firefighters at London City AirportLondon City Airport is a single-runway STOLport, an airport for use by STOL airliners, and principally serving the financial district of London. It is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in East...
Determining the size of an incident
The LFB, along with all UK fire and rescue services determines the size of a fire or special service by the final number of appliances despatched to deal with it. For example, two appliances are despatched to a "B" risk area in response to a fire call in a residential house. The officer-in-charge can request additional appliances by transmitting the radio message, "Make pumps 4" or if persons are believed involved, "Make pumps 4, persons reported". The control room will then despatch a further two appliances making the total up to four. Informally firefighters refer to such fires as 'a make up' or 'a 4-pumper'
- when the fire is out, if no other pumping appliances were despatched, this would be recorded as a 4-pump fire
If an incident is more serious, it can be escalated straight to a 6-, 8- or 10-pump fire and beyond - in London this is usually completed in even numbers. But it's not uncommon for a 10-pump fire to be 'made up' to 15 if necessary. A call to a large warehouse ablaze could be escalated straight to a 10-pump fire; the 2007
Cutty SarkThe Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954. She is preserved in dry dock in Greenwich, London. However, the ship was badly damaged in a fire on 21 May 2007 while undergoing extensive...
fire required 8 pumps; as a serious incident escalates, the brigade deploys senior officers, Command Units and any specialist appliances required.
Examples of 25-pump fires include the blaze at
Alexandra PalaceSet in Alexandra Park, Alexandra Palace was built in an area spanning Wood Green and Muswell Hill, North London, England, in 1873 as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment and as North London's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London.-Overview:The Great Hall and West...
in 1980, and at the Royal Marsden Hospital on 2 January 2008, involving 2 turntable ladders and 2 aerial ladder platforms as well.
The
King's Cross fireThe King's Cross fire was a fatal underground fire in London which broke out at approximately 19:30 on 18 November 1987, and which killed 31 people.It took place at King's Cross St. Pancras, a major interchange on the London Underground...
was a 30-pump fire as was the blaze at Oxford Street shops on 26 April 2007. Pumping appliances can only operate with a minimum crew of four, and a maximum of six (although this is rare) so it is possible, as a rule-of-thumb, to work out the number of firefighters attending an incident by multiplying the number of pumps by five. The Cutty Sark fire was described as "an 8-pump fire attended by 40 firefighters".
Special services
Core services are paid for by London's
council taxCouncil Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
payers and through central government funding - known as a grant settlement; and each council tax payer's bill will include what is known as a precept - a specific part of their bill that contributes to the funding of the FRS. Those in need of the LFB's services in an emergency do not pay. But the brigade can provide additional special services for which it may charge where there is no immediate threat to life or imminent risk of injury.
Examples of these special services which may be charged for are:
- Clearing of flooded commercial premises
- Use of Brigade equipment for supplying or removing water
- Making structures safe in cases where there is no risk of personal injury to the public
Safety and fire prevention
LFB firefighters and 'watch officers' visit residential and commercial premises to advise on hazard risk assessment and fire prevention. They also provide safety education to schools and youth groups. Each of the London boroughs has a central fire safety office that collates and coordinates fire prevention work in accordance with legislation, and they are supported by a dedicated team of specialist officers.
In 2007/08, the LFB made 44,620 home fire safety visits, up 21% from the previous 12 months.
48% of all fires attended occurred in the home, and in 67.8% of house fires attended, no smoke alarm had been fitted, despite over 70,000 being installed by LFB staff and partner agencies. This figure was however an improvement on the previous year, due to a massive drive by the brigade on home fire safety.
Fire stations
The LFB today
The LFB has 112 fire stations, including one completely independent river station, across the 33 London boroughs. They are staffed 24 hours per day by full-time members of the brigade, and are linked to a command and control centre located in Docklands . This centre was opened in 2004; calls to it are fed from 999 operators at
BTBT Group plc is the privatised former state telecommunications operator in the United Kingdom. It is the dominant fixed line telecommunications and broadband Internet provider in the UK, and also operates in more than 170 countries around the world...
.
Some UK fire authorities use part time, or retained firefighters who live and work near their local station and are on-call, but the LFB is one of only two UK fire services where all operational staff are full-time employees. Each Station has four shifts, known as watches: red, white, blue and green; with a watch commander (Station Officer or Sub Officer) in charge. The overall management of the station is carried out by the Station Commander (Assistant Divisional Officer), who will also attend serious incidents, as well as spending time on call.
A group of one (City of London) to six (Tower Hamlets) stations within a borough are managed by a Borough Commander (Divisional Officer) who interacts strategically on a local level with the Borough Commander for the police and the chief executive of the local authority.
Appliances
More than half of the LFB's fire stations have two fire appliances, also known as Pumps and Pump Ladders. These are generally the busier stations receiving over 2,000 emergency calls (known colloquially by firefighters as "shouts") per year. They may also be stations of strategic importance, or those located in areas considered high risk. The remaining stations have a single Pump and generally attend fewer than 2,000 calls per year. Many stations also have other specialist vehicles allocated to them.
This is the LFB's current full operational fleet:
- Around 170 Dual-Purpose Pump Ladders (plus 40 reserves and 25 for various training purposes) (PL)
- 16 Fire Rescue Units (plus 3 reserves and 1 for training) (FRU)
- 14 Urban Search & Rescue vehicles (with five different types of equipment pods) (USAR)
- 11 Aerial Ladder Platforms / Turntable Ladders (ALP/TL)
- 10 Incident Response Units (IRU)
- 9 High-Volume Pumps (HVP)
- 8 Command Units (plus 1 reserve) (CSU)
- 7 Fire Investigation Units (FIU)
- 6 Operational Support Units (plus 1 reserve) (OSU)
- 4 Hose Layer Units (HLU)
- 3 Bulk Foam Units (BFU)
- 2 Detection, Identification & Monitoring Units (DIM)
- 2 Scientific Support Units (SSU)
- 1 Fire Investigation Dog Unit (FID)
- 1 Media Resource Unit (MRS)
- 1 Fireboat (plus 1 for training and exercises) (FBt)
Improvements
The programme of improvements in staffing and equipment undertaken by the LFB since 9/11 to improve the capital's resilience and its capability to deal with major emergencies, including the threat of terrorism has included: 10 Incident Response Units; two Scientific Support Units; four different types of Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) vehicles and ten USAR personnel carriers; three mass decontamination resilience units; ten personnel carriers; and six equipment carriers known as Operational Support Units.
Central LondonThe term Central London refers to the districts of London which are considered closest to the centre. There is no conventional definition, nor any official one, for the entire area that can be called "central London". Central London covers about 10 square miles on areas both north and south of the...
stations can attend up to 8,000 calls in a year, inner city stations about 3,000 to 4,000 calls per year (these tend to be the stations that are busy serving the poorer densely-populated areas), and outlying or suburban fire stations may attend around 1,500 calls which include road traffic accidents, grass fires and house fires.
Architecturally, fire stations vary in age and design from Edwardian red-brick fire houses to modern spacious blocks complete with additional specialist facilities . Early fire stations were originally built with horse-drawn appliances in mind and with traditional features such as the
firemen's poleA fireman's pole or sliding pole or firepole is a wooden pole or a metal tube or pipe installed between floors in fire stations, allowing personnel to quickly descend to the ground floor in the event of a dispatch....
, used by firefighters to gain rapid access from their upstairs accommodation quarters to the fire engine garages below when summoned. The oldest working station in London is at
ClerkenwellClerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. Clerkenwell was once known as London's "Little Italy" because of the large number of Italians living in the area between the 1850s and the 1960s.-Clerks' Well:...
between the
CityThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and the
West EndThe West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, businesses, headquarters and the commercial West End theatres. Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
.
More modern fire stations, though constructed without such features, often have more spacious accommodation and facilities for staff of both sexes, public visitor areas such as community safety offices and other amenities. An example of these is the new fire station in
HammersmithHammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London approximately 5 miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
which opened in 2003 , just a few hundred yards along the
Shepherd's BushShepherd's Bush is a district of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4.9 miles west of Charing Cross...
Road from the previous local fire station which had been constructed in 1913 .
Fire station closures
The creation of the
Greater London CouncilThe Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area.-Creation:...
in 1965 saw the number of LFB stations increase. The LFB absorbed some stations from the county brigades. At the time there were a handful of smaller brigades: Middlesex, Croydon, West Ham and East Ham - they were all incorporated into the LFB. By 1965 the LFB had 115 stations, plus two river stations.
The LFB has an on-going policy of upgrading existing fire stations, and building new stations to replace those that are no longer suitable for the requirements of a modern day fire service. It has gained one new station at Heathrow Airport, but in recent years, the total number of stations has reduced very slightly with some permanent closures:
- 2008 Lambeth Headquarters is moved to 169 Union Street in Southwark making Lambeth a normal Fire Station.
- 2005 Manchester Square, in London's West End was closed
- 1999 Barbican, in the City of London was closed
- 1998 Heathrow Airport, new station opened when the central terminal area of the airport was re-classified as 'A risk'
- 1998 Shooters Hill, in south London was closed
- 1993 Sanderstead, originally a Surrey Fire Brigade station closed
In November 2007, the brigade announced plans to build a new fire station in Harold Hill, Havering, taking the number of stations in this borough to four. If construction goes to time, the new station will be operational in early 2010.
Regional control centre
In October 2007, the
Department for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England, since May 2006...
announced that the location for the new regional control centre, dedicated to the capital, and part of the
FiReControlFiReControl is a UK based project that was initiated in March 2004, to reduce the number of control rooms used to handle emergency calls for fire services and authorities. Presently there are 46 control rooms in England that handle calls from the local public for emergency assistance via the 999...
project, would be at the Merton Industrial Estate in the
London Borough of MertonThe London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London.The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the former area of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey. The main commercial...
.
- See main article: FiReControl
FiReControl is a UK based project that was initiated in March 2004, to reduce the number of control rooms used to handle emergency calls for fire services and authorities. Presently there are 46 control rooms in England that handle calls from the local public for emergency assistance via the 999...
Major and notable incidents
The geographical area covered by the LFB along with the major transport infrastructure and the political, business and administrative bases typical of a capital city has seen the brigade involved in several major incidents. A major incident requires the implementation of an inter-agency response to a pre-determined contingency plan.
Any of the emergency services can initiate
Major Incident Procedure usually from an officer on the ground. In legislative terms, in the UK the most senior fire officer is in charge of any incident involving fire, any other is the responsibility of the police, however as in the case of the 2005 London bombings multiple major incidents were declared by the fire service for the Aldgate and Edgware Road bombs, and by the
London Ambulance ServiceThe London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the largest "free at the point of contact" ambulance service in the world. It responds to medical emergencies in Greater London, England with the 400 ambulances at its disposal....
for the Tavistock Square bus bomb. When a major incident is declared the services along with civilian agencies use a structural system known as
gold commandA Gold - Silver - Bronze command structure is used by emergency services of the United Kingdom to establish a hierarchical framework for the command and control of major incidents and disasters...
that allows them to follow a set procedure for incident management. Put simply gold command relates to strategic control of an incident, silver command tactical and bronze operational. The term gold command can also relate to an emergency service building, mobile control unit or other base that becomes the focal point (often remotely) for the incident's management.
Additionally, a major incident can lead to the government activating its coordination facility, known as
COBRCabinet Office Briefing Rooms is a term used to describe the formation of a crisis response committee, coordinating the actions of bodies within the government of the United Kingdom in response to instances of national or regional emergency or crisis, or during events abroad with major...
.
Some notable major incidents where the LFB has played a significant role are:
- Bromley plane crash
At 14:38 on 30 March 2008, a Cessna Citation 501 with five people on board crashed into a house at Farnborough in the London Borough of Bromley, shortly after take off from Biggin Hill. There were no survivors among the five people on board...
(6 pumps)
The LFB sent six fire engines to assist airport fire crews at the scene of a light aircraft crash in Farnborough in the
London Borough of BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.The Prime Meridian passes through Bromley.-Geography:...
, on 30 March 2008.
All five people onboard were killed as the Cessna 501 struck two houses in a quiet residential street.
- Camden Market fire of 2008 (20 pumps)
Fire ravaged the stalls at the popular and historic Camden Market on 9 February 2008, forcing the evacuation of 450 people from the area, and 100 from their homes.
20 fire engines and over 100 firefighters helped bring the blaze under control after six hours and prevent any loss of life.
- Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954. She is preserved in dry dock in Greenwich, London. However, the ship was badly damaged in a fire on 21 May 2007 while undergoing extensive...
fire (8 pumps)
Although no lives were endangered and a major incident procedure was not initiated, the fire at the historic clipper ship on 21 May 2007 attracted the interest of national news media, and the unusual circumstances made this a notable incident.
- Buncefield oil terminal fire
The 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire was caused by a series of explosions early on the morning of Sunday 11 December 2005. The terminal, generally known as the Buncefield Depot, is an oil storage facility located near the M1 motorway on the edge of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire,...
The UK's biggest peacetime blaze broke out on 11 December 2005. Although the major incident at the
Hertfordshire Oil Storage TerminalHertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal is operated by Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd and commonly known as the Buncefield oil depot. It is an oil depot located on the edge of Hemel Hempstead to the north of London in the United Kingdom...
was attended by the LFB, it was assisting neighbouring brigade
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue ServiceHertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It is adminstered by a Fire Authority which is an internal part of Hertfordshire County Council...
, to the north of London, whose area (or 'ground') the incident took place in.
- 7 July 2005 suicide bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, also known as 7/7, were a series of coordinated suicide attacks on London's public transport system during the morning rush hour...
(12/12/10 pumps)
Multiple major incidents across London in which firefighters worked to MIP after close assessment enabled by the LFB's specialist equipment. Total of 34 pumps and 9 fire rescue units mobilised to the four bomb sites.
- Buckingham Palace 2002 fire (20 pumps)
Fire broke out on 2 June 2002 in the west terrace of Buckingham Palace. At its peak, 20 fire engines were on the scene, and in the course of firefighting operations four people were rescued from the roof. The Royal Family were away at the time.
Often referred to as the Ladbroke Grove rail crash due to it occurring on the stretch of line in that area, two trains collided a short distance outside of Paddington Station on 5 October 1999, killing 31 people.
- Cannon Street station rail crash
The Cannon Street station rail crash was an accident on the British railway system which occurred on 8 January 1991 at Cannon Street station. The accident killed two people and injured 524 others...
Two people were killed and over 500 injured in the crash on 8 January 1991.
- Marchioness disaster
The Marchioness disaster occurred on the River Thames in London, England, in the early hours of 20 August 1989, when the pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle. The two boats collided near Cannon Street Railway Bridge...
The pleasure boat
Marchioness was struck by the gravel dredger
Bowbelle and sunk, killing 51 people on 20 August 1989.
Initial confusion over which bridge the ship had sunk next to meant fireboats and fire engines were sent in the wrong direction. It wasn't until half an hour later that the station officer at Southwark radioed: "Marchioness sunk, believed downstream of Blackfrairs Bridge with unknown number of people in river and Met Police searching river between Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges."
- Clapham Junction rail crash
The Clapham Junction rail crash was a serious railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains at 08:10 on the morning of Monday, 12 December 1988....
On 12 December 1988, a packed commuter train passed a defective signal and ran into the back of a second train, derailing it into the path of a third coming the other way, killing 35 people and seriously injuring 69 others.
- King's Cross fire
The King's Cross fire was a fatal underground fire in London which broke out at approximately 19:30 on 18 November 1987, and which killed 31 people.It took place at King's Cross St. Pancras, a major interchange on the London Underground...
Fire broke out on 18 November 1987 under a wooden
escalatorAn escalator is a moving staircase conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the world...
leading from one of the King's Cross Underground Station platforms to the surface.
The blaze and resulting smoke claimed 31 lives, including that of a Station Officer from Soho fire station, Colin Townsley. Investigation and research of the fire resulted in the discovery of the
Trench effectThe trench effect is a combination of circumstances that can cause a fire to climb rapidly up an inclined surface. It depends on two well-understood but separate ideas: the Coandă effect from fluid dynamics and the flashover concept from fire dynamics....
.
- Granary warehouse 1978 (35 pumps, 6 turntable ladders)
1 October 1978 saw of London's largest post-
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fires at The Granary warehouse on St. Pancras Way. At the first call, 2.58am, three fire engines and a turntable ladder were sent to the scene. The scale of the blaze is evidenced by the rapid development of the LFB's mobilisation: 3.05am
make pumps 4, 3.07am
make pumps 6, 3.12am
make pumps 10, 3.19am
make pumps 15 and turntable ladders 2, 3.39am
make turntable ladders 4, 3.51am
make pumps 20 and turntable ladders 6, 4.19am
make pumps 25, 4.30am
make hose layers 2, 5.13am
make pumps 35.
At 4.50am, the structure suffered a major collapse, killing Firefighter Stephen Neil of Barbican station, seriously injuring three others, and destroying one fire engine and one turntable ladder.
- Moorgate tube crash
The Moorgate tube crash was a railway disaster on the London Underground, which occurred at 8:46am on 28 February 1975.A southbound train on the Northern Line crashed into the tunnel end beyond the platform at Moorgate station...
A
London UndergroundThe London Underground, Underground or Tube is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in...
train failed to stop and crashed into the
buffersA buffer stop or bumper is a device to prevent railway vehicles from going past the end of a section of track.The design of the buffer stop is dependent in part upon the kind of couplings that the railway uses, since the coupling gear is the first part of the vehicle that the buffer stop touches...
at the end of a tunnel. The driver and 42 passengers were killed.
- The IRA bombing campaign (1970s to 1990s)
From 1969 until 1997, the Provisional Irish Republican Army conducted an armed paramilitary campaign in Northern Ireland and England, aimed at ending British rule in Northern Ireland in order to create a united Ireland....
Throughout the last quarter of the 20th century, several major bombings were carried out in London by the Provisional IRA, including at the Houses of Parliament, Tower of London, and Harrod's department store. A list of these and other bombings in London to which the LFB responded can be found under London bombings.
- Bishopsgate Goods Depot 1964 (60 pumps)
London's main freight terminal was gutted by a spectacular fire on 5 December 1964.
60 fire engines and 300 firefighters battled the blaze which killed two customs officials and destroyed millions of dollars of goods. The site remained derelict for the next 30 years but is now under construction as the new
Shoreditch High Street railway stationShoreditch High Street railway station is currently under construction in London, England. The station will be located on Bethnal Green Road near the junction with Shoreditch High Street in the Shoreditch district and will form part of the extended East London Line under the control of the London...
.
- Smithfield Market 1958 (50 pumps)
Over the course of operations at Smithfield market in January/February 1958, there had been a total attendance of 450 pumps with more than 2,000 men from 58 fire stations who worked in shifts at this fire.
After the initial call, LFB sent three pumps, a turntable ladder and emergency tender at 2.18am. A station officer and firefighter headed down into the basement where it was apparent a major fire had broken out. Neither men came out alive. Excessive heat, dense smoke and worsening conditions meant crews had to be rotated every 15 minutes maximum, as firefighters suffered from severe heat exhaustion.
24 hours later, with 800 oxygen cylinders used, the fire in the basement suddenly broke up into the first floor of the market, with flames 100ft in the air, engulfing the entire market. The fire, although brought under control and reduced, was not fully extinguished resolved for two weeks. Valuable lessons were learnt after the Smithfield blaze, including a tally system of firefighters' locations and quantity of breathing apparatus.
On 7 September 1940, a sub-officer at West Ham witnessed the start of the Blitz by Nazi Germany on London. He reported three miles of waterfront on the Thames became a continuous blaze, and ordered 500 pumps to be mobilised. The Commander thought this an exaggeration and sent someone to investigate the situation, who reported back that 1,000 engines were required!
More than 300 firefighters perished in the widespread and sustained bombing campaign, including two in a direct hit on Soho fire station and six in a direct hit on Wandsworth fire station.
- Colonial Wharf 1935 (60 pumps)
An eight-storey rubber warehouse in Wapping High Street burned for four days from 27 September 1935, with 60 fire engines in attendance. It was the first major shout for one of the LFB's most famous fireboats, the Massey Shaw, which greatly assisted operations as land crews were hampered by inaccessibility by supplying a vast water jet to allow the land crews to regroup and prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining warehouses.
- Houses of Parliament 1834 (12 pumps)
Records show the 1834 Burning of Parliament was attended by 64 men in 12 fire engines.
- Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
80% of London was destroyed between 2 and 5 September 1666. Firefighting operations, which at the time were primarily the use of 'firebreaks' were delayed by the indecisiveness of the Mayor.
The LFB and popular culture
- Fire Wars: In 2003, the BBC followed the arson investigators of the LFB's Fire Investigation Unit (FIU). The two-part series, broadcast in July 2003, looked at how the LFB investigated '4000 fires where the cause was unknown'. The second programme Fire Wars: Murder Most Foul centred on one investigation.
- London's Burning: The television series London's Burning
London's Burning was a television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television and focused on the lives of Blue Watch firefighters. While the station in the series was named Blackwall, which is the name of a small area in East London, the series was largely filmed around Bermondsey and...
, shown on ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
was based on the fictional LFB 'Blackwall' fire station. The series centred on characters on the Blue Watch. It was originally a 1986 television film, written by Jack RosenthalJack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations....
. The fire station used as the principal location in the drama was the LFB's Dockhead near London BridgeLondon Bridge is a bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
, before moving to Leyton fire station in East London late in the series.. The television series that followed the film ran from 1988 to 2002.
- Fire!: The LFB's Kingsland Road fire station in Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of north London, and forms part of inner London.Between 1999 and 2001 serious concerns were expressed about Hackney's performance as a council by the Audit Commission, and many aspects of council services were failing...
, east London was the focus of a documentary series by Thames TelevisionThames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992. It was both a broadcaster and a producer of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered...
for ITV, broadcast in the spring of 1991. Fire! The documentary caused an internal inquiry by the LFB after scenes were shown of firefighters having a food fight at a Christmas party in one of the programmes. Several watch members from Kingsland Road were suspended after the programme was broadcast on 27 June 1991.
- Fireman! A Personal Account: Former London firefighter Neil Wallington
Neil Wallington is a former firefighter who served in the London Fire Brigade and wrote about his experiences in the 1979 book Fireman! A personal account. The book includes one chapter about the Worsley Hotel fire which claimed the lives of seven people including one firefighter...
wrote an account of his experience in the LFB called "Fireman! A Personal Account", it was published in 1979. He chronicled his transition from a firefighter in the Croydon Fire Brigade through to his reaching the rank of Station OfficerStation Officer is a rank in a number of Commonwealth and other fire services, including those in Australia, the United Kingdom and the New Zealand Fire Service.-Australia and New Zealand:...
in the LFB. He went on to become the Chief Fire OfficerA Chief Fire Officer or CFO is the highest ranking Officer in the UK Fire & Rescue Service. There are currently 59 Chief Fire Officers serving in the United Kingdom in charge of County Fire Services....
of Devon fire service, (now known asDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue ServiceDevon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the counties of Devon and Somerset, including the unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay, in South West England...
) and has written several books about the fire service all over the world. Fireman!... outlined the change in working conditions in the LFB in the 1970s, a time that saw the working hours of firefighters drastically reduced, and conditions improved.
- Red Watch: The former ITN newsreader Gordon Honeycombe
Ronald Gordon Honeycombe is an author, playwright and stage actor, well known in the United Kingdom as a national television newscaster....
became friendly with Neil WallingtonNeil Wallington is a former firefighter who served in the London Fire Brigade and wrote about his experiences in the 1979 book Fireman! A personal account. The book includes one chapter about the Worsley Hotel fire which claimed the lives of seven people including one firefighter...
while he was a Station Officer at PaddingtonPaddington is an area of the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
fire station. In 1976, Honeycombe published an account of the Worsley Hotel fireThe Worsley Hotel Fire was a major fire at the Worsley hotel in Maida Vale, London on 13 December 1974. It killed 7 people, including a probationary firefighter.-Hotel:...
, a serious fatal fire at a hostel in Maida ValeMaida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late-Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, in 1974 that claimed the lives of seven people including one firefighter. The resulting book was called "Red Watch", it provided a graphic account of a single incident, and outlined some of the changes to working practises that resulted from it.
Fire related
- Fire service in the United Kingdom
The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
- Chief Fire Officers Association
- Cyril Demarne
Cyril Thomas Demarne OBE was a British firefighter. He served in London during the Second World War, throughout the Blitz. He was later involved in establishing aviation firefighting units in Australasia and in Beirut. In retirement, he wrote several books based on his wartime...
- Fire Service College
The Fire Service College is responsible for providing leadership, management and advanced operational training courses for senior fire officers from the UK and foreign fire authorities. It is located at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England...
- FiReControl
FiReControl is a UK based project that was initiated in March 2004, to reduce the number of control rooms used to handle emergency calls for fire services and authorities. Presently there are 46 control rooms in England that handle calls from the local public for emergency assistance via the 999...
- Institution of Fire Engineers
The Institution of Fire Engineers is a worldwide body that provides research, training, conferences and professional qualifications for firefighters and civilians who work in fields related to fire fighting, the science of fire fighting and prevention, and related technology.-Structure:Localised...
- London Fire Brigade equipment
The London Fire Brigade operates a large and diverse fleet of appliances, all carrying a variety of specialised equipment and apparatus.-Dual-Purpose Pump Ladder:...
- London Fire Brigade Museum
The London Fire Brigade Museum covers the history of firefighting since 1666 . The museum houses old fire appliances and other equipment. It is also possible to see fire brigade recruits training....
- Eyre Massey Shaw
Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw was the Superintendent of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade , and its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establishment, from 1861 to 1891...
- Portal:Fire
Other emergency services
- London Ambulance Service
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the largest "free at the point of contact" ambulance service in the world. It responds to medical emergencies in Greater London, England with the 400 ambulances at its disposal....
- London Air Ambulance (HEMS)
London's Air Ambulance, is an air ambulance, also known as a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service , which responds to seriously ill or injured casualties in and around London, England....
- Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for policing within Greater London, excluding the 'square mile' of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police....
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
External links