Our service is delivered from 20 Fire & Rescue stations, supported by Headquarters, a dedicated Training and Development Centre, Stores and Workshops. In total, we employ about 400 full time and 216 part time firefighters. A further 89 managers provide logistical and operational support including training, fire protection, operational risk management and contingency planning.

In addition to the operational personnel, we employ about 130 support staff who carry out key functions in occupational health & safety, finance, human resources, administrative support, democratic services, fleet management, property maintenance and information technology.

Our command and control suite deals with about 27,000 calls each year resulting in an average of 15,000 actual emergency incidents each year.

The Fire and Rescue Service is managed on behalf of the Combined Fire Authority by the Chief Fire and Rescue Officer. He is supported by four Directors responsible for Community Safety, Organisational Development, Corporate Resources and Finance and Corporate Risk. Together they form the Corporate Management Board (CMB).

The role of the Board is to consider the need for policy development arising from independent political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental and legal factors likely to have a medium to longer-term effect on the work of the Combined Fire Authority.

Below CMB is the Senior Management Team (SMT), which comprises all heads of department. SMT’s role is to advise the CMB on future policy and strategy development. In addition, they are responsible for the delivery of the service development and improvement programme. Strategies, priorities and aims are communicated to the workforce through the staff appraisal system, the Integrated Risk Management Plan, the Best Value Performance Plan and strategic planning processes.