Firefighting worldwide
Encyclopedia
As firefighting has a rich history throughout the world, traditions in this profession vary widely from country to country.
In several states, there are three principal fire burning organisations. One is salaried and (primarily) handles urban areas one is (primarily) volunteer and (primarily) handles rural areas and the other is government managed public land (mainly forests and plantations).
In the Australian Capital Territory:
In New South Wales:
In the Northern Territory:
In Queensland :
In South Australia
In Tasmania
In Victoria:
In Western Australia, FESA
is the overarching body. The fire services consist of:
FESA funds the CFRS and VFRS vehicles, stations, equipment and training. Local government funds the others. Money for local government is sourced through the Emergency Services Levy.
has its own firefighters on Canadian Forces
bases for security reasons. Some provinces have designated firefighting crews specially equipped to handle forest fires.
) in China with acceptions in like Beijing
. Hong Kong
and Macau
have their own separate fire services. Airports in China also have their own departments.
, firefighters are called "Bomberos". They are volunteers. They also must finance the acquisition
, maintenance
and operation of their buildings and equipment (including firetrucks
) rather than rely upon government allocations. All the officers are democratically elected by the volunteers. The government does not finance specialization courses for firefighters. Instead, they have to pay for it on their own. 'Bomberos' is the name given for the firefighters in most Spanish speaking countries.
Founded in 1851, Valparaíso's Fire Department is the oldest. Following are the Santiago Fire Department established in 1863 and Viña del Mar Fire Department in 1884. Now all cities have a Fire Department each of which has its own officers and companies.
Many of the companies were founded by resident members of European colonies such as the Germans, British, Spanish, French and Italians.
Specific for Croatia is also the engagement of 1.000 season fire-fighters and additional fire-fighting units on islands to protect them from wildland fires in summer.
Fire-fighting interventions are carried out by:
- 1835 volunteer fire fighting units in municipalities and cities
- 56 volunteer industrial fire fighting units
- 61 public city fire fighting units (professional)
- 34 professional industrial fire fighting units
- 4 intervention units of the Ministry of internal affairs
- Special fire-fighting forces and forces of the anti-fire escadrille of the Ministery of Defense (6 Canaders CL 415, 6 Air-tractors 802 A Fire Boss and helicopters of the type Mi-8 and 117-S of the Croatian army).
Every municipality has to perform a risk analysis and based on this maintain a competent fire fighting service. The fire department itself can be run as any one of the following:
All fire fighters (brandmænd) have the same training, no matter if they are volunteers, full time professionals or public or private employees. The training takes 5 weeks and can be taken in several fire fighting schools all over the country.
firefighters (palomiehet) are organised into professional, half-ordinary and voluntary fire brigades.
Professional firefighters in Finland graduate from one of the two firefighting schools in Finland.
Firefighters in half-ordinary and voluntary fire brigades are trained volunteers.
There are approximately 85,000 emergency missions a year in Finland, of which fires account for 18%. According to the Ministry of the Interior, Finnish fire brigades extinguish around 12,000 fires every year. Voluntary fire brigades have a remarkable role in the fire rescue service and cover a large part of Finland's area.
and of solidarity amongst the population. The Professional Fire Brigade (SPP, sapeur-pompier professionnel) numbers over 30,000 firefighters, employed by the départements and working in shifts. In some towns there is a mixture of professionals and volunteers, in others only one or the other.
In Paris and Marseille
, the fire brigades are made up of military personnel, but under the control of the Ministry of the Interior in a similar way to the Gendarmes. The Paris Fire Brigade
(BSPP) has around 7,000 firefighters, and the Marseille Marine Fire Battalion
(BMPM) has over 2,000.
French firefighters tackle over 3.6 million incidents each year:
With the SAMU
(French EMS
), they are the backbone of the French civil defense
.
(Feuerwehr) are organized on a town/village basis, with each town having at least one brigade. In Germany there are about 25,000 local brigades - 24,000 volunteer fire brigades (Freiwillige Feuerwehr), 800 private fire brigades with public accreditation (Werkfeuerwehr), which mostly protect large industrial complexes or airports, many private fire brigades with no public accreditation (Betriebsfeuerwehr), and 100 public fire brigades (Berufsfeuerwehr) compulsory by law for large towns and cities. However, public brigades are often supported by and cooperate with volunteer brigades. Some volunteer brigades also have a small core of full-time firefighters paid by local community funds. Volunteer fire brigades are usually structured in three brigade categories (Grundausstattung, Stützpunktfeuerwehren, Schwerpunktfeuerwehren) depending on size and level of equipment. Some German fire brigades not only have firefighters, but also ambulance crews. They are estimated to have a total of 1,300,000 active members.
. As of 14 May 2005, there are 8,675 uniformed personnel (including ambulancemen/ambulancewomen) and 676 civilian members. Fire Services also provides fire services to Hong Kong International Airport
. Government Flying Service provides aerial fire fighting capabilities.
The head of HKFSD is called the Director but not the Commissioner
. Assisted by the Deputy Director, the Director of the HKFSD is the head of three Operational Fire Commands: Hong Kong, Kowloon
and N.T.
(i.e. The three Districts). Each of the Commands is under the control of the Chief Fire Officer(CFO)
. In reality, there is one additional Command: The Heartquarters(HQ), which is under control of the CFO(HQ).
See here for more information.
.
See: Mumbai Fire Brigade
is the sole authority in control of firefighting across the entire country. It also provides rescue services for victims of terrorism, car accidents, and dangerous substance spillages. There are 24 metro regions with central major fire stations along with smaller, supplemental stations in neighboring villages and cities. The Israel fire and rescue services consists of about 1,200 paid, professional firefighers and 200-400 volunteers. Israel also has 6 Hazardous Materials units, although almost all Israeli firefighters are certified at hazardous materials response and handling, many of them receiving training in world-class facilities in the Netherlands.
are provided on a county-by-county, local authority basis. Apart from a small number of full-time brigades, most fire services operate a retained
duty system, where firefighters are alerted to the fire station by a pager/alerter system. Retained firefighters are typically on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week apart from pre-arranged leave. Management and fire prevention
duties (inspections, building assessment etc.) are carried out by a small number of senior officers in each county, usually between 4 and 10 depending on size and population.
An Irish fire brigade attends a wide variety of incidents, spanning from fire calls to flooding incidents to extrication of trapped victims at road incidents. This means that a wide variety of equipment is carried on the first-turnout appliance (ladders, hose, breathing apparatus and extrication equipment as well as a vehicle mounted pump and a 1800 litre water tank), whilst more specialised vehicles - water tankers, rescue tenders, high reach appliances etc. - are stationed at strategic locations.
At border areas, such as Donegal
, Louth
and so on, local agreements are in place with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
in relation to attending incidents.
Japan's first fire service was founded in 1629 during the Edo era, and was called Hikeshi (Japanese: 火消し, lit. Firefighter). During the Meiji Period, when Japan opened its doors to the West, the Hikeshi was merged into the police department. During this time period, pumps were imported and domestically produced, and modern firefighting strategies were introduced. In 1948, after World War II, a municipality fire service system was established.
Today, fire services are organized on a city/town/village basis. There are 894 fire headquarters (Japanese: 消防本部) and 3,598 volunteer fire corps (Japanese: 消防団). These have a total of 155,000 active career firefighters and 21,000 vehicles with 4,800 fire houses; 920,000 volunteer firefighters share an additional 51,000 trucks.
, Macau
has their own fire department, Corpo de Bombeiros de Macau
and trained like their Western counterparts. The fire department also provides fire and rescue services to Macau International Airport
.
standard. This makes mutual assistance between regions simple to coordinate. Unlike some other countries the ambulance service is completely separated from the fire service, although the control centre is usually shared.
About 75% of all firefighters are volunteers, the rest are professional firefighters. Although most firefighters in the Netherlands are volunteers, they all get paid. Volunteers get a small amount of money to compensate the costs, because they have to leave their jobs and take risks.
The appearance of emergency vehicles is standardized in order to keep them optimally recognisable for other road users.
The basic first response unit is an engine manned by a crew of six, a commander, a driver, an attack-team and a water supply
team. Aerial ladder or tower trucks are dispatched when needed. Because it is impractical to build trucks to carry all the possible types, all regional fire services across the nation use a standardized type of containers. These containers are transported by special trucks. The containers are built for specific purposes. There are containers with command and control, hydraulic submersible pumps (up to 8000 litres per minute), hoseline (up to 3 km of 150-mm hose), watertank, foam
tank, decontamination
, Hazmat
, breathing apparatus, technical rescue, etc.
. The Commission ensures coverage through all jurisidictions nationwide and reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Fire Protection for urban
areas is provided by the New Zealand Fire Service
. This nationwide organisation was established by the Fire Service Act 1975 from the various City/Regional/District urban fire brigades in existence at the time. The Fire Service Act nationalised the service and provided the statutory authority
required to fight and prevent fire and to respond to other emergencies, including hazardous substance incidents and motor-vehicle collisions.
The NZFS has a significant role in Urban Search and Rescue
and contributes key resources to New Zealand's three USAR teams, based in Auckland
, Palmerston North
and Christchurch
. They also provide first-response medical services as a backup to local Ambulance Services (especially in rural areas) and members of the Fire Police
often assist the Police at emergency scenes.
In rural areas the National Rural Fire Authority is responsible for providing fire response, as covered by the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977. Rural Fire Brigades are operated by City and District Councils, where each District appoints a Rural Fire Officer who reports to the National Rural Fire Officer, who reports to the NZFSC.
Other participants in the New Zealand Fire Service Commission are the New Zealand Defence Force
(responsible for fires on Military land) and the Department of Conservation (Responsible for fires in National Parks). Privately owned forestry areas are responsible for providing their own firefighting means.
There is much cooperation between the various firefighting resources in New Zealand, but it is recognised that current legislation is not very flexible - there are loopholes in the areas of funding and legal liability, among others. The Department of Internal Affairs is currently in the process of reviewing legislation for Fire and Rescue services in New Zealand, with a view to rewriting both the Fire Service Act and the Forest and Rural Fires Act.
Specialist forest fire fighters from New Zealand are often requested to provide assistance at wildfire
events in Australia and the United States, where their skills in incident management
are utilised within the Incident Command System
.
began in the 1870s and was officially inaugurated on November 28, 1887. Paid firefighters did not appear until May 1, 1909. Fire protection services are divided into regional zones each with its own independent institution. They are overseen by a council of zone directors for the fire departments of the entire country. Zone 1 encompasses Panama City
and its suburbs. It has about 300 permanent, paid firefighters and twice as many volunteers.
. Aerial firefighting
is widely used, especially in the forest. Video-based fire surveillance and remote monitoring systems for real-life application are used, besides fire surveillance outposts placed in strategic locations. Legislation regarding the installation and maintenance of fire detection and control in buildings is enforced. Like all the other EU member states, in which under a European Union
civil-protection programme, the European Commission
manages requests for help with a natural disaster and keeps tabs on what resources are available in which member state, Portugal is ready to offer support in firefighting operations in the European Union.
A uniformed organization under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the SCDF provides ambulance, firefighting and emergency response services in Singapore. It also plays a major role in the Republic's disaster relief operations.
has many similarities with firefighting in Austria, because of the historical influence. The emphasis is on volunteer fire department
s which are non-profit organization by the law. As of 2008, there are 1295 volunteer fire departments and 68 industrial voluntary fire departments with more than 133,000 voluntary firefighters which represent the backbone of firefighting service in Slovenia. The activity of the volunteer fire departments is financially supported by local community, but fire departments are also allowed to collect private donations. The voluntary fire departments are also heavily involved in community activities, especially in smaller towns and villages. The general organization of voluntary firefighting service is named Gasilska zveza Slovenije.
In addition to voluntary firefighters there are also 34 career fire departments (13 of them provide public fire service in bigger cities, the rest of them on main airport
s and big industrial facilities, including power plants) with more than 900 firefighters. These professional firefighters are financially supported by the employers (in industry and at the airports), but public fire departments are supported by the Slovenian Ministry of Defense
.
Both voluntary and professional firefighters must undergo a formal training to become qualified for the firefighting duty.
and Madrid
which have their own brigades.
The Fire Brigade of Valencia
is famous for having created an NGO called Bomberos Sin Fronteras (Firefighters Without Borders) which helps in any natural disaster that could happen anywhere in the world.
are based in large cities such as Colombo
, Kandy
, etc. These units come under the control of each municipal council. Some towns have smaller units.
All major airports and harbors maintain their own fire brigades with specialized units and training.
or county
basis, mainly owing to the reorganisation of the counties in 1974. In Scotland
and Wales
they are on a regional basis, with eight and three FRS respectively. Northern Ireland
has a single brigade, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
. The term fire brigade is largely historical with only a few FRS, including the London Fire Brigade
keeping it in use. The gradual change to the term fire and rescue service has been reinforced by new legislation including the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
which mostly applies to England and Wales. The equivalent legislation in Scotland is the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
. In rural areas, there are often fire stations manned by part-time retained firefighters. In addition there are a number of independent fire services, such as the Peterborough
volunteers, the Downe House School brigade and those run by large industrial concerns. As well as responding to emergencies, UK FRS also have a legal obligation by various acts of parliament covering different parts of the UK, to respond to any emergency, which can pose a threat to life, and the environment. Dealing with Urban Search and Rescue
incidents was incorporated into English law in 2007, FRS are required by law to deal with An emergency involving the collapse of a building or other structure..
U.S. firefighters work under the auspices of fire departments (also commonly called fire protection districts, fire divisions, fire companies, fire bureaus, and fire-rescue). These departments are generally organized as local or county government subsidiaries, special-purpose district
entities or not-for-profit corporations. They may be funded by the parent government, through millage, fees for services, fundraising or charitable contributions. Some state governments and the federal government operate fire departments to protect their wildlands, e.g., California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CAL FIRE), New Jersey
Forest Fire Service, USDA Forest Service – Fire and Aviation Management (see also Smokejumper
). Many military installations, major airports and large industrial facilities also operate their own fire departments.
A small number of U.S. fire departments are privatized
, that is, operated by for-profit corporations on behalf of public entities. Port Columbus International Airport
in Columbus, Ohio
is among the largest public entities protected by privatized fire departments.
Most larger urban areas have career firefighters. Most rural areas have volunteer or paid on-call firefighters. Smaller towns and suburban areas may have either. 74% of career firefighters are in departments that protect 25,000 or more people. 95% of volunteer firefighters are in departments that protect fewer than 25,000 people and more than half of these and are in small, rural departments protecting fewer than 2,500 people. Departments range in size from a handful of firefighters to over 11,400 sworn firefighters and 4,600 additional personnel in the New York City Fire Department
. These additional personnel include uniformed emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics
. Many U.S. fire depeartments have emergency medical service
corps (EMS), which may be structurally separate from or combined with their firefighting operations, including firefighters cross-trained as EMTs and paramedics.
As of 2007, there were 1,148,500 firefighters in the United States.¹ Of these, 28% are career and 72% are volunteer. These firefighters operate out of 30,185 fire departments. Career firefighters represent 13% of all departments but protect 62% of the U.S. population. Meanwhile 87% of fire departments are volunteer or mostly volunteer and protect 38% of the population. Source: U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association
The Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY) provides information, education and training for the volunteer fire and emergency medical services throughout New York State.
U.S. fire departments are usually structured in a paramilitary manner. Firefighters are sworn, uniformed members of their departments. Rank-and-file firefighters are equivalent to enlisted personnel; supervisory firefighters are command officers with ranks such as Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief and Chief. Fire departments, especially larger ones, may also be organized into military-style echelons, such as companies, battalions and divisions. Fire departments may also have unsworn or non-uniformed members in non-firefighting capacities such as administration and civilian oversight, e.g., a board of commissioners. While adhering to a paramilitary command structure, most fire departments operate on a much less formal basis than the military.
Firefighting in the United States is becoming more of a profession
than it once was. Historically, especially in smaller departments, little formal training of firefighters was required. Now, most states require both career and volunteer firefighters to complete a certificate program at a fire academy. Associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs in firefighting disciplines are available at colleges and universities. Such advanced training is becoming a de facto prerequisite for command in larger departments. The U.S. Fire Administration operates the National Fire Academy, which also provides specialized firefighter training.
, there are several types of fire brigades, which are often divided by jurisdiction. The two main types of fire brigades here are State or Municipal brigades, with many volunteer units existing as well. One of the most important paid fire departments in Venezuela is the Bomberos Metropolitanos de Caracas (Caracas Metropolitan Firefighters).
A fourth type, the University brigade, takes care of any emergency situation on a university
campus. These brigades are a rapidly growing trend in Venezuela. An example of such a force is Cuerpo de Bomberos Universitarios de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela Central University's Firefighter Brigade), which has more than 40 years of service and combined experience. There are new institutions growing in other universities, such as the Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios de la Universidad Simón Bolívar (Simón Bolívar University's Volunteer Firefighter Brigade).
Vietnam Firefighting Force has important roles in managing, organizing and commanding tasks of fire.
Vietnam Firefighting Force is established on 27th September, 1961.
Vietnam Firefighting Force is under command of Ministry of Public Security (Vietnam).
Each province of Vietnam has a Fire Office and each local area has a Fire Unit.
Australia
In Australia, fire services are state/territory organisations.In several states, there are three principal fire burning organisations. One is salaried and (primarily) handles urban areas one is (primarily) volunteer and (primarily) handles rural areas and the other is government managed public land (mainly forests and plantations).
In the Australian Capital Territory:
- Australian Capital Territory Fire BrigadeAustralian Capital Territory Fire BrigadeThe ACT Fire and Rescue is the urban fire and rescue service for the Australian Capital Territory. It along with the ACT Ambulance Service, ACT State Emergency Service and ACT Rural Fire Service are part of the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency .- Stations, vehicles and special...
- ACT Rural Fire Service
In New South Wales:
- New South Wales Fire BrigadesNew South Wales Fire BrigadesFire and Rescue NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is responsible for firefighting, rescue and hazmat services in the major cities, metropolitan areas and towns across rural and regional New South Wales...
- Rural Fire Service
In the Northern Territory:
- Northern Territory Fire and Rescue ServiceNorthern Territory Fire and Rescue ServiceNorthern Territory Fire and Rescue Service, or NTFRS, is the primary provider of fire and rescue services throughout the 1.35 million square km Northern Territory of Australia...
- Bushfires NT
In Queensland :
- Queensland Fire and Rescue ServiceQueensland Fire and Rescue ServiceThe Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is the primary provider of fire suppression and life rescue services to the residents and visitors to the state of Queensland, Australia....
- Rural Fire Service Queensland
In South Australia
- Country Fire ServiceCountry Fire ServiceThe SA Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the state of South Australia in Australia. Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated whilst at the same time they are under significant risk of bushfire. Due to economics, it is prohibitively expensive for each Australian town...
- Metropolitan Fire ServiceMetropolitan Fire ServiceThe South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service is South Australia's government-funded fire service.The South Australian Fire Brigade was formed in 1882, following passing of the Fire Brigades Act.In 1981 the service was renamed to SAMFS when it became government funded.The MFS has 35 fire stations...
In Tasmania
- Tasmania Fire ServiceTasmania Fire ServiceThe Tasmania Fire Service was created in 1979 following the passing of the 'Fire Service Act 1979' on the 1st Of November 1979.It involved abolishing the State Fire Authority, the Rural Fires Board and 22 Urban Fire Brigades....
In Victoria:
- Country Fire AuthorityCountry Fire AuthorityCountry Fire Authority, or CFA, is the name of the fire service that provides firefighting and other emergency services to all of the country areas and regional townships within the state of Victoria, Australia, as well as large portions of the outer suburban areas and growth corridors of Melbourne...
- Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Melbourne)Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Melbourne)The Metropolitan Fire Brigade , also known as the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, provides firefighting, rescue, and hazardous material incident response services to the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
- Department of Sustainability & Environment
In Western Australia, FESA
Fesa
Fesa tricolor is a species of harvestmen in a monotypic genus in the family Sclerosomatidae....
is the overarching body. The fire services consist of:
- Career Fire and Rescue Service - salaried staff. Abbreviated to FRS or CFRS.
- Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service. Abbreviated to VFRS.
- Volunteer Bush Fire Service. Abbreviated to BFS.
- Volunteer Fire Service - VFRS and BFS combined and abbreviated to VFS.
- Volunteer Emergency Service Brigades - VFRS, BFS, State Emergency ServiceState Emergency ServiceA State Emergency Service is an Australian volunteer organisation that provides emergency help during and after declared disasters. The SES is also the primary or secondary agency for emergencies, such as storm damage,flood damage, building damage, traffic hazards and road crash rescue...
and/or Volunteer Marine Rescue. Abbreviated to VES and previously called FESA units.
FESA funds the CFRS and VFRS vehicles, stations, equipment and training. Local government funds the others. Money for local government is sourced through the Emergency Services Levy.
Austria
The structure in Austria is similar to Germany. There are just 6 career fire services in Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Linz. As of 2007, some 4,527 volunteer fire departments, the back-bone of the Austrian fire service, could rely on about 320,000 men and women voluntary firefighters as active members. Fire departments exist in even the smallest Austrian villages, where they contribute to community life, usually by organizing fairs and other fund-raising activities. But also larger departments in towns from a few thousand to up to 100,000 inhabitants still largely rely on volunteers, yet some are nowadays forced to have one or more de facto career firefighters, employed by the municipality and possibly reinforced by young men who chose community service instead of the still-compulsory military service, for daily maintenance duties and to increase the availability of personnel during working hours. This is necessary, as such larger departments usually have to deal with several hundred interventions per year. In addition to volunteers and career departments, some 328 companies are required by law to run their own fire service, which may be manned by career firefighters and/or part timers who normally work on ordinary jobs in the company. This includes major airports, oil refineries, petro-chemical factories and many other businesses, even hospitals and clinics. Those departments are usually integrated in the contingency plans of the area and may therefore be called upon for reinforcing the volunteer departments outside the company grounds as well.Brazil
In Brazil, fire services are militarized like the Sapeurs-pompiers of France. Each state has its own Military Firefighters Corps (in Portuguese: Corpo de Bombeiros Militar). Cities of southern Brazil, with traditional German communities, have volunteer firefighters since nineteenth century.Canada
Large cities and most towns have full-time fire departments and firefighters (Service de sécurité incendie and pompiers in Quebec and other French speaking areas in Canada). Smaller towns and other municipalities employ part-time volunteer firefighters. All municipal fire departments are publicly operated. Private companies do operate for fire protection on private property (mostly aerospace companies and refineries). Airport fire departments are operated by local airport authorities with assistance from local departments if needed. The Department of National DefenceDepartment of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
has its own firefighters on Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
bases for security reasons. Some provinces have designated firefighting crews specially equipped to handle forest fires.
China
Most fire departments (fire brigades) are provincial agencies (e.g. General Fire Brigade of GuangdongGeneral Fire Brigade of Guangdong
General Fire Brigade of Guangdong is a fire-fighting unit in Guangdong province and under the order of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China....
) in China with acceptions in like Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
have their own separate fire services. Airports in China also have their own departments.
Chile
In ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, firefighters are called "Bomberos". They are volunteers. They also must finance the acquisition
Procurement
Procurement is the acquisition of goods or services. It is favourable that the goods/services are appropriate and that they are procured at the best possible cost to meet the needs of the purchaser in terms of quality and quantity, time, and location...
, maintenance
Maintenance, Repair and Operations
Maintenance, repair, and operations or maintenance, repair, and overhaul involves fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it become out of order or broken...
and operation of their buildings and equipment (including firetrucks
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
) rather than rely upon government allocations. All the officers are democratically elected by the volunteers. The government does not finance specialization courses for firefighters. Instead, they have to pay for it on their own. 'Bomberos' is the name given for the firefighters in most Spanish speaking countries.
Founded in 1851, Valparaíso's Fire Department is the oldest. Following are the Santiago Fire Department established in 1863 and Viña del Mar Fire Department in 1884. Now all cities have a Fire Department each of which has its own officers and companies.
Many of the companies were founded by resident members of European colonies such as the Germans, British, Spanish, French and Italians.
- Bomberos de Chile
- Santiago Bomberos
- First Santiago Bomberos Company
- Fourteenth Santiago Bomberos Company
- Fifteenth Santiago Bomberos Company
- Eighteenth Santiago Bomberos Company
- Nineteenth Santiago Bomberos Company, in Lo Barnechea.
- Twentieth Santiago Bomberos Company
Croatia
According to the Croatian constitution, fire-fighting is matter of local municipalities. Professional and volunteer fire-fighters are equal regarding the fulfilling their duties, but the professional fire-fighting units work on bases of the Law of Public Institutions, and the volunteer fire-fighting units on bases of the Law of Associations of Citizens. Additional 4 fire-fighting intervention-units work in 4 coastal counties in Dalmatia, and all fire-fighting units are commanded during the summer by the Center in Divulje near Split, all part of the National Directorate for protection and safety.Specific for Croatia is also the engagement of 1.000 season fire-fighters and additional fire-fighting units on islands to protect them from wildland fires in summer.
Fire-fighting interventions are carried out by:
- 1835 volunteer fire fighting units in municipalities and cities
- 56 volunteer industrial fire fighting units
- 61 public city fire fighting units (professional)
- 34 professional industrial fire fighting units
- 4 intervention units of the Ministry of internal affairs
- Special fire-fighting forces and forces of the anti-fire escadrille of the Ministery of Defense (6 Canaders CL 415, 6 Air-tractors 802 A Fire Boss and helicopters of the type Mi-8 and 117-S of the Croatian army).
Denmark
In Denmark fire fighting is, by law, a municipal task. Every municipal council are responsible for providing fire fighting and rescue services. The only requirements according to the law for this fire service are that the vehicles have to be manned with the necessary crew for the task at hand and they have to be on the way within 5 minutes after the alarm has come in.Every municipality has to perform a risk analysis and based on this maintain a competent fire fighting service. The fire department itself can be run as any one of the following:
- A public fire department managed and run by the municipality either full time or part time.
- A volunteer fire department contracted by the municipality
- Arrangement with neighbouring municipalities
- Outsourced to a private company (e.g. FalckFalck (Denmark)Falck A/S is a Nordic-based organisation with activities in most areas of Europe and representation on three continents. The four business areas: Healthcare, Assistance, Training and Emergency together make up Falck’s business...
) - Contract with the government run Danish Emergency Management AgencyDanish Emergency Management AgencyThe Danish Emergency Management Agency is a Danish governmental agency under the Ministry of Defence. Its principal task is to manage an operational part who work out of six Emergency Management Centres, and administrative and legalizing part, who supervises the national and municipal rescue...
(DEMA), DEMA has stations in 5 locations scattered over the country.
All fire fighters (brandmænd) have the same training, no matter if they are volunteers, full time professionals or public or private employees. The training takes 5 weeks and can be taken in several fire fighting schools all over the country.
Finland
FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
firefighters (palomiehet) are organised into professional, half-ordinary and voluntary fire brigades.
Professional firefighters in Finland graduate from one of the two firefighting schools in Finland.
Firefighters in half-ordinary and voluntary fire brigades are trained volunteers.
There are approximately 85,000 emergency missions a year in Finland, of which fires account for 18%. According to the Ministry of the Interior, Finnish fire brigades extinguish around 12,000 fires every year. Voluntary fire brigades have a remarkable role in the fire rescue service and cover a large part of Finland's area.
France
French firefighters are called Sapeurs-Pompiers, and reflecting the rural nature of much of the country (wide areas with low density of population), the Volunteer Fire brigade (SPV, sapeur-pompier volontaire), with over 190,000 firefighters is the largest firefighting force in France. In addition to being called out from work to attend an incident, they may be on standby at firestations outside their working hours; the intervention and attending hours are paid by the session. The volunteer fire brigade is also a way to promote the culture of civil defenseCivil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
and of solidarity amongst the population. The Professional Fire Brigade (SPP, sapeur-pompier professionnel) numbers over 30,000 firefighters, employed by the départements and working in shifts. In some towns there is a mixture of professionals and volunteers, in others only one or the other.
In Paris and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, the fire brigades are made up of military personnel, but under the control of the Ministry of the Interior in a similar way to the Gendarmes. The Paris Fire Brigade
Paris Fire Brigade
The Paris Fire Brigade , is a French Army unit which serves as the fire service for Paris and certain sites of national strategic importance....
(BSPP) has around 7,000 firefighters, and the Marseille Marine Fire Battalion
Marseille Marine Fire Battalion
The Marseille Marine Fire Battalion, or in French le Bataillon de marins-pompiers de Marseille or BMPM, is the fire and rescue service for the city of Marseille....
(BMPM) has over 2,000.
French firefighters tackle over 3.6 million incidents each year:
- 10% fires,
- 10% traffic accidents (freeingVehicle extricationVehicle extrication is the process of removing the vehicle from around a person that has been involved in a motor vehicle accident, when conventional means of exit are impossible or unadvisable. A delicate approach is needed to minimize injury to the victim during the extrication...
the casualties and prehospital care as first responders), - 59% other help to people (mainly prehospital care as first responders),
- 21% other incidents (gas escapes, stuck elevators, etc.).
With the SAMU
Samu
Samu may refer to:* Samu, nickname for a Homo erectus man found in Vértesszőlős, Hungary* SAMU - Service d'Aide Médicale d'Urgence, an emergency medical service in France.* Servicio de Atencion Medica Urgente, also an emergency medical service...
(French EMS
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
), they are the backbone of the French civil defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
.
Germany
German fire brigadesGerman fire department
The Feuerwehr is a number of German fire departments. The responsible body for operating and equipping fire departments are the German communities and cities . By law, they are required to operate a fire-fighting force including Emergency medical services in numbers corresponding to the...
(Feuerwehr) are organized on a town/village basis, with each town having at least one brigade. In Germany there are about 25,000 local brigades - 24,000 volunteer fire brigades (Freiwillige Feuerwehr), 800 private fire brigades with public accreditation (Werkfeuerwehr), which mostly protect large industrial complexes or airports, many private fire brigades with no public accreditation (Betriebsfeuerwehr), and 100 public fire brigades (Berufsfeuerwehr) compulsory by law for large towns and cities. However, public brigades are often supported by and cooperate with volunteer brigades. Some volunteer brigades also have a small core of full-time firefighters paid by local community funds. Volunteer fire brigades are usually structured in three brigade categories (Grundausstattung, Stützpunktfeuerwehren, Schwerpunktfeuerwehren) depending on size and level of equipment. Some German fire brigades not only have firefighters, but also ambulance crews. They are estimated to have a total of 1,300,000 active members.
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Fire Services Department (HKFSD) not only has firefighters, but ambulance crewsAmbulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
. As of 14 May 2005, there are 8,675 uniformed personnel (including ambulancemen/ambulancewomen) and 676 civilian members. Fire Services also provides fire services to Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...
. Government Flying Service provides aerial fire fighting capabilities.
The head of HKFSD is called the Director but not the Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
. Assisted by the Deputy Director, the Director of the HKFSD is the head of three Operational Fire Commands: Hong Kong, Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
and N.T.
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
(i.e. The three Districts). Each of the Commands is under the control of the Chief Fire Officer(CFO)
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....
. In reality, there is one additional Command: The Heartquarters(HQ), which is under control of the CFO(HQ).
See here for more information.
Hungary
Some 7000 firemen are serving in Hungary at fire brigade unites founded by Ödön Széchenyi. Most of them are professional municipal firemen who are paid from month to month for their services. They generally work at 24/48-hour shifts, occasionally at 24/72. The second largest number of firemen can be found in the volunteer fire brigades. In Hungary volunteer fire brigades are common organisations established by a local government and a firemen's association. The third section are the unites employed in the industrial estabilshments. These units may be employed fulltime or parttime. Their regulation and order of duty (in case of full-time employed) is according to the professional municipal firemen and the level of safety more specialized to the characteristics of the establishment. One of the biggest establishment fire brigade units in the country, world-famous through its firefighting practices, is the FER TV association, operated and sustained by MOL Co. petrol industry in SzázhalombattaSzázhalombatta
Százhalombatta is a town in Pest county, Hungary. The name of this town in Hungarian literally means "One hundred tumuli" referring to the tumulus field at the edge of the town.- History :...
.
India
In India municipalities are bound by law to have a fire brigade and participate in a regional fire service. Each city has its own fire brigade. All the industrial corporations also have their own firefighting service. Each airport and seaport has its own firefighting units. The main functions of firefighting service in India are provision of fire protection and of services during emergencies, such as building collapses, drowning cases, gas leakage, oil spillage, road and rail accidents, bird and animal rescues, fallen trees, appropriate action during natural calamities, and providing consultancy in implementing fire protection and fire safety in industries and high rise buildings and other buildings having special fire risks, etc.See: Mumbai Fire Brigade
Mumbai Fire Brigade
The Mumbai Fire Brigade is responsible for the provision of fire protection in the City of Greater Mumbai as well as responding to building collapses, drowning cases, gas leakage, oil spillage, road and rail accidents, bird and animal rescues, fallen trees and taking appropriate action during...
Israel
In Israel, the Israel Fire and Rescue ServicesIsrael Fire and Rescue Services
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services is the Israeli state organization for fire fighting and rescuing. The organisation also provides rescue services from terror attacks, car accident and dangerous substance spillages, along with Magen David Adom, the National EMS. They are also involved in public...
is the sole authority in control of firefighting across the entire country. It also provides rescue services for victims of terrorism, car accidents, and dangerous substance spillages. There are 24 metro regions with central major fire stations along with smaller, supplemental stations in neighboring villages and cities. The Israel fire and rescue services consists of about 1,200 paid, professional firefighers and 200-400 volunteers. Israel also has 6 Hazardous Materials units, although almost all Israeli firefighters are certified at hazardous materials response and handling, many of them receiving training in world-class facilities in the Netherlands.
Republic of Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, fire servicesFire Services
Fire Services is a Hong Kong football team. The majority of the players are working for the Fire Services Department in Hong Kong and playing for the club on an amateur basis.-Honours:* Hong Kong Viceroy Cup** Runners-up : 1969–70...
are provided on a county-by-county, local authority basis. Apart from a small number of full-time brigades, most fire services operate a retained
Retained firefighter
A retained firefighter, also known as a Firefighter working the Retained Duty System , RDS Firefighter, part-time firefighter or on-call firefighter, in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a professional firefighter who may have full-time employment outside of the fire service but responds to...
duty system, where firefighters are alerted to the fire station by a pager/alerter system. Retained firefighters are typically on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week apart from pre-arranged leave. Management and fire prevention
Fire prevention
Fire Prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public to take precautions to prevent fires, and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by them. Many fire departments have a Fire...
duties (inspections, building assessment etc.) are carried out by a small number of senior officers in each county, usually between 4 and 10 depending on size and population.
An Irish fire brigade attends a wide variety of incidents, spanning from fire calls to flooding incidents to extrication of trapped victims at road incidents. This means that a wide variety of equipment is carried on the first-turnout appliance (ladders, hose, breathing apparatus and extrication equipment as well as a vehicle mounted pump and a 1800 litre water tank), whilst more specialised vehicles - water tankers, rescue tenders, high reach appliances etc. - are stationed at strategic locations.
At border areas, such as Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
and so on, local agreements are in place with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Northern Ireland. The NIFRS is overseen by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board, which in turn is subordinate to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety...
in relation to attending incidents.
Japan
Today, fire services are organized on a city/town/village basis. There are 894 fire headquarters (Japanese: 消防本部) and 3,598 volunteer fire corps (Japanese: 消防団). These have a total of 155,000 active career firefighters and 21,000 vehicles with 4,800 fire houses; 920,000 volunteer firefighters share an additional 51,000 trucks.
Macau
Like Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
has their own fire department, Corpo de Bombeiros de Macau
Corpo de Bombeiros de Macau
Corpo de Bombeiros de Macau or Macau Corps of Firefighters is responsible for fire and rescue services in Macau. The current civilian agency CDBM was formed in 1999, but fire brigades dates back to 1851. The department is organized under the Macau Security Force...
and trained like their Western counterparts. The fire department also provides fire and rescue services to Macau International Airport
Macau International Airport
- Cargo airlines :The following cargo airlines serve Macau International Airport :*Air Macau*EVA Air Cargo*Shanghai Airlines Cargo*Singapore Airlines Cargo- Other Tenants :* Macau Customs Service...
.
The Netherlands
In The Netherlands municipalities are bound by law to have a fire brigade and participate in a regional fire service. The local brigade is responsible for responding to all incidents; the regional fire service provides a control centre and operates the special vehicles. There are 25 "safety Regions". These regions' boundaries are the same for fire, police and ambulance service and most regions have a combined control centre. The regions are self-contained and can cope with most incidents, in extreme circumstances other regions will provide assistance. All emergency services rely on a single modern digital national communications network based on the TetraTerrestrial Trunked Radio
Terrestrial Trunked Radio is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification...
standard. This makes mutual assistance between regions simple to coordinate. Unlike some other countries the ambulance service is completely separated from the fire service, although the control centre is usually shared.
About 75% of all firefighters are volunteers, the rest are professional firefighters. Although most firefighters in the Netherlands are volunteers, they all get paid. Volunteers get a small amount of money to compensate the costs, because they have to leave their jobs and take risks.
The appearance of emergency vehicles is standardized in order to keep them optimally recognisable for other road users.
The basic first response unit is an engine manned by a crew of six, a commander, a driver, an attack-team and a water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
team. Aerial ladder or tower trucks are dispatched when needed. Because it is impractical to build trucks to carry all the possible types, all regional fire services across the nation use a standardized type of containers. These containers are transported by special trucks. The containers are built for specific purposes. There are containers with command and control, hydraulic submersible pumps (up to 8000 litres per minute), hoseline (up to 3 km of 150-mm hose), watertank, foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
tank, decontamination
Decontamination
Decontamination is the process of cleansing the human body to remove contamination by hazardous materials including chemicals, radioactive substances, and infectious material...
, Hazmat
Hazmat suit
A hazmat suit is a garment worn as protection from hazardous materials or substances. A hazmat suit is generally combined with breathing apparatus for protection and may be used by firefighters, emergency personnel responding to toxic spills, researchers, specialists cleaning up contaminated...
, breathing apparatus, technical rescue, etc.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, fire protection services are overseen by the New Zealand Fire Service CommissionNew Zealand Fire Service Commission
The New Zealand Fire Service Commission is the overseeing authority controlling the New Zealand Fire Service and the New Zealand National Rural Fire Authority...
. The Commission ensures coverage through all jurisidictions nationwide and reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Fire Protection for urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
areas is provided by the New Zealand Fire Service
New Zealand Fire Service
The New Zealand Fire Service is New Zealand's national fire fighting body. While its founding legislation, the Fire Service Act 1975, only provides for this role, the organisation has assumed responsibility for several other areas.-Strategic Direction:The New Zealand Fire Service has defined for...
. This nationwide organisation was established by the Fire Service Act 1975 from the various City/Regional/District urban fire brigades in existence at the time. The Fire Service Act nationalised the service and provided the statutory authority
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a 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, decided by courts, and regulations...
required to fight and prevent fire and to respond to other emergencies, including hazardous substance incidents and motor-vehicle collisions.
The NZFS has a significant role in Urban Search and Rescue
Urban search and rescue
Urban search and rescue involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces due to natural disasters, structural collapse, transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.USAR teams in different countries may be organised in a...
and contributes key resources to New Zealand's three USAR teams, based in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
and Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. They also provide first-response medical services as a backup to local Ambulance Services (especially in rural areas) and members of the Fire Police
Fire Police
Fire Police are Volunteer Fire Brigade/Company members who have sworn police powers. They receive special police training and are responsible for traffic control, crowd control, fire and incident scene security, apparatus security, and station security during calls for service.They also assist...
often assist the Police at emergency scenes.
In rural areas the National Rural Fire Authority is responsible for providing fire response, as covered by the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977. Rural Fire Brigades are operated by City and District Councils, where each District appoints a Rural Fire Officer who reports to the National Rural Fire Officer, who reports to the NZFSC.
Other participants in the New Zealand Fire Service Commission are the New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force consists of three services: the Royal New Zealand Navy; the New Zealand Army; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the NZDF is His Excellency Rt. Hon...
(responsible for fires on Military land) and the Department of Conservation (Responsible for fires in National Parks). Privately owned forestry areas are responsible for providing their own firefighting means.
There is much cooperation between the various firefighting resources in New Zealand, but it is recognised that current legislation is not very flexible - there are loopholes in the areas of funding and legal liability, among others. The Department of Internal Affairs is currently in the process of reviewing legislation for Fire and Rescue services in New Zealand, with a view to rewriting both the Fire Service Act and the Forest and Rural Fires Act.
Specialist forest fire fighters from New Zealand are often requested to provide assistance at wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
events in Australia and the United States, where their skills in incident management
Incident management
Incident Management refers to the activities of an organization to identify, analyze and correct hazards. For instance, a fire in a factory would be a risk that realized, or an incident that happened...
are utilised within the Incident Command System
Incident Command System
The Incident Command System is "a systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response" according to the United States Federal Highway Administration...
.
Panama
The idea for a volunteer fire brigade in PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
began in the 1870s and was officially inaugurated on November 28, 1887. Paid firefighters did not appear until May 1, 1909. Fire protection services are divided into regional zones each with its own independent institution. They are overseen by a council of zone directors for the fire departments of the entire country. Zone 1 encompasses Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
and its suburbs. It has about 300 permanent, paid firefighters and twice as many volunteers.
Portugal
In Portugal, volunteer fire departments are established in every town: even the biggest Portuguese cities, have volunteer firefighters besides a career fire service. Well-trained and well-equipped fire departments are based in every Portuguese municipalityMunicipalities of Portugal
In Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...
. Aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
is widely used, especially in the forest. Video-based fire surveillance and remote monitoring systems for real-life application are used, besides fire surveillance outposts placed in strategic locations. Legislation regarding the installation and maintenance of fire detection and control in buildings is enforced. Like all the other EU member states, in which under a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
civil-protection programme, the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
manages requests for help with a natural disaster and keeps tabs on what resources are available in which member state, Portugal is ready to offer support in firefighting operations in the European Union.
Singapore
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (abbreviation: SCDF; Chinese: 新加坡民防部队) is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in the Republic of Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organization under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the SCDF provides ambulance, firefighting and emergency response services in Singapore. It also plays a major role in the Republic's disaster relief operations.
Slovenia
The organization of firefighting in SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
has many similarities with firefighting in Austria, because of the historical influence. The emphasis is on volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...
s which are non-profit organization by the law. As of 2008, there are 1295 volunteer fire departments and 68 industrial voluntary fire departments with more than 133,000 voluntary firefighters which represent the backbone of firefighting service in Slovenia. The activity of the volunteer fire departments is financially supported by local community, but fire departments are also allowed to collect private donations. The voluntary fire departments are also heavily involved in community activities, especially in smaller towns and villages. The general organization of voluntary firefighting service is named Gasilska zveza Slovenije.
In addition to voluntary firefighters there are also 34 career fire departments (13 of them provide public fire service in bigger cities, the rest of them on main airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s and big industrial facilities, including power plants) with more than 900 firefighters. These professional firefighters are financially supported by the employers (in industry and at the airports), but public fire departments are supported by the Slovenian Ministry of Defense
Ministry of Defence (Slovenia)
Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia , is a ministry of the Republic of Slovenia, in charge of Slovenia defense against external enemies and natural disasters....
.
Both voluntary and professional firefighters must undergo a formal training to become qualified for the firefighting duty.
Spain
Fire brigades in Spain are different in each autonomous community with the exception of BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
which have their own brigades.
The Fire Brigade of Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
is famous for having created an NGO called Bomberos Sin Fronteras (Firefighters Without Borders) which helps in any natural disaster that could happen anywhere in the world.
Sri Lanka
The fire brigades in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
are based in large cities such as Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
, etc. These units come under the control of each municipal council. Some towns have smaller units.
All major airports and harbors maintain their own fire brigades with specialized units and training.
United Kingdom
Fire and rescue services (FRS) in England are organised on a metropolitanMetropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
or county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
basis, mainly owing to the reorganisation of the counties in 1974. In Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
they are on a regional basis, with eight and three FRS respectively. Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
has a single brigade, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for Northern Ireland. The NIFRS is overseen by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board, which in turn is subordinate to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety...
. The term fire brigade is largely historical with only a few FRS, including the London Fire Brigade
London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London.Founded in 1865, it is the largest of the fire services in the United Kingdom and the fourth-largest in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, including 5,800 operational firefighters based in 112 fire...
keeping it in use. The gradual change to the term fire and rescue service has been reinforced by new legislation including the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It came into effect on 1 October 2004. It only applies to Great Britain and most provisions apply only in England and Wales...
which mostly applies to England and Wales. The equivalent legislation in Scotland is the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
The Fire Act 2005 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament made to "make provision about fire and rescue authorities and joint fire and rescue boards; to restate and amend the law in relation to fire services; to make provision in relation to the functions of such authorities and boards in connection...
. In rural areas, there are often fire stations manned by part-time retained firefighters. In addition there are a number of independent fire services, such as the Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
volunteers, the Downe House School brigade and those run by large industrial concerns. As well as responding to emergencies, UK FRS also have a legal obligation by various acts of parliament covering different parts of the UK, to respond to any emergency, which can pose a threat to life, and the environment. Dealing with Urban Search and Rescue
Urban search and rescue
Urban search and rescue involves the location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces due to natural disasters, structural collapse, transportation accidents, mines and collapsed trenches.USAR teams in different countries may be organised in a...
incidents was incorporated into English law in 2007, FRS are required by law to deal with An emergency involving the collapse of a building or other structure..
United States
Special-purpose district
Special-purpose districts or special district governments in the United States are independent governmental units that exist separately from, and with substantial administrative and fiscal independence from, general purpose local governments such as county, municipal, and township governments. As...
entities or not-for-profit corporations. They may be funded by the parent government, through millage, fees for services, fundraising or charitable contributions. Some state governments and the federal government operate fire departments to protect their wildlands, e.g., California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is the State of California's agency responsible for fire protection in State Responsibility Areas of California as well as the administration of the state's private and public forests. It is often referred to as The California Department of...
(CAL FIRE), New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Forest Fire Service, USDA Forest Service – Fire and Aviation Management (see also Smokejumper
Smokejumper
A smokejumper is a wildland firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.Smokejumpers are most often deployed to fires that are extremely remote. The risks associated with this method of personnel deployment are mitigated by an extremely well developed training program that has...
). Many military installations, major airports and large industrial facilities also operate their own fire departments.
A small number of U.S. fire departments are privatized
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
, that is, operated by for-profit corporations on behalf of public entities. Port Columbus International Airport
Port Columbus International Airport
Port Columbus International Airport , commonly shortened to Port Columbus, is a Class C international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also oversees operations at Rickenbacker International Airport and Bolton Field...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
is among the largest public entities protected by privatized fire departments.
Most larger urban areas have career firefighters. Most rural areas have volunteer or paid on-call firefighters. Smaller towns and suburban areas may have either. 74% of career firefighters are in departments that protect 25,000 or more people. 95% of volunteer firefighters are in departments that protect fewer than 25,000 people and more than half of these and are in small, rural departments protecting fewer than 2,500 people. Departments range in size from a handful of firefighters to over 11,400 sworn firefighters and 4,600 additional personnel in the New York City Fire Department
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
. These additional personnel include uniformed emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics
Paramedics in the United States
The paramedic is an allied health professional whose primary focus is to provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system. This individual possesses the complex knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and...
. Many U.S. fire depeartments have emergency medical service
Emergency medical services in the United States
Emergency Medical Services in the United States, provide out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care for those in need...
corps (EMS), which may be structurally separate from or combined with their firefighting operations, including firefighters cross-trained as EMTs and paramedics.
National Fire Protection Association
The National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments...
The Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY) provides information, education and training for the volunteer fire and emergency medical services throughout New York State.
U.S. fire departments are usually structured in a paramilitary manner. Firefighters are sworn, uniformed members of their departments. Rank-and-file firefighters are equivalent to enlisted personnel; supervisory firefighters are command officers with ranks such as Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief and Chief. Fire departments, especially larger ones, may also be organized into military-style echelons, such as companies, battalions and divisions. Fire departments may also have unsworn or non-uniformed members in non-firefighting capacities such as administration and civilian oversight, e.g., a board of commissioners. While adhering to a paramilitary command structure, most fire departments operate on a much less formal basis than the military.
Firefighting in the United States is becoming more of a profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
than it once was. Historically, especially in smaller departments, little formal training of firefighters was required. Now, most states require both career and volunteer firefighters to complete a certificate program at a fire academy. Associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs in firefighting disciplines are available at colleges and universities. Such advanced training is becoming a de facto prerequisite for command in larger departments. The U.S. Fire Administration operates the National Fire Academy, which also provides specialized firefighter training.
- This does not include firefighters who work for the state or federal government or in private fire departments.
Venezuela
In VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, there are several types of fire brigades, which are often divided by jurisdiction. The two main types of fire brigades here are State or Municipal brigades, with many volunteer units existing as well. One of the most important paid fire departments in Venezuela is the Bomberos Metropolitanos de Caracas (Caracas Metropolitan Firefighters).
A fourth type, the University brigade, takes care of any emergency situation on a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
campus. These brigades are a rapidly growing trend in Venezuela. An example of such a force is Cuerpo de Bomberos Universitarios de la Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela Central University's Firefighter Brigade), which has more than 40 years of service and combined experience. There are new institutions growing in other universities, such as the Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios de la Universidad Simón Bolívar (Simón Bolívar University's Volunteer Firefighter Brigade).
Vietnam
Vietnam Firefighting Force (Lực lượng Phòng cháy và Chữa cháy Việt Nam) is a part of Vietnam People's Public Security. It includes 4 subbranches: Fire Militia (Dân phòng Phòng cháy và Chữa cháy), Basic Firefighter (Phòng cháy và Chữa cháy Cơ sở), Special Firefighter (Phòng cháy và Chữa cháy Chuyên ngành) and Fire Police (Cảnh sát Phòng cháy và Chữa cháy).Vietnam Firefighting Force has important roles in managing, organizing and commanding tasks of fire.
Vietnam Firefighting Force is established on 27th September, 1961.
Vietnam Firefighting Force is under command of Ministry of Public Security (Vietnam).
Each province of Vietnam has a Fire Office and each local area has a Fire Unit.
See also
- Bushfire
- Country Fire ServiceCountry Fire ServiceThe SA Country Fire Service is a volunteer based fire service in the state of South Australia in Australia. Many parts of Australia are sparsely populated whilst at the same time they are under significant risk of bushfire. Due to economics, it is prohibitively expensive for each Australian town...
- FDNY
- Fire/Burglar alarmsBurglar alarmBurglar , alarms are systems designed to detect unauthorized entry into a building or area. They consist of an array of sensors, a control panel and alerting system, and interconnections...
- Fire apparatusFire apparatusA fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
- Fire Services Department (Hong Kong)Fire Services Department (Hong Kong)Hong Kong Fire Services Department of the Hong Kong Government is an emergency service responsible for fire-fighting and rescue on land and sea...
- Fire stationFire 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...
- FireboatFireboatA fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
- Fire MuseumFire MuseumFire museums, also known as firefighting museums are prevalent throughout the world. In Wales there is currently a project to open a national fire museum based on the collection of fire engines owned by the charity WAFERS . As at July 2009 a site had been identified and active fund-raising is...
- Fire safetyFire 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...
- FirefighterFirefighterFirefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
- Glossary of firefighting equipmentGlossary of firefighting equipment- A :* Adapter: plumbing accessories for connecting hoses and pipes of incompatible diameter, thread, or gender. See also reducer, increaser, double male, double female, water thief. May contain combinations, such as a double-female reducer...
- Glossary of firefighting termsGlossary of firefighting termsFirefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that...
- Glossary of wildland fire termsGlossary of wildland fire termsThe following is a glossary of wildfire terms. Except where noted, terms are taken from a 1998 Fireline Handbook transcribed for a Conflict 21 counter-terrorism studies website by the Air National Guard....
- History of firefighting
- Incident Command SystemIncident Command SystemThe Incident Command System is "a systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response" according to the United States Federal Highway Administration...
- International Association of Wildland FireInternational Association of Wildland FireThe International Association of Wildland Fire , a non-profit organization, is professional association of the wildland fire community. IAWF is an independent organization, not affiliated with any private or public agencies. It purpose is to offer a common and neutral ground for the discussion of...
- LAFD
- List of historic fires
- Leatherhead (helmet)Leatherhead (helmet)For centuries, firefighters have worn helmets to protect them from heat, cinders and falling objects.-Modern structural helmet:Modern structural helmets are worn in the United States and Canada, as well as Britain, Australia and in parts of Asia...
- SmokejumperSmokejumperA smokejumper is a wildland firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.Smokejumpers are most often deployed to fires that are extremely remote. The risks associated with this method of personnel deployment are mitigated by an extremely well developed training program that has...
- Smoke detectorSmoke detectorA smoke detector is a device that detects smoke, typically as an indicator of fire. Commercial, industrial, and mass residential devices issue a signal to a fire alarm system, while household detectors, known as smoke alarms, generally issue a local audible and/or visual alarm from the detector...
- Water tenderWater tenderA water tender, also known as a tanker in some regions, is a specialized firefighting apparatus designed for transporting water from a water source to a fire scene...
- Firemen's Association of the State of New York
- Women in firefighting
External links
- (International) FireFightingNews.com
- FireFighters Photos "bomberosenfotos.com"
- Bomberos Metropolitanos de Caracas
- Cuerpo de Bomberos Voluntarios de la Universidad Simon Bolivar
- Bomberos de Chile, the National Fire Board, the coordinating body of Chilean firefighting organisations.
- 5ª. Compañía Bomberos Voluntarios de Guatemala
- Guatemalas' Fire Department "bomberosvoluntarios.org"
- Los Angeles, CA Fire Dept. "lafd.org"
- Article on Firefighting in the USA in the German Wikipedia
- Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
- Killorglin Fire & Rescue,County Kerry, Ireland
- Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY)