Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Encyclopedia
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service serving the county of Warwickshire
in the West Midlands region
of England
.
The service covers an area of 1,975.33 km² and a population of around 512,700 people. It employs 550 staff and has 17 fire station
s with 32 fire engines
.
The service is administered by Warwickshire County Council. Its headquarters are based in Leamington Spa
.
and was originally called Warwick County Fire Brigade.
It did not cover the cities of Coventry
or Birmingham
, which had their own fire brigades. In 1974 the service lost area to the newly created West Midlands Fire Service
.
. Up to 100 firefighters and five ambulance crews were called to the scene and up to 16 fire engines were used to tackle the blaze. Part of the structure collapsed under the intensity of the fire.
Four firefighters of the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were killed: Ian Reid who died in hospital, and Ashley Stephens, Darren Yates-Badley, and John Averis whose bodies were recovered from the debris.
In February 2011, it was announced that two Watch Managers and one Station Manager, who were all at one time in command of the incident, are to face charges of manslaughter by gross negligence over the deaths of the men. Warwickshire County Council also faces a charge of failing to ensure safety at work.
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
in the West Midlands region
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
of England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The service covers an area of 1,975.33 km² and a population of around 512,700 people. It employs 550 staff and has 17 fire station
Fire station
A 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 with 32 fire engines
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...
.
The service is administered by Warwickshire County Council. Its headquarters are based in Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
.
History
The service was created in 1948 by the Fire Services Act 1947Fire Services Act 1947
-General Arrangement of the Act:-Scotland:The FRSA 2004 extended only to England and Wales, thus leaving the FSA 1947 in force in Scotland. Most of the 1947 Act was later repealed by the FSA 2005, which left ss...
and was originally called Warwick County Fire Brigade.
It did not cover the cities of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
or Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, which had their own fire brigades. In 1974 the service lost area to the newly created West Midlands Fire Service
West Midlands Fire Service
West Midlands Fire Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of the West Midlands in England....
.
2007 warehouse fire
On 2 November 2007, crews mobilised to a major fire at a vegetable packing plant operated by Wealmoor Ltd, on an industrial estate in the village of Atherstone on StourAtherstone on Stour
Atherstone on Stour is a village and civil parish in the Stratford on Avon district of Warwickshire, England. It is located about three miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon, on the Warwickshire-Gloucestershire border and is essentially the estate village of Alscot Park...
. Up to 100 firefighters and five ambulance crews were called to the scene and up to 16 fire engines were used to tackle the blaze. Part of the structure collapsed under the intensity of the fire.
Four firefighters of the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were killed: Ian Reid who died in hospital, and Ashley Stephens, Darren Yates-Badley, and John Averis whose bodies were recovered from the debris.
In February 2011, it was announced that two Watch Managers and one Station Manager, who were all at one time in command of the incident, are to face charges of manslaughter by gross negligence over the deaths of the men. Warwickshire County Council also faces a charge of failing to ensure safety at work.
Fire stations
- Full-time stations:
- Leamington SpaLeamington SpaRoyal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
- NuneatonNuneatonNuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
- RugbyRugby, WarwickshireRugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
- Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
- Leamington Spa
- Day-crewed stations:
- AtherstoneAtherstoneAtherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.-History:...
- BedworthBedworthBedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies northwest of London, east of Birmingham, and north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, to the south, and Nuneaton, to the north.In the 2001 census the town...
- ColeshillColeshill, WarwickshireColeshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
- Atherstone
- Retained stations:
- AlcesterAlcesterAlcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
- Bidford on Avon
- Fenny ComptonFenny ComptonFenny Compton is a village and parish in Warwickshire, England, about eight miles north of Banbury. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 797. Its church of St. Peter and St. Clare was built in the 14th century...
- Henley in Arden
- KenilworthKenilworthKenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
- PolesworthPolesworthPolesworth is a large village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 8,439, inclusive of the continuous sub-villages of St Helena, Dordon and Hall End directly to the south...
- Shipston-on-StourShipston-on-StourShipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish on the River Stour about south of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. It is in the northern part of the Cotswolds, close to the boundaries with Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire....
- SouthamSouthamSoutham is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town.The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
- StudleyStudleyStudley is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Situated on the western edge of Warwickshire near the border with Worcestershire it is southeast of Redditch and northwest of Stratford. The Roman road of Ryknild Street, now the A435, passes...
- WellesbourneWellesbourneWellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of the UK. In the 2001 census the parish, which also includes the village of Walton, had a population of 5,691 Wellesbourne is a large village and civil parish in the county of Warwickshire,...
- Alcester
- Due to close:
- StudleyStudleyStudley is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Situated on the western edge of Warwickshire near the border with Worcestershire it is southeast of Redditch and northwest of Stratford. The Roman road of Ryknild Street, now the A435, passes...
- Studley
- Closed stations:
- BrinklowBrinklowBrinklow is a village and parish in the Rugby district of Warwickshire, England. It is about halfway between Rugby and Coventry, and has a population of 1,041 ....
- KinetonKinetonKineton is a village and civil parish on the River Dene in south-eastern Warwickshire, England. The village is part of Stratford-on-Avon district, and in the 2001 census it had a population of 2,278....
- TysoeTysoeTysoe is a civil parish located in Warwickshire, England, north-west of Banbury. The three main settlements in the parish, Upper, Middle and Lower Tysoe are on a hill, hence the respective village names. Upper and Middle Tysoe have now merged, whereas Lower Tysoe is still separate, a little...
- WarwickWarwickWarwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
- Brinklow
See also
- Warwickshire PoliceWarwickshire PoliceWarwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It was known as Warwickshire Constabulary until 2001. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with only 998.6 regular officers as...
- West Midlands Ambulance ServiceWest Midlands Ambulance ServiceThe West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the second-largest ambulance service in the UK. It is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.It is one of 12 Ambulance Trusts...
- West Midlands Fire ServiceWest Midlands Fire ServiceWest Midlands Fire Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of the West Midlands in England....