Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service


The Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. The two counties consist of around 1,500 square miles, and a population of over 784,000 people.
The service was created in 1974 when The County Of Hereford Fire Brigade and The Worcester City & County Fire Brigade were merged to create The County Of Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade. The two counties were split up again in 1998 but the fire service remained, and is now run by a joint fire authority.
The service has 332 wholetime operational staff, 369 retained staff, 21 Fire Control staff, as well as about 98 non-uniformed support staff. The busiest areas of Hereford and Worcester fire & rescue is Worcester and Wyre Forest both averaging roughly 1,500 call outs a year, the least busiest areas being Peterchurch and Fownhope averaging between 10-20 callouts a year. Evesham, Peterchurch & Wyre Forest stations are also home to the fire services realistic training facilities. Retained Firefighters from Herefordshire train at Peterchurch Fire Station and The main training centre is at Droitwich fire station, and more complex training is undertaken at the Fire Service College in Moreton In Marsh. The smallest station in the area is Broadway which is a small garage sitting off a narrow lane & the largest station is Wyre Forest, which has some of the best training facilities in the UK. It's also home to 4 pumps & 6 more vehicles, including a brand new Command Unit and Drone team
Neighbouring fire services include: Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Mid and West Wales, South Wales and the West Midlands.

Shift Patterns

Wholetime

The 5 Wholetime Fire Stations within Herefordshire & Worcestershire have 1 appliance crewed 24/7 by 4 watches of; Blue, Red, Green & White, working on a shift pattern of two 9 hour day shifts and two 15 hour night shifts followed by four days off.

Day Crewed

The 3 Day Crewed Stations have 1 appliance crewed for 12 hours a day by 2 watches working on a shift pattern of four 12 hour shifts then four days off. The appliance is manned by the retained crews at night

Retained

All stations in Herefordshire & Worcester have Retained crews in which 17 are solely retained. Retained firefighters are part-time and have to live or work within 5 minutes of the station and be available for up to 120 hours a week.

Fire Stations/Appliances North District (Worcestershire)

Fire Stations/Appliances South District (Worcestershire)

Fire Stations/Appliances West District (Herefordshire)

Station CallsignStation NameDuty SystemAppliancesSpecialist SkillsShared Site
42LedburyRetained1x Scania HC HRPDrone TeamNo
43FownhopeRetained1x MAN WrL-No
44Ross-On-WyeRetained1x Scania HC HRP, 1x Scania CAFS WrL, 1x Mercedes RAVWater First RespondersNo
45WhitchurchRetained1x Scania HRP, 1x Mercedes RAV-No
46HerefordWholetime*/Day Crewed*/Retained1x MAN Wrl, 1x Scania Wrt*, 1x Scania UHRP*, 1x Scania ALP*, 1x Mercedes SWRU+IrbT*, 1x Land Rover L4V, 1x BBSwift Water Rescue TeamNo
47Ewyas HaroldRetained1x Scania HRP-No
48EardisleyRetained1x Scania WrL-No
49KingtonRetained1x Scania HRP-No
50LeintwardineRetained1x Scania HC HRPWater First RespondersNo
51KingslandRetained1x Scania HC WrLGuideline Laying TeamNo
52LeominsterRetained1x Scania HC WrL, 1x MAN HRP, 1x WRC-No
54BromyardRetained1x Iveco CA, 1x Scania HRPAAnimal Rescue Team, Water First RespondersNo
55PeterchurchRetained1x Scania HRP, 1x Scania WRC-Yes; Police

Fire Appliance Glossary/Callsigns

Pump

Standard firefighting appliance based on either
Key/Callsign = WrT - Without 135 Ladder & WrL - With 135 Ladder

Heavy Rescue Pump

A WrL with heavy cutting equipment, some also have rescue platforms instead of a 135 ladder. They are based on either
Key/Callsign = HRP

Pump/Heavy Rescue Pump With Animal Rescue

A Modified pump which has a specific locker to carry animal rescue equipment. They're based on either
Key/Callsign = WrLa, HRPA

Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) Pump/Rescue Pump

A pump or heavy rescue pump which has a modified locker or pump bay to pump specialist compressed foam. They are based on either
Key/Callsign = CAFS WrL, CAFS HRP

Ultra Heavy Rescue Pump

A Rescue Pump, that carries ultra heavy lifting gear instead of a ladder. It's currently based on
A pump which has a 3000L water tank & a 3000L portable dam & battery operated cutting gear. It is based on
Key/Callsign = HC WrT, HC WrL, HC HRP

Compact Appliance

A pump which is smaller than a standard appliance, but still carries 93% of the equipment. It is based on
Key/Callsign = : 1

Young Firefighters Tender/Training Appliance

Spare pumps that are no longer operational that are used in youth activities and core training. They are based on either
Key = YFT/TA

Reserve Pumps

The current reserve pumps are
An appliance with 4x4 capabilities to access incidents that cannot be reached with a standard appliance, they also carry a CAFS system. They're Based on
Key/Callsign = RAV

Water Carrier

An appliance loaded with a 8000L tank of water to supply at incidents with either a weak or no water source. They're based on either
Key/Callsign = WrC

Aerial Ladder Platform

An appliance with a Bronto Skylift. It is based on
an appliance used for off-road firefighting. It can also pull a Crayford Argocat and rescue boats. It's currently based on
Key = L4V, L4V+ATV

Swift Water Rescue Unit + Inshore Rescue Boat

A specialised unit & boat which is focused on water related incidents. It is based on
Key/Callsign = SWRU+IrbT

Command Support Unit

An appliance used as a Base Of Operations at large scale incidents. Its based on
Key/Callsign = CSU

Environmental Protection Unit

A specialised unit jointly operated by both the H&WFRS & the Environment Agency at incidents that affect nature and dangerous chemicals. It is based on
Key/Callsign = EPU

Incident Support Vehicle

An appliance which delivers extra equipment or personal facilities at large incidents. It is based on
Key/Callsign = ISV

Line Rescue Unit

A specialised unit loaded with mountain rescue essentials. It is based on
Key/Callsign = LiRU

High Volume Pumping Unit

A specialised unit provided by the Government to pump or remove large amounts of water at an incident. The unit consists of
Key/Callsign = PM+HVP
Key/Callsign = PM+HVHL

Fire Investigation Unit

A unit which investigates the cause of suspicious or large scale fires
Key = FIU

Red Cross Support Vehicle

A volunteer unit which cares for those affected by an incident
Key = RCSV

West Midlands Ambulance Standby

Some of the Fire Stations allocate empty appliance bays for the West Midlands Ambulace Service to standby at.
Key = WMA

Blood Bike Standby

An allocated place for blood bikers to standby inbetween calls
Key =

'SARA'

Where Hereford & Worcesters branch of Severn Area Rescue Association are located.

CBRN Response

Urban Search & Rescue (USAR)

Key/Callsign = SDU
Key/Callsign = PCV
Key/Callsign PM
Pods:

Notable Incidents