Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Norfolk in the east of England. The county consists of around 870,100 people and 2,074 square miles.
The Headquarters
The Headquarters of Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service is in the town of Wymondham. The full address is Operations and Communications Centre, Jubilee House, Falconers Chase, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0WW. The former headquarters, Whitegates, was commandeered for use by the National Fire Service during the Second World War and was eventually purchased by Norfolk County Council in 1950. The building was built as a family home in the late eighteenth century and has had various owners over the years. New building at the rear of the original house in recent times has replaced the coach house and stables of earlier times.Incidents
In 2014-15 the NFRS attended 7,285 incidents where 749 people were rescued and 63 fatalities. Mainly consisting of 2143 fires, 2809 special services and 2333 false alarms which required no further action. The service have noticed a reduction in the number of fires they attend, however an increasing response to Road Traffic Collisions on Norfolk's roads.Appliances
- 30 Rescue Pumps: the standard firefighting vehicle mobilised to all emergency calls. These appliances are equipped with a high-pressure two-stage main pump also capable of making foam via an onboard foam inductor system, two high-pressure hose reels, a set of rescue ladders, a light portable fire pump, four / six breathing apparatus sets, two spare breathing air cylinders and hydraulic rescue equipment, as well as other miscellaneous tools.
- 4 Heavy Rescue Pumps: very similar to the rescue pump, however more emphasis on rescue operations and incidents.
- 24 Water Tenders: similar to the rescue pump, however less emphasis on rescue equipment but more water capacity.
- 3 Aerial Ladder Platforms : extendible ladder platforms with rescue cages, stretchers and additional lighting, these vehicles provide high-level access and firefighting capability, with a vertical reach of almost 100 ft, almost 80 ft sideways, and up to 55 ft below ground level.
Fire Stations
Station Callsign | Station Name | Duty System | Appliances |
Acle | Retained | 1x RRP | |
N40 | Attleborough | Retained | 1x RP |
N20 | Aylsham | Retained | 1x RP |
N88 | Carrow | Wholetime | 1x HRP, 1x TRU, 1x IrbT, |
N66 | Cromer | Retained | 1x RP, 1x TRV |
N42 | Dereham | Retained | 2x RP |
N88 | USAR | Wholetime/Retained | 1x SDU, 1x TRU, 1x IrbT, 1x OSU, 3x PM + Modules 1/2/3/4/5 |
N21 | Diss | Retained | 2x RP, 1x TRV |
Downham Market | Retained | 1x RP | |
N87 | East Harling | Retained | 1x WrL |
N44 | Fakenham | Retained | 2x RP, 1x WrC, 1x TRV |
Gorleston | Wholetime/Retained | 1x HRP, 1x WrL, O&WSU | |
N69 | Great Yarmouth | Wholetime/Retained | 1x RP, 1x RRP, 1x ALP |
Harleston | Retained | 1x WrL | |
Heacham | Retained | 1x RP | |
N73 | Hethersett | Retained | 1x WrL, 1x WrC, 1x IRU |
Hingham | Retained | 1x WrL | |
Holt | Retained | 1x RP | |
N46 | Hunstanton | Retained | 1x RP |
N47 | King's Lynn North | Wholetime /Retained | 1x RP, 1x RRP, 1x ALP, 1x EPU |
N47 | King's Lynn South | Wholetime | 1x HRP, 1x TRU, 1x IrbT |
Loddon | Retained | 1x RRP | |
N26 | Long Stratton | Retained | 1x RP |
Martham | Retained | 1x RRP | |
Massingham | Retained | 1x WrL | |
Methwold | Retained | 1x RRP | |
N72 | Mundesley | Retained | 1x WrL |
N87 | North Earlham | Wholetime/Retained | 1x RP, 1x WrT, 1x ALP |
N73 | North Walsham | Retained | 1x WrL |
Outwell | Retained | 1x WrL | |
Reepham | Retained | 1x WrL | |
Sandringham | Retained | 1x RP, 1x TRV | |
N74 | Sheringham | Retained | 1x RRP |
N29 | Sprowston | Wholetime | 1x RP, 1x EPU, 1x FESS |
N75 | Staltham | Retained | 1x RP |
N52 | Swaffham | Retained | 1x RP |
Terrington | Retained | 1x RP | |
N54 | Thetford | Day Crewed/Retained | 1x HRP, 1x RRP, 1x TRU, 1x IrbT, 1x PM pods: 1x HVP, 1x HVHL |
N57 | Watton | Retained | 1x RP |
Wells | Retained | 1x RRP | |
West Walton | Retained | 1x RP | |
Wroxham | Retained | 1x RRP | |
N31 | Wymondham | Retained | 2x RP, 1x CCU, 1x TRV, 1x DRONE |
Fire Appliance Glossary/Callsigns
- Rescue Pump : P1 / P2
- Water Ladder : P3 / P4
- Heavy Rescue Pump : P7
- Rural Response Pump : P8
- Foam / Water Carrier : W9
- Aerial Ladder Platform : A6
- Command & Control Unit : C0
- Environmental Protection Unit : H0
- Fire & Emergency Support Service : FESS
- Operational & Welfare Support Unit : S1
- Technical Rescue Unit : S0
- Inshore Rescue Boat
- Prime Mover : T9
- Tactical Response Vehicle : L1
- High Volume Pump
- High Volume Hose Layer
Incident Response Unit : H9
Urban Search & Rescue Unit :
Norfolk also hosts one of the UK's Urban Search and Rescue teams, these were originally set up as a response to the 9/11 tragedy in New York. The Norfolk team comprises 15 wholetime USAR technicians and 16 retained technicians along with a search dog. The team is based in Dereham in central Norfolk alongside the town's retained crew.
- Search & Rescue Dog Unit : R9
- Technical Rescue Unit : S0
- Inshore Rescue Boat
- Operational Support Unit : S1
- Prime Mover : T6 / T7 / T8
- Module 1 - Technical Search Equipment
- Module 2 - Heavy Transport, Confined Space & Hot Cutting Equipment
- Module 3 - Breaching & Breaking Equipment
- Module 4 - Multi Purpose Vehicle
- Module 5 - Shoring Operations
Notable incidents
- 1966 Neatishead - three firefighters lost their lives tackling a fire in a bunker at RAF Neatishead. The cause was arson.
- 1991 Thetford - Plastic recycling centre. A large fire which burned for four days
- 1994 Norwich - Norwich library destroyed by fire. The main fire station of Norwich was opposite the library but due to the dramatic spread of the fire the building could not be saved
- 1995 Wroxham - a ten-hour blaze in a department store
- 1995 Norwich - a fire in the historic Assembly Rooms
- 1998 Attleborough - Poultry processing plant fire
- 1999 Ditchingham - Maltings fire
- 2011 Great Yarmouth - four men killed in industrial accident; nine fire crews attended
- 2013 Norwich - eleven people injured in low speed train crash at Norwich railway station. The signal box was not alerted to the accident for 24 minutes
- 2013 Swaffham - Fish and Chip shop destroyed in blaze with 10 appliances in attendance.
- 2014 Fakenham - 90 firefighters attended a fire in a department store
- 2014 Cley-next-the-Sea - a US Air Force Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk crashed, killing four crew
- 2014 Gillingham - four men killed in helicopter crash in thick fog; one of them was Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond.
- 2016 Great Yarmouth - 20 plus appliances and 88 fire crews attend large fire on Regent road inside Regent Arcade and Super Bowl UK Regent. Building destroyed.
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