Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the English county of Cheshire, consisting of the unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. It operates 28 fire stations. The service is led by Chief Fire Officer Alex Waller, who was appointed in 2022,[1][3] and the Service Management Team. It is managed by the Cheshire Fire Authority, which is composed of councillors from the local communities of Cheshire, Halton and Warrington. They make decisions on issues such as policy, finance and resources.
Operational area | |
---|---|
Country | England |
County | Cheshire |
Agency overview | |
Established | 1 April 1948 |
Employees | 989 |
Fire chief | Alex Waller[1] |
Facilities and equipment | |
Stations | 28[2][1] |
Engines | 39[1] |
Platforms | 3 |
Rescues | 5 |
HAZMAT | 1 |
Rescue boats | 2 |
Website | |
www |
Operations
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service employs over 980 staff and looks after a population of 1.07 million people spread across an area of 906 sq mi (2,350 km2).[1] It has 28 fire stations,[2] with a headquarters in Winsford. The region features several large urban areas such as Warrington and Chester, an extensive transport infrastructure and one of the highest concentrations of petrochemical industries in the country. It is in close proximity to two major airports: Manchester and Liverpool.
The service responds to emergency incidents - known as Emergency Response (ER) across the four unitary council areas of:
- Halton
- Warrington
- Cheshire East
- Cheshire West and Chester
A total of 28 fire stations, with 39 fire engines,[1] are strategically sited throughout the county. These are broken down as:
- Seven wholetime-only shift fire stations crewed 24/7
- Two wholetime shift fire stations crewed 24/7, with an additional on-call crew
- Six day-crewed stations (three nucleus) crewed during the day and by on-call staff at night
- 13 stations crewed by on-call personnel 24/7
Performance
Every fire and rescue service in England and Wales is periodically subjected to a statutory inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The inspections investigate how well the service performs in each of three areas. On a scale of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service was rated as follows:
Area | Rating 2018/19[4] | Rating 2021/22[5] | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Effectiveness | Good | Good | How effective is the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks? |
Efficiency | Good | Good | How efficient is the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks? |
People | Requires improvement | Good | How well does the fire and rescue service look after its people? |
References
- "Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service". HMICFRS. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- "Annual Action Plan (IRMP 16) 2019-20" (PDF). Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- "New Fire Chief announced for Cheshire". cheshirefire.gov.uk. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- "Cheshire 2018/19". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). 20 December 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- "Cheshire 2021/22". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). 15 December 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022.