Israel Fire and Rescue Services
Encyclopedia
The Israel Fire and Rescue Services is the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i state organization for fire fighting and rescuing
Fire fighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing fires. A firefighter fights fires to prevent loss of life, and/or destruction of property and the environment...

. The organisation also provides rescue services from terror attacks, car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...

 and dangerous substance spillages, along with Magen David Adom
Magen David Adom
The Magen David Adom is Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Star of David"...

, the National 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 also involved in public education and awareness campaigns. The service is accessed by calling 102 from any phone. As of 2010, the director of the services is Shimon Romach.

Organization

There are 24 metro regions that have central major fire stations with supplemental smaller stations in neighboring villages and cities. The Israel Fire and Rescue Services consists of about 1,200 paid, professional fire fighters along with an additional 200-400 "fire-scout" volunteers. There are 6 Hazardous Materials Units in Israel, with the head Haz-mat unit based out of Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...

. All stations provide auto-extrication and are equipped with the latest gear for rescue and fire suppression. Major stations have a heavy rescue unit and ladder truck company. The fire-rescue apparatus are custom built in Israel at Kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

 Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa
Beit Alfa is a kibbutz in the Northern District of Israel, near the Gilboa ridge.-History:The kibbutz was founded in 1922 by Hashomer Hatzair volunteers. The first members came from Poland. In 1940 some of the members, affiliated with Hashomer Hatzair, moved to Ramat Yohanan kibbutz, in exchange...

 Industries on chassis of Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

, Man, Iveco
Iveco
Iveco, an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat , Unic and Magirus. Iveco is now an Italian truck, bus, and diesel engine manufacturer, based in Turin...

, E-One
E-One
E-One or Emergency One Incorporated is an emergency services manufacturer and marketer based in Ocala, Florida.- History :Founded in 1974, E-One has a staff of roughly 900 in four plants in the United States. In 1993 E-One purchased Superior Emergency Equipment and in 2004 bought Saulsbury Fire...

, Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

, and Ford modified to Israeli specifications in Israel. Most apparatus repairs and servicing is done by fire fighter/mechanics in-station, as most stations have a fully equipped mechanic garage with lifts, welding equipment, and tools.

Training

Almost all Israeli fire fighters are certified in Hazardous Materials response and handling, many of whom are trained in the world class Hazmat facilities in Holland, and all have certifications in extrication, heavy rescue, heavy apparatus operation, wildland interface suppression, structure fire suppression and ventilation, as well as search and rescue.

A typical engine crew consists of two fire fighters for an automatic fire alarm and other non-structure fire calls, and most structure fire responses consists of two engine crews, a truck company, and a medium-duty rescue/suppression truck that also doubles as a commander's vehicle. Larger incidents may also require a communications vehicle, heavy rescue apparatus, and additional support/command units.

Their radio systems operate on a Motorola Conventional Wide Band System and most fire fighters also have beepers and/or motorola walkie-talkie phones.

History

After a fire in Zichron Yaakov in 1897, the first firefighting company was established by the Baron Rothschild
Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
Nathan Mayer Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild was a British banker and politician from the international Rothschild financial dynasty.-Life and family:...

. The company had 32 members, and equipment was brought from Paris, including pumps, hoses, ladders, axes and uniforms with shiny copper helmets and leather belts.

Another company was formed in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

 in 1925 following a flood in the Brenner neighbourhood, and was based in the first dedicated fire station in the country, a shed near the police station. By Israeli independence in 1948 there were fire stations in most Jewish settlements; Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...

, Jerusalem, Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, Hadera
Hadera
Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...

, Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...

, Nahariya
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...

, Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Afula
Afula
Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:...

, Herzliya
Herzliya
Herzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²...

, Kfar Sava, Holon, Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...

 and Rishon LeZion.

After the establishment of the State of Israel, fire stations were built in several other cities, including Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....

 and Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....

, at Lod Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...

, the oil refineries in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

 and at the ports of Haifa
Port of Haifa
The Port of Haifa is the largest of Israel's three major international seaports, which include the Port of Ashdod, and the Port of Eilat. It has a natural deep water harbor which operates all year long, and serves both passenger and merchant ships. It is one of the largest ports in the eastern...

 and Ashdod
Port of Ashdod
The Port of Ashdod is one of Israel's two main cargo ports. The port is located in Ashdod, about 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, adjoining the mouth of the Lachish River. Its establishment doubled the country's port capacity. It is a major point of entry for both cargo and tourists in and out of...

.

The Firefighting Services Law was passed in 1959 and took effect in 1960. It established a fully professional fire fighting force, as until then, firefighters had previously been volunteers.

Israel Fire and Rescue Services operates 5 fire stations in Jerusalem. The main station is in Givat Mordechai
Givat Mordechai
Givat Mordechai, is a Jewish neighborhood in southwest-central Jerusalem, Israel, midway between the neighborhoods of Nayot and Malcha. The neighborhood was named after an American philanthropist, Maxwell Abbell of Chicago...

, with branches in Romema
Romema
Romema is a neighborhood in the city of Haifa, Israel. Romema is located east of Ahuza, on the northern slope of Mount Carmel...

, Wadi Joz, Givat Ram
Givat Ram
Givat Ram is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem, Israel. Many of Israel's most important national institutions are located in Givat Ram, among them the Knesset, the Israel Museum, the National Library of Israel and the Israeli Supreme Court.-Etymology:...

 and Neve Ya'akov.

External links

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