Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
Encyclopedia
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...

, England. It was formed in 1948 as the Suffolk & Ipswich Fire Service, before changing after the 1974 Local Government Review to 'Suffolk Fire Service'. Following the 2004 Fire & Rescue Services Act, the service name was changed to Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service to better reflect its role.

Fire Stations

There are a total of 35 fire stations across Suffolk, four whole time, three day crewed and 28 On Call. All whole time/day crewed stations also have a On Call section.

Whole time

  • 01, Ipswich East, Ipswich
    Ipswich
    Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

     (Rescue Water Ladder x2, Rescue Water Tender, Turntable Ladder, Operational Support Unit, Bulk Foam Unit, Incident Response Unit)
  • 03, Princes Street, Ipswich (Rescue Water Ladder x2, Enhanced Rescue Tender, Water Rescue Unit)
  • 30, Bury St Edmunds (Rescue Water Ladder x2, Enhanced Rescue Tender, Turntable Ladder, Water Rescue Unit, Unimog)
  • 36, Lowestoft South, Lowestoft
    Lowestoft
    Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...

     (Rescue Water Ladder x2, Enhanced Rescue Tender, Water Rescue Unit, Unimog)

Day crewed

  • 06, Felixstowe
    Felixstowe
    Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...

      (Rescue Water Ladder x2)
  • 28, Haverhill
    Haverhill, Suffolk
    Haverhill is an industrial market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies southeast of Cambridge and north of central London...

     (Pump Rescue Tender), Pump Rescue Tender), (supplies van)
  • 35, Newmarket (Rescue Water Ladder, Pump Rescue Tender, Water Carrier)

On Call

  • 08, Aldeburgh
    Aldeburgh
    Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 15, Beccles
    Beccles
    Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...

     (Rescue Water Ladder, Command Support Vehicle)
  • 33, Brandon
    Brandon, Suffolk
    Brandon is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is in the Forest Heath local government district.Brandon is located in the Breckland area on the border of Suffolk with the adjoining county of Norfolk...

     (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 14, Bungay
    Bungay
    Bungay is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England.Bungay may also refer to:* Bungay railway station* Frank Bungay , former professional footballer* Stephen Bungay , British management consultant, historian and author...

     (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 27, Clare
    Clare, Suffolk
    Clare is a small town on the north bank of the River Stour in Suffolk, England.Clare is from Bury St Edmunds and from Sudbury. It lies in the 'South and Heart of Suffolk' . As a cloth town, it is one of Suffolk's 'threads'. Clare is the current holder of Village of the Year and has won the...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 20, Debenham
    Debenham
    Debenham is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in Eastern England. In the 2001 census the population recorded was 1,728...

     (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 31, Elmswell
    Elmswell, Suffolk
    Elmswell is a village in the County of Suffolk, England. It is situated halfway between Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket and lies just to the north of the A14 road....

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 19, Eye
    Eye, Suffolk
    Eye is a small market town in the county of Suffolk, East Anglia, England, south of Diss, and on the River Dove.Eye is twinned with the town of Pouzauges in the Vendée Departement of France.-History:An island...

     (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 05, Framlingham
    Framlingham
    Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District of Suffolk, England. Commonly referred to as "Fram" by the locals, it is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a population of 3,114 at the 2001 census...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 23, Hadleigh (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 11, Halesworth
    Halesworth
    Halesworth is a small market town in the northeastern corner of Suffolk, England. It is located south west of Lowestoft, and straddles the River Blyth, 9 miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 04, Holbrook
    Holbrook, Suffolk
    Holbrook is a village situated close to the northern shore of the Stour estuary in Suffolk, England. It is located on the Shotley peninsula in Babergh district, around 8⅓ km south of Ipswich....

     (Rescue Water Ladder, Derobe/Rerobe Units)
  • 32, Ixworth
    Ixworth
    Ixworth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of St Edmundsbury in Suffolk, United Kingdom. It is some northeast of Bury St Edmunds, on the A143 road to Diss and has a population of 2,177. Retrieved 2009-09-28]-Earthworks:...

     (Rescue Water Ladder, Command Support Vehicle)
  • 09, Leiston
    Leiston
    Leiston is a town in eastern Suffolk, England. It is situated near Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, about from the North Sea coast and is northeast of Ipswich and northeast from London...

     (Pump Rescue Ladder, Water Carrier)
  • 26, Long Melford
    Long Melford
    Long Melford is a large village and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England. It is on Suffolk's border with Essex, which is marked by the River Stour, approximately from Colchester and from Bury St. Edmunds...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 34, Mildenhall
    Mildenhall, Suffolk
    Mildenhall is a small market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is run by Forest Heath District Council and has a population of 9,906 people. The town is near the A11 and is located north-west of county town, Ipswich. The large Royal Air Force base, RAF Mildenhall as well as RAF...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 16, Normanshurst, Lowestoft (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 24, Nayland
    Nayland
    Nayland is a village in the Stour Valley on the Suffolk side of the border between Suffolk and Essex in England.-History:From an article by Rosemary Knox, Wissington...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 21, Needham Market
    Needham Market
    Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. To prevent the spread of the disease, the town was chained at either end, which succeeded in its task but at the cost of...

     (Rescue Water Tender - lowheight)
  • 07, Orford
    Orford, Suffolk
    Orford is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Like many Suffolk coastal towns it was of some importance as a port and fishing village in the Middle Ages. It still has a fine mediaeval castle, built to dominate the River Ore.The main geographical feature of the...

     (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 10, Saxmundham
    Saxmundham
    Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus, a tributary of the River Alde, approximately northeast of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed by the A12 and is served by Saxmundham railway station on the East Suffolk...

     (Rescue Water Tender)
  • 12, Southwold
    Southwold
    Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 22, Stowmarket
    Stowmarket
    -See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...

     (Pump Rescue Tender)
  • 18, Stradbroke
    Stradbroke
    Stradbroke is a village in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. It is in the Mid Suffolk District and part of the East of England Region of England. Stradbroke is near to the small Suffolk town of Eye and the larger Norfolk market town of Diss...

     (Pump Rescue Tender)
  • 25, Sudbury
    Sudbury, Suffolk
    Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...

     (Rescue Water Ladder, Pump Rescue Tender, Water Carrier)
  • 29, Wickhambrook
    Wickhambrook
    Wickhambrook is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England.Located around ten miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, halfway to Haverhill off the A143.The village was recorded in Domesday as "Wicham"....

     (Rescue Water Ladder)
  • 02, Woodbridge
    Woodbridge, Suffolk
    Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...

     (Rescue Water Ladder, Command Support Vehicle)
  • 13, Wrentham
    Wrentham, Suffolk
    Wrentham is a village in the north-east of the English county of Suffolk. Wrentham is located about 2 miles from the coast along the A12 trunk road...

    (Rescue Water Tender)

New Fire Stations

A PFI project is has been undertaken to replace/refurbish fire stations within Suffolk.

New stations have been built at the following locations:
Lowestoft South - six bay station on new site (Stradbroke Road) replacing Clifton Road RDS and Normanshurst WDS (Wholetime/On Call)
North Lowestoft - one pump station on existing site
Needham Market - one pump station on existing site
Nayland - one pump station on existing site
Hadleigh - one pump station on new site (Calais Street)
Ipswich East - six bay station on new site (The Havens, Ransomes Europark) replacing Colchester Road WDS/On Call

In addition, certain stations are being refurbished, such as Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe and Sudbury.

As part of this scheme, ancillary activities at Normanshurst and Colchester Road have moved. Workshops have moved to Phoenix House in West Ipswich with Suffolk CC Highways, Fire IT and Supplies have moved, whilst Control will also be closed down (see below).

A new Training Centre has been built at Wattisham Flying Station for Service use, in a partnership with the Army. Facilities include a "hot fire" multi-level training complex, a section of railway track complete with level crossing and carriages supplied by Network Rail, a bus, and various RTC scenarios using HGVs and cars.

Incident Updates

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service publish incidents of media interest on their Facebook page. Fire Control update the incidents as they progress. In addition, safety messages, public meeting notifications and some photos can be found on the page. Go to SFRS Facebook page

Fire Control Move

As of August 1, 2011, Suffolk's Fire Control is run by Cambridgeshire F&RS. From this date, Suffolk Control staff transferred to Cambridgeshire, retaining the previous structure and remaining at the Control Room at Colchester Road Fire Station in Ipswich. However, on 25th October 2011, the Centre in Ipswich will close with all 999 calls being handled in Huntingdon.

New Fire PPE

Following the introduction of Gallet F1 helmets in 2009, the Service has changed over to Cosalt PBI Gold firefighting kit in May 2011.

Chief Fire Officers

1948-1952 Francis Winteringham

1952- March 1974 Howard F. Griffiths

April 1974 - November 1981 Melville Willis

December 1981 - November 1991 Terry Miles

December 1991 - 1993 Tony Baker

1993-2004 Malcolm Alcock

2004-2009 Lee Howell

2009–present Andy Fry

Fire Appliances

Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service have a varied fleet of appliances serving the county.

Rescue Water Ladders (Callsign 01/02)

Frontline pumping appliances are known as Rescue Water Ladders. These are all Volvo FL6 or FLL chassis with either Excalibur, Saxon Sanbec, John Dennis Coachworks or Emergency One bodywork.

Rescue Water Tenders (Callsign 04)

Similar to Rescue Water Ladders, these appliances differ by not having a 135 ladder on the appliance.

Pump Rescue Tenders/Ladders (PRT) (Callsign 05)

Again similar to Rescue Water Ladders, these appliances carry extra RTC equipment and have less hoses. PRTs are stationed at Leiston, Newmarket, Stradbroke, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Haverhill .

Enhanced Rescue Tenders (ERT) (Callsign 06)

New in 2009, there are 3 ERTs within the county which respond to incidents in their own areas and support PRT's in their areas. At any LGV/PSV collision, two ERTs are dispatched. ERT's carry additional equipment to that of PRT's including extra 90 tonne cutters and other heavy duty equipment for use at LGV collisons. The three ERT's are stationed at Princes Street, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft South. These are all Volvo FLLs with JDC bodywork.

Turntable Ladders (TTL) (Callsign 07)

Suffolk have two Turntable Ladders, based at Headquarters and Bury St Edmunds. Both are on Mercedes chassis with one Metz and one Magirus ladder. Bury's TTL is due to be replaced by a Combined Arial Rescue Pump (CARP).

Water Carriers (WRC) (Callsign 09)

There are 3 Water Carriers within the county, based at Leiston, Newmarket and Sudbury. Leiston and Sudbury's appliances are Mercedes vehicles bought from Dairy Crest, whilst Newmarket's is a 1994 Volvo with a Crossland Tankers body built in 2006.

Command Support Vehicles (CSV) (Callsign 0Golf)

For command and control, Suffolk have Command Support Vehicles. Based at Woodbridge (Vauxhall Movano), Beccles (Fiat Ducato) and Ixworth (Citroen Relay). These vehicles attend incidents of 4 pumps or more, or on request of the Incident Commander.

Operational Support Units (OSU) (Callsign 0Oscar)

A single Operational Support Unit covers Suffolk, being based at Headquarters. The vehicle is a Volvo FL6 with James Newell curtainside bodywork and a Moffatt Mounty forklift attached to the rear. The OSU carries a variety of equipment such as salvage structures, foam stocks, chemical spill packs - all palletted to be removed/replaced by the fork lift. A similar vehicle was based at Haverhill until July 2011 when it moved to Headquarters for use as a Bulk Foam OSU (Callsign 0Foxtrot).

Water Rescue Units (WRU) (Callsign 0Victor)

There are 3 Water Rescue Units based on Vauxhall Movano vans. These are based at Princes Street, Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft South. Two WRU's normally respond to water based incidents. An exception to this is when attending animal rescues. In this case, they attend with a fire appliance and/or a Unimog. WRU's can also be used for incidents involving mud etc. as crews wear drysuits which makes decontamination easier.

Unimog (L4V) (Callsign 0Mike)

Suffolk bought 3 Mercedes Unimog vehicles in 1994 to provide off-road capability for the county. They also used to tow the Service's two fireboats. Two remain in service one each at Bury and Normanshurst. The third was written off in service by a mishap in Felixstowe.

New Dimensions Equipment

Suffolk have an Incident Response Unit plus the Derobe/Rerobe modules and Prime Movers as part of the New Dimensions programme. One of the Enhanced Command Support vehicles is due to be allocated to Suffolk.

Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG)

Suffolk are one of a number of Fire & Rescue Services around the country which respond to maritime incidents. Suffolk often use RAF Sea King helicopters from RAF Wattisham to respond to ships in distress. Suffolk cover a wide area of coastline from Norfolk to Essex, boundaring with Lincolnshire MIRG to the north and Kent MIRG to the South.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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