Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service News

Emergency call handlers are celebrating a decade since the country’s first combined fire control launched. On October 25, 2011, the 999 call functions for Cambridgeshire and Suffolk fire and rescue services joined together to form the first collaboration of its kind. Today marks the tenth anniversary of the combined control room taking calls for both counties. fire service By joining forces, this collaboration has saved each ...

As residents will be getting ready to enjoy Bonfire Night after missing out during the pandemic, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to stay safe while enjoying fireworks. Bonfire Night can be plenty of fun for all of the family to enjoy, but with lots of potential hazards, it’s really important to keep the family safe. Help support the local community and go to an organized firework display instead of holding one at home. Be safe Group Commander Per Middleton, th...

Building work has commenced on the new training facility and fire station in Huntingdon. The ground was broken on the multi-million-pound project, which involves building a modern, purpose-built training center and new community fire station at St John’s Park, north of Huntingdon. To officially commence the build, Chief Fire Officer - Chris Strickland joined Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority Chair, Councillor Edna Murphy, along with key colleagues involved with the project fr...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has come out with one of the best scores from 13 other fire and rescue services in the first tranche of the Government’s second round of inspections for fire and rescue services. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has assessed the Service as Good across the three main pillars of efficiency, effectiveness and how it looks after its people.   The inspection took place in April just aft...

Cambridge fire station welcomed visitors to the station as part of Open Cambridge on Friday, September 10th, 2021. The city’s fire station, on Parkside Place, took part in the longstanding event along with many other venues across the city Due to precautions taken in response to the pandemic, the station itself remained closed, but the fire engines were parked outside and staff was on-hand to welcome visitors. The event During the event, members of the public could meet firefighters, lo...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging businesses that have reopened their doors, not to overlook fire safety and ensure it remains a top priority in the workplace. The call comes as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council's (NFCC) Business Safety Week which runs from the 6th - 12th September. The campaign aims to make businesses aware of their fire safety responsibilities, so they comply with legislation to keep both premises and occupants safe from fire. Reviewing fire safety Man...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed nine new on-call firefighters to stations across the county. The group completed their phase one, 10 week training course this month and now have the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter with their new stations. The on-call firefighters will now respond to a wide range of emergencies in their communities, which could include anything from rescuing people trapped in cars following a collision, to responding to a local house f...

Firefighters in Wisbech are urging residents and visitors to think before they park, to help tackle the ongoing problem of inconsiderate parking in and around the town.  Drivers are urged to take care when parking their vehicles so they do not prevent fire engines from attending potentially life-threatening emergencies. Causes of delayed response  There are some areas around Wisbech that are notorious for motorists parking down both sides of a narrow street and there have been times...

With temperatures hitting highs of over 25°C in Cambridgeshire this week, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) would like to remind residents of important outdoor fire safety and water safety advice. They tend to see an increase in calls to fires during spells of hot weather. This does result in the crews spending significant time at incidents that could be avoided, which is why they are urging residents across the county to follow the simple tips to help avoid unnecessary incident...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has invested in two new turntable ladders to add to the fleet. The new specialist appliances will assist in the Service’s response to incidents involving working at height. Replacing two multi-star aerial appliances, the new high-spec vehicles will be based at Stanground, in the north of the county, and at Cambridge, in the south. Both are a Magirus32L/AS, which have been supplied by Emergency One and are mounted on a Scania chassis, which was chose...

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority appointed a new chair and vice chair at their first meeting since the latest round of council elections. Councillor Edna Murphy has been appointed the new chair of the authority, with Councillor Mohammed Jamil appointed vice chair. Liberal Democrat councillor Murphy, who has recently joined the authority, is the first woman chair in the authority’s history. She takes over from Councillor Kevin Reynolds, who remains on the authority after cha...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has been recognized for its work in promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion at the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) Personal Fair and Diverse Awards. The award celebrates Services that demonstrate strategic and operational awareness and understanding of how to challenge, promote and advance equality, diversity, and inclusion at senior levels of their organization, as well as for demonstrating visionary leadership, capacity, capability, and...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service are celebrating the efforts of staff that has supported the national vaccination rollout. Around 150 service volunteers, including senior officers, firefighters, call handlers, and support staff has given more than 4,400 hours at sites around the county. This included helping to set up mass vaccination centers, assisting with patients, and marshaling in car parks. Some have also been trained to administer vaccines by The British Red Cross and St John&rsqu...

The number of Police Fire and Crime Commissioners could rise after the PCC elections on 6 May, as the UK Government indicates strong support for this type of governance. Currently, there are four Police Fire and Crime Commissioners in England: Staffordshire Essex Northamptonshire North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan is stepping down in North Yorkshire and Mathew Ellis is likewise in Staffordshire. PCC elections Other PCCs have shown interest in taking on governance in the fire but have bee...

A Cambridgeshire fire officer is taking on a fitness challenge to raise money for The Fire Fighter’s Charity. Group Commander Simon Thompson has taken on the challenge of completing 44,597 press-ups, marking one for each member of staff who works for the fire service in England. Firefighters' Memorial Day He began the ‘44k by the 4th May’ mission on 1 December and will be completing the remaining press-ups on Tuesday 4 May (Firefighters’ Memorial Day) at Cambridge...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is supporting a campaign led by the National Fire Chiefs Council encouraging people to step forward and explore the opportunities the Fire and Rescue Service can offer people who have a passion for working in and helping their local community by becoming on-call firefighters. The ‘Need More’ on-call fire campaign is in its third year and runs during the first week of March. It aims to highlight opportunities that are open to people from all wal...

Plans for a new training facility and fire station in Huntingdon are one step closer, following approval from Huntingdonshire District Council’s Planning Committee. This significant project involves building a modern, fit-for-purpose training center and new community fire station at St John’s Park, north of Huntingdon. Upgraded training facility The training facilities will provide effective, reliable, and realistic training for all operational firefighters, and will provide much-n...

A mental health response car that is a joint initiative involving Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and the East of England Ambulance Service is live across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, in the UK. The ambulance response car will be crewed by a paramedic and a specialist mental health practitioner and will respond to 999 calls where there is a mental health concern. Following funding from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, it will operat...

Vaccination sites around the county are being supported by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service staff pitching in to help with getting residents immunized against COVID-19. Staff from across all areas of the Service, from emergency call handlers and support staff to fire officers and both on-call and wholetime firefighters, have all been giving help at vaccination sites. Staff response  Group Commander Wayne Swales, the Officer coordinating the support project, said, “The respons...

As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations begins around the country, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) continues to offer support to the health sector during the pandemic. Having already seen staff from various parts of the Service helping with training new ambulance drivers, supporting the community hubs and working as ambulance drivers, CFRS is now offering its support with the vaccination program. Chief Fire Officer Chris Strickland said: "The pandemic has been such a challenging t...

Despite 2020 bringing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has continued to deliver vital services to the residents of Cambridgeshire. While maintaining an effective emergency response, staff have been delivering safety advice and supporting the health sector in the battle against COVID-19. Challenges  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic fully began in March, Storms Ciara and Dennis hit the county with high winds reaching between 50...

Cambridgeshire's fire chief has been recognized by Her Majesty The Queen in her New Year Honours List. Chief Fire Officer Chris Strickland has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal for his distinguished service. Chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, Councillor Kevin Reynolds, said: "I am delighted that Chris has received this honor.” “Chris has provided outstanding leadership throughout his career in Cambridgeshire, which has been particularly preval...

Area Commander - Chris Parker said, “While many residents were enjoying the festive period, our crews, officers, and emergency call handlers were hard at work helping those impacted by the flooding seen across the county." He adds, “Working with our partners from the Environment Agency, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and local authorities, crews were out pumping water out of properties, assisting with travel to rest centers, and helping build flood defenses. Crews also assisted people...

Emergency call handlers will be the focus of a Twitter takeover this week as Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service celebrates International Control Room Week. Blue Watch will be on duty from 8 am until 5 pm on Wednesday (October 21) and posting tweets throughout the shift on the Service’s @cambsfrs Twitter account. Potentially life-Saving advice Area Commander Simon Newton, in charge of the Service’s emergency response, said: “Our Emergency call handlers are a vital part of...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is joining forces with local authority partners and emergency services, in order to help keep people safe in the upcoming bonfire and fireworks season. With many organized events canceled across the county, emergency services are preparing for a busier night than usual. There is an emerging concern that more people will plan displays and bonfires to celebrate in their own gardens, which could pose significant risk for the people. Safety measures for Bonfi...

Firefighters across Huntingdonshire will be getting out their sponges and buckets as they host charity car washes during October. The first event will be at St Neots fire station and will run from 12 pm until 3 pm on Saturday 10 October. Followed by Huntingdon fire station on Saturday 18 October from 10 am until 3 pm, and finally at St Ives fire station on Saturday 24 October from 10 am until 3 pm. St Neots Fire Station  - Saturday 10 October, 12 -3 pm Huntingdon Fire Station  - S...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) announces that it will be recruiting for whole time firefighters to join fire stations across the county from January 2021. Applications will open on Monday 4 January 2021, at 8am, and will close two weeks later on Sunday 17 January at 11.59pm. To give people the opportunity to find out more about the role and the recruitment process, a range of information workshops and ‘Have a Go’ days will be held over the next few months. Busting m...

More than £7,500 has been raised by Cambridgeshire firefighters from car wash events during autumn. Firefighters from stations around the county dug out their sponges and buckets and welcomed people with all manner of vehicles, from cars and vans to retired fire engines to raise money for the charity. Despite the pandemic and a rainy October, the community came out in force to show their support. Place of event Car washes took place in the places listed below raising the following amou...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service have welcomed 12 new on-call firefighters to stations across the county. Despite the pandemic, the on-call recruits have completed a 10-week training course to enable them to get ‘on the run’ at the community fire stations. The group completed their phase one training course earlier this month and now have the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter with their new stations. On-call firefighters are such a huge part of the fire a...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) will be taking part in #KnowExactlyWhere week with emergency services, local authorities and organisations around the United Kingdom (UK), in order to raise awareness about the free what3words app - and how it can be used to save precious time, resources and lives in an emergency. what3words has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares. It has given each square a unique combination of three words - a what3words address. ///ports.rests.stint,...