Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service - Experts & Thought Leaders

As Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service celebrates turning 50 in April 2024, it is calling on all budding young artists and creators to design what a fire engine may look like in another 50 years’ time. There are prizes up for grabs in different age categories, including a giant replica fire engine, kindly donated by Scania UK, for the best design by someone aged 7 or under, a fire station Lego set for the winner in the age 8-11 category, and a shopping voucher for the winner in the aged 12 and over category, plus various runner up prizes. Design competition Hayley Douglas, Assistant Director for Communication and Engagement at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, explained, “When looking back at old photos from around 1974 when Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was formed, it is amazing to see how different the fire engines look." Hayley Douglas adds, "It made us wonder what they will be like in another 50 years’ time and so we thought this was a great theme for a competition to involve young people in our 50-year celebrations. Entries can be a drawing, a model, a Minecraft design, a Lego creation, a computer-aided design anything to show what a fire engine might look like in 2074. We’re excited to see the creations!” Entry details All individuals need to do to submit a child’s entry is take a picture of their design, however, they have created it, and send it to the Cambridgeshire office together with the child’s first name, age, district they live, and phone number so they can contact if child’s entry wins.  Alternatively, individuals can send pictures in the post to Communication and Engagement, Fire Service HQ, Hinchingbrooke Cottage, Brampton Road, Huntingdon PE29 2NA, ensuring all the required information is sent with the entry. Closing date for entries is Monday, June 3, 2024.

A man has sadly died following a fire in Wisbech. Crews from Wisbech were called to a fire in a flat off Churchill Road at around 2.30 pm on Thursday. Fire under control Firefighters arrived within minutes of being alerted and found a fire on the ground floor of a three-story building. They quickly found the casualty, a man in his 60s, and got him to safety. They got the fire under control and prevented it from spreading further.  Cause of the fire Despite administering first aid, the casualty was pronounced dead at the scene. Fire investigation officers worked with police colleagues to carry out a thorough investigation of the property. It is believed the fire was started accidentally by smoking materials. The case will be passed to the coroner.

Celebrations are underway as Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service turns 50 years old. The Service will be marking the anniversary with a range of events and activities throughout the year, with crews hosting events at stations and staff celebrating the milestone across the county. Residents are also encouraged to get involved by leaving their comments and memories of the Service in an online book available on the Service’s website, as well as sharing any photos of interactions with crews over the years. celebrating half a century Chief Fire Officer - Chris Strickland, said: “We are really proud to be celebrating half a century of serving our communities across the county as Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. Everyone who joins us does so because they hold a strong desire to help others and we’re honored to have been doing that for 50 years." He adds, “We have lots of plans to celebrate our 50th birthday throughout the coming year, from open days and fundraisers and internal celebrations, plus a few surprises along the way. We’re really excited to involve local people in our plans as the year goes on.” 50 years of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service Although this year marks 50 years of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, firefighting in the county dates back decades before this. Prior to 1964, four fire authorities operated in the area we now know as Cambridgeshire; Soke of Peterborough, Huntingdon County, Isle of Ely and Cambridge City. In 1965 these merged into two fire authorities known as Huntingdon and Peterborough, and Cambs and the Isle of Ely. These brigades operated until 1974, when local government reorganized to create the county of Cambridgeshire, and thus Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was born. The Service also led the way by being the first to include ‘Rescue’ in its name, recognizing the wider response the Service provided.