Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service News

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority are proposing to increase their share of the council tax for 2023/2024 by 6.6 percent, which for a Band D property equates to an additional £4.95 a year and £79.92 in total. With spiraling inflation affecting costs of supplies, energy, fuel, pay, and everything else, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was anticipating starting the 2023/24 financial year with a £1.1m deficit. Service improvement  Chief Fire Officer Chris...

Residents are urged to take simple steps to protect themselves from accidental fires and carbon monoxide poisoning as they look to keep warm and reduce energy use this winter.  As temperatures drop heading into the coldest part of the year, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) is highlighting the potential risks of finding alternative, unsafe ways of heating and lighting their homes as the cost of living continues to increase. Stay Fire Safe campaign The Service is supporting Na...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is looking for local residents and business owners to get involved in a new online feedback forum to share their views and opinions about the work of their local fire and rescue service. They are asking people to register their details and agree to be sent one or two emails a month either with some simple questions to respond to, or on occasions, to read some information and then complete a short survey.  Best possible service This is an ideal way f...

The Chief Fire Officer for Cambridgeshire is warning there will have to be reductions to the county’s fire and rescue service unless the way in which it is funded changes. Recently, as part of national negotiations with the Fire Brigades Union, a revised cost of living pay award of five per cent was offered for firefighters. Combining this with the offer already on the table for support staff, the Service will be in budget deficit of at least £1.1m at the start of April 2023. pay i...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) announces it has entered into a partnership with B&M as part of the Primary Authority scheme (PAS). The partnership means that CFRS will support B&M on all fire safety matters across their store portfolio and warehouses in the UK. B&M is one of UK's fastest-growing variety retailers and has over 600 stores and is committed to ensuring that the business has appropriate health and safety standards. The new PAS partnership means that B&...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service aims to improve the time its fire engines get to emergency incidents in rural areas by allowing some fire engines to be sent with three firefighters.  Currently, although the Service aims to have five firefighters on each fire engine, it allows fire engines to go with four firefighters on board. It will only send three crews to bin fires or small animal rescues. On-call fire station The Service is looking to send a crew of&n...

Fire crews have attended many deliberate fires across the county over the summer months. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s firefighters responded to more than 180 fires that were started deliberately since July, 100 more than last year. Some of these fires have spread rapidly due to the hot and dry conditions causing significant damage to property and farmland. Fire risks Watch Commander Joe Gacon, the Service’s Arson Liaison Officer, said, “The last month or so has s...

Cambridgeshire fire crews have continued to face challenging conditions and increased demand as the summer heatwave persists. Having already seen unprecedented temperatures and calls to incidents in July 2022, which include the two busiest days ever for the fire service, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service staff have continued to face record levels of calls and incidents. Busy July month for Cambridgeshire fire crews Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Area Commander, Stuart Smi...

As the hot weather looks set to continue over the weekend and into next week, firefighters want to help ensure residents enjoy the summer safely.  After a house fire in Peterborough on Wednesday, crews are urging people to stay fire safe and follow some simple tips, so they can avoid a fire that could cause significant damage.  Fire under control Fire crews from Dogsthorpe, Stanground and Whittlesey, along with the north roaming fire engine, were called to a fire on Lincoln Road at...

Thousands of people were welcomed to Dogsthorpe fire station for their action-packed open day. It was the first open day at the station since 2019 – and it was a huge success, with over £4400 raised for charity. All the donations will be split between The Fire Fighter’s Charity and Peterborough Food Bank. They also collected food on the day for the food bank. Activities Fun activities at the station included dunk-a-firefighter and a hose reel challenge, where the public got...

With crews experiencing their busiest ever month and facing record-breaking temperatures, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents to stay fire safe while the summer weather continues. Maintain consistent water supply Having faced unprecedented demand during July, attending more than 1,000 incidents, and seeing thermometers hit 40 degrees, fire crews and call handlers have been pushed to the limit. Many of the fires involved farmland and, due to the dry and hot conditions, s...

Firefighters are inviting residents to Dogsthorpe Fire Station for an open day for a free event that promises something for all the family. Crews will be on hand to give tours around the fire engines and equipment, as well as live safety demonstrations of emergency scenarios. There’ll also be the chance to dunk-a-firefighter, look around the smoke-logged training building, as well as other fun activities to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity.   Donations will also be we...

Firefighters are inviting residents to Dogsthorpe Fire Station for an open day on for a free event that promises something for all the family. Crews will be on hand to give tours around the fire engines and equipment, as well as live safety demonstrations of emergency scenarios. There’ll also be the chance to dunk-a-firefighter, look around the smoke-logged training building, as well as other fun activities to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity. Donations will also be welcomed for...

A life-saving partnership between ambulance staff and firefighters has been extended with the addition of new co-responding fire stations in Cambridgeshire. From 4th July 2022, on-call firefighters from Littleport and Soham joined the scheme, which is part of a regional memorandum of understanding with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST). It sees on-call firefighters sent to emergencies, in addition to ambulance clinicians and community first responders, to calls where a pa...

As the sun set on the highest temperatures ever seen in the United Kingdom (UK), Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Chris Strickland has praised the hard work of staff, during this week’s heat wave. Chris Strickland said, “The last two days have seen us face significant challenges and pushed us to the limits of our capacity. For long periods in the afternoon, we had almost every available fire engine committed to an incident, which is unprecedented fo...

As parts of the county enjoy some of the hottest temperatures in Europe this week, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) would like to remind residents and businesses to keep fire safe during the heatwave.   Having already seen thermometers reach 30 plus degrees over the weekend, crews were called to several large fires requiring multiple fire engines to attend.   Fires involving Agricultural land Head of Fire Prevention for CFRS, Group Commander - Rob Olivier, said: “...

Residents throughout the county can now access home fire safety information, with a personalized action plan, online in their own time. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service launches a new home safety check tool, available via their website, that will enable people to carry out their own home fire risk assessment for free. The online tool takes the answers given and creates an action plan that can be saved and printed, giving basic, simple tips to help keep their home fire safe. Internet-Enab...

Let’s face it, washing the car is nobody’s favourite job. So why not take the hassle out of it and head down to your local fire station for the National Car Wash. On Saturday (June 18) firefighters from Manea and Cottenham fire stations will be on hand to make your car sparkle. Your valued donations will go towards The Fire Fighters Charity who provide support and rehabilitation to the fire and rescue community. Previous car wash events held earlier in the year in other parts of th...

With temperatures heating up in Cambridgeshire this week, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) would like to remind residents of important outdoor fire safety and water safety advice. Head of Fire Prevention for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Group Commander Ed Miller said, “We tend to see an increase in calls to fires during spells of hot weather. This does result in our crews spending significant time at incidents that could be avoided.” He adds, “We know...

Firefighters currently based in Papworth Everard will soon be relocating to the fire station in Cambourne. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service believe that moving the fire engine will improve its fire cover in the area as there are more people in Cambourne to become on-call firefighters, who live or work within five minutes of the fire station. Delayed fire emergency response On-call firefighters are not based at a fire station, they go about their normal lives and wear an alerter which goe...

An official 'topping out' ceremony has been held to mark a key milestone in the construction of the new training facility and fire station in Huntingdon. The event took place last week to celebrate the highest point of the main building being complete. The project involves building a modern, purpose-built training center and new community fire station at St John’s Park, north of Huntingdon. Work in progress Since construction began in September 2021, work has been progressing at pace a...

A report published reveals inspectors were left ‘impressed’ with how Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) had responded to the Covid-19 pandemic so far. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was commissioned at the end of last year by the Home Secretary to inspect all fire and rescue services in the country to see how the sector was responding to the pandemic. The inspection team visited CFRS and published its findings al...

A group of Cambridgeshire firefighters are taking on a grueling challenge, used as part of the SAS selection process, to raise money for charity. The group of six firefighters from across the county will be taking on The Fan Dance, a physically demanding 24-kilometer trek over Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons. They are due to take on the challenge on Saturday, January 29. First major indicator Firefighter Jon Yarnold, the organizer of the challenge, said: “We have c...

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has welcomed nine new on-call firefighters to stations across the county. The group completed their phase one, 10-week training course in December, and are now ‘on the run’ and at their new stations in Cambridgeshire. The initial training course gives them the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter, while they will receive ongoing training before being assessed again later in the year. Wide range of emergencies The on...

Following the unprecedented year prior, 2021 continued to present significant challenges for everyone, but Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service continued to deliver its vital services, while also providing support for partner agencies. The year began with mopping up from significant flooding across the county over the Christmas period. The country was also in the midst of another national lockdown, with those that were able to still working from their homes. Staff across the Service pulled o...

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority are asking residents to have their say on proposals to increase the fire service’s share of council tax for 2022/23. The service is looking for a below-inflation increase of £1.44 (around 2%) for the year, making the total contribution for the year £74.97 for a resident living in a Band D property. Following the financial settlement confirmed by the government at the end of December 2021, which confirmed the level of funding for t...

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority is asking residents to have their say on proposals to increase the fire service’s share of council tax for 2022/23. The Service is looking for a below inflation increase of £1.44 (around 2%) for the year, making the total contribution for the year £74.97 for a resident living in a Band D property. Following the financial settlement confirmed by the government at the end of December 2021, which confirmed the level of funding for th...

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) Project Manager has been recognized for his outstanding contribution to supporting the vaccination rollout in Cambridgeshire. John Barlow, who’s been with the Service for over 35 years, has been supporting the COVID-19 vaccination program since January 2021. In celebration of his efforts, John Barlow was invited by the Duchess of Cambridge on behalf of the Royal Foundation to attend a Christmas Carol Concert at Westminster Abbey. The event t...

A popular road safety initiative aimed at motorcyclists has returned to a county fire station. Biker Down offers motorcyclists the opportunity to learn practical skills to help avoid being involved in a crash, as well as essential first-aid training and advice on what to do should they find themselves first on the scene of a crash where someone is injured. The free course The free course, lasting around three hours, returned to St Ives Fire Station last week, with trained community developmen...

More than £13,500 has been raised by Cambridgeshire firefighters in 2021 from car wash events as part of The Fire Fighters Charity National Car Wash campaign. 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 children’s bikes and mobility scooters to raise money for the charity. The community came out in force to show their support for the crews. Car wash campaign Since Ju...