Fire Engines Photos

Pete:

Volunteer fire stations are very few and far between in the UK, except for some remote areas of Scotland.

With all the cutbacks going on among fire services in Britain, I have always wondered why there are not more volunteer fire stations like Lofthouse.

In most countries, around 75% or more of all operational firefighters are unpaid volunteers.

The fact that such a large majority are not on the payroll means that - far from being forced to cut costs - other countries can add fire stations, instead of closing them.

I agree that this unit is rather similar to the German TSF specification, except that these now have to carry BA sets. As you may know, Germany has a long tradition of volunteer fire companies too, with over 96% of all firefighters belonging to unpaid volunteer brigades.

Added by Rob Johnson on 05 September 2018.

There is one other volunteer fire station in North Yorkshire with a Land Rover appliance, Goathland.
What other English fire services have volunteer fire stations ?

Added by Craigw on 08 September 2018.

Craig - I am told there are a few in either Devon or Cornwall too. All, including Scotland and Wales, are in remote rural areas or islands.

Although most cites and large towns in other countries have full time fire stations, many also have volunteers, even in major cities. Tokyo has over 200 as well as 80 full time stations. Berlin has 54 alongside 35 full time ones, and has recently added a new one - while Santiago with 5.5 million citizens is 100% unpaid volunteer.

Added by Rob Johnson on 11 September 2018.

Did Grassington not have a volunteer crew? Borth in Cerridigion also have a volunteer crew.

Added by Neal Glover on 11 September 2018.

Neal- Grassington are retained I believe. I mean totally unpaid volunteers .

Added by Craigw on 12 September 2018.

My information is 20 odd years old so may have changed.

Added by Neal Glover on 13 September 2018.

Currently, England has only five volunteer fire stations. They are Peterborough Volunteers (Cambridgeshire F&RS), Lofthouse and Goathland (both North Yorkshire F&RS), and Kingston (Devon) and Lundy Island (in the Bristol Channel). These two are both part of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service.

Wales has two volunteer units: Borth (North Wales F&RS), and Caldey Island (Mid & West Wales F&RS). Curiously, Caldey Island is a monastery and therefore their appliances are manned by monks!

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service has just the one volunteer station, and it can be found on Rathlin Island.

Scotland has 34 volunteer stations. They are Gordonstoun, Glenshee, Kirkmichael, Kinlock Rannock, Tiree, Coll, Iona, Bunessan, Salen, Craignure, Lismore, Appin, Kerrera, Seil, Luing, Colonsay, Jura, Port Charlotte, Port Ellen, Gigha, Carradale, Bridge of Orchy, Dalmally, Strachur, Lochgoilhead, Colintraive, Ardfern, Lochranza, Minard, Kimelford, Drummore, Blackwaterfoot, Corriecravie and Leadhills.

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 14 September 2018.

Borth is also in Mid and West Wales area

Added by Neal Glover on 14 September 2018.

Thanks Yelp. Very helpful bit of research.

It does show than volunteerism is not completely dead in the British fire service.

Interesting too, to my mind, is my recent discovery that the most numerous fire service in the World - with over 70, 000 personnel - is the Australian RFA - and it is almost entirely volunteer.

If our Aussie cousins can do it, so can the Brits - and just think of the fire response which the country could afford if half of the 75% of the budget which is spent on payroll went away!

Let the full time stations keep their paid crews, but back them up with volunteers like Tokyo or Berlin, and pepper the small towns and country villages with volunteer stations. Its exactly what almost every other country does - and their level of fire protection is none the worse for it!

Added by Rob Johnson on 14 September 2018.

i believe the scilly islands have a number of volunteer stations

Added by Andrew Russell on 14 September 2019.

Andrew, The Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service is entirely staffed by retained firefighters, making it the only solely retained fire and rescue service in the country.

Added by YelpBullhorn on 21 September 2019.

YJ08NPZ for searching. It no longer has the roof box. I saw it today.

Added by Petros on 14 September 2024.

Yelp I'm from Dundee Tayside you missed out Glenshee and to clear up it's an H instead of K, Kinloch Rannoch.

Added by Grant Melville on 15 September 2024.

Grant, spelt with an ‘h’ at each end, eh? So it is. My mistake. I do apologise.

PS, I didn’t miss out Glenshee! ;~)

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 17 September 2024.

Just learned that not only Australia but also New Zealand relies on a very large unpaid volunteer fire service, with over 80% volunteers, including almost 90% of operational crew members. It seems British reluctance to recruit volunteers is perhaps more a fire brigades union issue than the basic willingness of Anglo Saxons to volunteer…Perhaps in these times of limited government budgets for even the most critical necessities, someone should mention to the powers that be the value for NO money provided by volunteer firefighters?

Even the richest countries in the World, including China, Japan, the US, Germany and almost all of the others rely on having around 70% ( or more ) of their riding firefighters being unpaid volunteers and a few large countries including Chile are exclusively volunteer, while I have yet to find ANY other country which has 99% paid full time and on call personnel.



Added by Rob Johnson on 21 September 2024.

If it was not for unpaid volunteer firefighters here in New Zealand we would not have a fire service at all. Very few full time stations, staffed by full time firefighters. Even a town such as Queenstown in the south island, with a permanent population of 30,000 but with many large hotels filled with tourist has only provided with a volunteer station.

Added by Mark Butcher on 25 September 2024.

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