Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crest.svg
Operational area
CountryEngland
CountyBerkshire
Facilities and equipment
Stations16
Engines23
Trucks1
Platforms1
Wildland2
Rescue boats1
Website
www.rbfrs.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is a statutory fire and rescue service covering the area of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England.[1] The fire service was formerly administered by Berkshire County Council, but when that was abolished the service became the responsibility of the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, made up of representatives from the six unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest Borough Council, Reading Borough Council, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, and Wokingham Borough Council.

RBFRS headquarters is located at Newsham Court, Pincents Kiln, in the Reading suburb of Calcot. It operates from 16 fire stations across Berkshire.[2]

Berkshire Fire and Rescue appliance
Berkshire Fire and Rescue appliance

Performance

Every fire and rescue service in England and Wales is periodically subjected to a statutory inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The inspection investigates how well the service performs in each of three areas. On a scale of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been rated as follows:

HMICFRS Inspection Royal Berkshire
Area Rating 2018/19[3] Rating 2021/22[4] Description
Effectiveness Good Good How effective is the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks?
Efficiency Good Good How efficient is the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks?
People Good Good How well does the fire and rescue service look after its people?

Fire stations and appliances

The service operates 16 fire stations – 12 of which are crewed by wholetime firefighters and four use retained firefighters.[2]

The community fire station at Theale, which opened in 2021, is also a base for South Central Ambulance Service and Thames Valley Police.[5] It replaced the former Dee Road (Reading) and Pangbourne fire stations.[5]

Wokingham Road fire station in Reading is also home to the Red Cross Fire Emergency Support Service, who have their own specialist vehicle at the station.[6] The Red Cross team are mobilised by RBFRS control staff to respond to people affected by incidents such as fire or flood.[7] Established in Berkshire in 1993,[7] they can provide food, clothing, and arrange emergency accommodation.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "RBFRS - About Us". Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Fire Stations". Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Royal Berkshire 2018/19". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Royal Berkshire 2021/22". His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). 20 January 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b "New fire station in Berkshire opens as two others are closed". BBC News. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Fire Stations Wokingham Road". Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b Mayo, Nick (10 February 2014). "LIVE BLOG: Floods hit Berkshire and Buckinghamshire". Maidenhead Advertiser. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Fire services in the United Kingdom
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