 | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Address | 1 Seymour Street, Lisburn, BT27 4SX |
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1 October 1973 (1973-10-01) |
| Annual calls | 36,069(2016/2017) |
| Employees | 2,230 |
| Chief Fire Officer | Aidan Jennings |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Stations | 68 |
| Website | |
www | |
TheNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is thestatutoryfire and rescue service forNorthern Ireland. The NIFRS is overseen by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board, which in turn is subordinate to theDepartment of Health. NIFRS has a workforce of around 2,230 personnel.[1]
NIFRS coversNorthern Ireland, an area of over 5,500 square miles (14,000 km2) with a population of 1.9 million people. Service Headquarters is located inLisburn,County Antrim.
The current Chief Fire & Rescue Officer is Aidan Jennings.
Organised firefighting began in what is now Northern Ireland in the 19th century. In 1800, theBelfast Borough Police were established and firefighting was one of their duties.[2] The firefighting units were later separated from the police to form theBelfast Fire Brigade.
UntilWorld War II, towns had their own fire services. In 1942, Northern Ireland's fire services were amalgamated into one, though they were separate from theNational Fire Service that covered the rest of the United Kingdom.[3] After the war, the service was split into the re-established Belfast Fire Brigade and the Northern Ireland Fire Authority, which covered the rest of Northern Ireland.
On 1 October 1973, the two fire services were merged into a single service, namedNorthern Ireland Fire Brigade. In 2006, the service adopted its current name ofNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
NIFRS has 68 fire stations split into four geographical command areas.
The Eastern area has seven fire stations serving 360,000 people in an area of 63 square miles (160 km2).[4]It is headquartered inBelfast, with a north & west district headquarters at Whitla fire station, and a south & east district headquarters at Knock fire station.
The Northern area has 17 fire stations serving 489,000 people in an area of 1,308 square miles (3,390 km2).[5] It is headquartered inBallymena, with district headquarters at Ballymena,Coleraine, andGlengormley.
The Southern area has 23 fire stations serving 595,000 people in an area of 1,454 square miles (3,770 km2).[6] It is headquartered inPortadown, with district headquarters inBangor,Downpatrick,Newry, and Portadown.
The Western area has 20 fire stations serving 450,000 people in an area of 2,646 square miles (6,850 km2).[7]It is headquartered inDerry, with district headquarters inCookstown,Enniskillen, Derry, andOmagh.
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In 2016/17, NIFRS received 36,069 emergency calls, an increase of 7.9% on the previous year. Of these calls a total of 23,740 were mobilised.[1]
As of December 2023[update], Aidan Jennings is the chief fire officer of NIFRS. He succeeds Interim Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Andy Hearn.
1973: The Belfast Fire Brigade amalgamated with the Northern Ireland Fire Authority to become the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade.
2006: Northern Ireland Fire Brigade name changes to, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service.
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