The Avon Fire Brigade was established in 1974 and was named after the county. But in 1996, the county was abolished and was divided into 4 unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire in South West England.
After the break up, councilors from each respective unitary authority jointly administered the brigade. The force changed its name to Avon Fire and Rescue Service after the Fire And Rescue Service Act was passed in 2004.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service Today
Today, the functions of the force is not only confined to putting out fires or saving people in car accidents but the role has expanded to include the kernel functions of “Protecting, Preventing and Responding.” Thus, Avon Fire and Rescue Service forwards community safety through hosting seminars or forums in some events and in the academe, together taking care of a variety of incidents and emergencies from road traffic collisions and fires, to flooding and chemical spills. They encourage the locals to have a working smoke alarms in their homes to reduce the risk of fire development. As a matter of fact, in the summer of 2009, they had their “Be BBQ Safe” campaign which included interviews from the victims of BBQ fire burns who spent some time in the intensive care unit.
Further, the force is well-equipped and has state of the art facilities. They have a fleet of 86 appliances which covers 51 Pumping Appliances- there are 22 Water Tender Ladders; 18 Water Tenders; 8 Reserve Pumps; 3 Rapid Response Units; 2 Combined Aerial Pumps; and 4 Aerials. There are also 4 Rescue Tenders, 8 New Dimension Appliances and 17 Other Special Appliances. Avon Fire & Rescue Service operationally used 29 Trailers, Boats, Pods and Fork Lift Trucks as well as a fleet of ancillary vehicles which covers 54 cars, 21 vans, 4 PCVs, 3 MPVs, 4 4x4s, 1 Emergency Control Vehicle and 1 Fire & Emergency Support Service Vehicle. On the other hand, they have non-operational 19 Trailers and 1 Balloon.
