Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was born on April 1 2007 when Devon Fire and Rescue Service and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service joined together. The Somerset Service, before known as Somerset Fire Brigade, was created on April 1 1948 while Devon Fire Brigade was created in 1973 through the union of Exeter City Brigade, Plymouth City Brigade and Devon County Brigade and the name was changed into Devon Fire and Rescue Service in 1987.
The service is the fifth largest fire and rescue service in UK and it is responsible to the counties of Devon and Somerset as well as Plymouth and Torbay in South West England.
The service is split into 3 districts- the Central, Western and Somerset. The main station is based at Clyst St. George and the main training center, which is the Service Training Center, is located at Plympton Fire Station. The service has 2,300 staff, with 798 firefighters and control room staff assigned for 24 hour stations, 1,208 retained/on-call firefighters and 249 non-uniformed staff.
There are 85 operational fire stations of which 6 stations operate 24 hours, 8 are wholetime/reatained stations, 1 operates only at daytime, 2 are volunteer stations, 1 is a special operations stations and the remaining 67 is crewed by retained/on-call firefighters.
In addition, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service together with the South Western Ambulance Service are working together to give an emergency medical cover to areas of Devon and Somerset which have been considered to have a greater need of ambulance cover. The co-responder team executes first-aid while waiting for the Rapid Response Vehicle or an ambulance to arrive. The stations that operate as co-responders are: Axminster, Chagford, Combe Martin, Crediton, Dawlish, Hartland, Hatherleigh, Holsworthy, Ivybridge, Lynton, Moretonhampstead, Princetown, Seaton, and Woolacombe- all located in Devon. In addition are the Somerset co-responder fire stations: Cheddar, Dulverton, Nether Stowey, Porlock, and Williton.
