What we do
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service provides the 999 response service across Tyne and Wear to put out fires, rescue people from road traffic collisions and other incidents, and deal with major flooding incidents. The Service has 17 community fire stations, 31 frontline appliances, nine special appliances (including a fireboat), and specialist teams and equipment for rope rescue, swiftwater rescue and dealing with large scale major incidents or disasters (see separate fact sheets for more detail on these areas).
As well as providing an emergency response service, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service works to stop fires from happening in the first place to help create a safer community. This includes providing information and advice, for example:
- by offering free home safety checks (including the fitting of free smoke alarms), prioritising those most at risk from fire first
- through school safety talks
- working with young offenders (or those at risk of offending)
- one-to-one sessions with young people involved in firesetting
- inspecting business and commercial premises (see separate fact sheets for more detail on these areas)
- visiting the interactive safety centre, Safetyworks
How are we run?
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is run by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority which is made up of 16 elected representatives from the five local authorities in Tyne and Wear: Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.
The Authority decides on the goals, objectives and direction of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. It also decides how the Service’s budget is allocated. Our budget for 2009/2010 is £59.523 million. We employ 1,281 staff, with 897 operational staff, including 44 female operational staff and 54 Control Room staff.
The Authority’s vision is:
‘Creating the safest community’,
and its mission is:
‘To save life, reduce risk, provide humanitarian services and protect the environment.’
The Chairman of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority is Sunderland Councillor Tom Wright. The Vice Chairman is Newcastle Councillor Nick Forbes.
Where are we?
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s Headquarters is located in Washington alongside its training centre, Barmston Mere Training Centre. The Training Centre was opened in October 1996 and the Headquarters in February 2006.
The Training Centre runs a wide number of courses for its own staff and for other fire and rescue services across the world. It specialises in training and development courses for fire and rescue services as well as commercial organisations including Tactical Ventilation, Heavy Road Traffic Collision, Fire Extinguishers, Teambuilding and Fire Wardens.
The Service also has a Technical Services Centre in Gateshead (opened in November 2005) where the Service’s operational equipment is maintained, along with the appliances. The Centre is also where the Service’s Stores Department is based.
The community fire stations are:
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Newcastle South Community Fire Station in Rye Hill
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Newcastle East Community Fire Station in Byker (specialists in water rescue and crew the Service’s fireboat)
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Newcastle North Community Fire Station in Gosforth
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Newcastle West Community Fire Station in West Denton
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North Tyneside East Community Fire Station in North Shields
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North Tyneside South Community Fire Station in Wallsend
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South Tyneside East Community Fire Station in South Shields (specialists in rope rescue)
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South Tyneside West Community Fire Station in Hebburn (specialists in rope rescue)
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Sunderland East Community Fire Station in Millfield, Sunderland (specialists in urban search and rescue)
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Sunderland West Community Fire Station in Washington
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Sunderland South Community Fire Station in Rainton Bridge
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Sunderland Central Community Fire Station in Farringdon
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Sunderland North Community Fire Station in Fulwell
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Gateshead East Community Fire Station in Shipcote
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Gateshead North Community Fire Station in Swalwell
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Gateshead West Community Fire Station in Chopwell (staffed by retained firefighters)
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Gateshead South Community Fire Station in Birtley
The community fire stations have safety centres with meeting rooms, with the latest multi-media facilities, which members of the local community can use. The centres are also open to members of the public to drop in for fire safety advice.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service also runs Safetyworks, a multi-agency interactive safety centre. Key partners include Northumbria Police, Nexus, the Environment Agency and the five local authorities in Tyne and Wear. Whilst the centre is based in Benwell, Newcastle it is available to all in Tyne and Wear.
Our management team
The Strategic Management Team includes:
- Iain Bathgate, Chief Fire Officer
- John Hindmarch, Deputy Chief Fire Officer
- Tom Capeling, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Community Safety
- Joy Brindle, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Strategy and Performance
- Peter Trevithick, Area Manager, HR, Learning and Development
- John Baines, Area Manager, Community Safety
- Kevin Hepple, Area Manager, Corporate Support
- Nina Wilson, Area Manager, Strategic Planning and Communications
- Chris Lowther, Area Manager, Service Delivery
- Alan Robson, Area Manager, Regional Control
- Helen Tait, Finance Manager
Our key achievements
Tyne and Wear is one of the busiest Fire and Rescue Service in the country as well as the fastest at responding to fire calls – with an average response time of just 5 minutes and 28 seconds. On average we attend approx. 14,000 incidents a year.
Between 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, we achieved a:
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13% reduction in deaths from fire
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27% reduction in injuries from fire
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37% reduction in the number of accidental dwelling fires
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28% reduction in the number of secondary fires (anti-social) started deliberately
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20% reduction in the number of malicious false alarm calls attended
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over 16,500 home safety checks delivered to properties identified as being at high risk from a fire.
For more information visit www.twfire.gov.uk
Contact details for the Corporate Communications Team
Michelle Atkinson, Corporate Communications Manager, 0191 444 1542 or michelle.atkinson@twfire.gov.uk
Lucy Dixon and Nicci Westgarth, Corporate Communications Officers, 0191 444 1513 or corporatecommsofficer@tw.fire.gov.uk Julie Knox, Corporate Communications Officer, 0191 444 1725 or julie.knox@twfire.gov.uk.
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