The Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) is the primary firefighting and rescue service protecting British defence estates and property. Along with the Royal Air Force Rescue and Firefighting Service, it forms the Ministry of Defence Fire Services. , the takeover of DFRS by private contractor

Capita Capita plc, commonly known as Capita, is an international business process outsourcing and professional services company headquartered in London. It is the largest business process outsourcing and professional services company in the United K ...

continues.

History

The Ministry of Defence Fire Service was formed on 1 April 1991 by the amalgamation of the Navy Department Fire Prevention Service,

Army Department Fire Service The Army Fire Service (AFS), later called the Army Department Fire Service, was the fire service which performed firefighting duties on British Army camps. Its personnel were largely soldiers until 1959, when the fire service was civilianised. Unt ...

, Air Force Department Fire Service and Procurement Executive Fire Service. It later became part of a similarly named umbrella body, the Ministry of Defence Fire Services, which also included the RAF Firefighting and Rescue Service, a military organisation which protected mainly RAF airfields and runways.

Privatisation

In July 2019, it was announced by the Ministry of Defence that

had won an outsourcing contract to manage the operations at 53 sites across the UK, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands. Part of the 12-year £525million contract included the construction and management of an improved training facility for Defence firefighters at the

Fire Service College The Fire Service College is responsible for providing leadership, management and advanced operational training courses for senior fire officers from the United Kingdom and foreign fire authorities. It is located at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucester ...

in Gloucestershire, which has been owned by Capita since 2013. , around 600 DFRS personnel have transferred into Capita Fire and Rescue, and improvements at the Fire Service College have been completed. In addition, 50 new vehicles including Oshkosh High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET) Strikers and Angloco Multi-Purpose Response Vehicles (MPRVs) have been delivered to 11 sites.

Organisation

The Defence Fire and Rescue Service is a civilian organisation, however the term 'Defence Fire' may be used colloquially to include military and civilian firefighting activities. According to the

gov.uk gov.uk (styled on the site as GOV.UK) is a United Kingdom public sector information website, created by the Government Digital Service to provide a single point of access to HM Government services. The site launched as a beta on 31 January 2012, ...

website, the DFR staff include: ;Military *

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Trade Group 8 firefighter *

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

aircraft handler ;Civilian * Civil Service (Defence Fire and Rescue Service) *locally employed civilian and contractor staff. As DFR is a mixture of people, recruitment and conditions differ, but for civilians wishing to join, they would become civil servants and thus to apply would need to apply via the Civil Service website.

References

External links

Roger Mardon fire service history

DFRS Twitter Page
{{UK fire service Fire and rescue services of the United Kingdom Joint military units and formations of the United Kingdom 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1991