London Fire Brigade

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the body of the firemen of London. They provide the services of fire control of help to the people in London. It is the third greater department against fire in the world with almost 7  000 employees. In 2004, they answered almost 300  000 emergency calls, answered 60  000 fires and more 5  000 accidents of traffic making of them the most occupied firemen in the world. As well as the traditional fight against the fire, the LFB answer the incidents concerning dangerous materials, lead the planning of the helps and carry out inspections and the education of safety against fire. They do not provide a service of ambulance, that Ci is carried out by the Service of Ambulance of London.

The HQ is with Lambeth, on Albert Embankment, beside the the Thames, and close to Lambeth Bridge.

Since 2000, the brigade is managed by Greater London Authority thanks to the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).

Presentation

London is a town of 1  580 km ² with 8 million inhabitants, which are divided into 13 “ boroughs ” (administrative units).

The body of firemen, London Fire Brigade, comprises 112 barracks as well as a river barracks and a central barracks. At the administrative level, the body comprises three services:

  • direction of the operational services: distribution of the helps, centers reception of alarms, actions near the young people in the schools, respect of the legislation, planning and occupational safety;
  • direction of the resources: strategy of the service, finances, human resources, formation, logistics;
  • legal direction: coordination of the means, prevention, communication, preparation of the legal texts, technological survey.

The missions are, by order of importance:

  1. development of the laws which relate to the fire fighting and the safety of the public;
  2. the definition of the plans of help;
  3. the fire control;
  4. technical interventions: Désincarcération, people wedged in the elevators, draining of apartments… ;
  5. preparation of plans of help for the catastrophes (accidents of train, floods, pollution…).
It is seen that the functional part (prevention) is priority in front of the operational part (intervention).

Manpower is composed in 2005 of 6  800 people of which 5  700 operational firemen (officers included/understood), all professionals. They turn in four teams having a color (red, white, blue and green); a team makes two guards of days followed by two guards of night and four days of rest, a guard making 12:00.

A hundred people take turns for the reception of the emergency calls (n° of telephone “999”), it is the control staff (“team of regulation”). Administrative staffs and techniques, known as “without uniform”, are approximately 400; that includes/understands enter others the officers in charge of the formation.

Recruitment is not made that at the base, one cannot be recruited directly as officer. The recruits follow a formation to the center of Southwark, then are in training course during one year.

The brigade includes/understands 326 vehicles in 2005: 242 mixed vans of fire and road help, 30 automatic scales and lifting arms, 6 vehicles of rescue Fire rescue units for the interventions on the chemical risks, the heavy désincarcérations and the support for the teams of fire (filling of the insulating breathing apparatuses, operational Ventilation), 10 automobile reels (reserves of fire hoses), 4 cells foams (for hydrocarbon fires), 5 mobile headquarters and 2 fire boats. Messages of preventions are painted on the vehicles (prevention being the first mission).

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