At midnight on 31 March 1948 the National Fire Service was disbanded, and on 1 April 1948 Buckinghamshire Fire Brigade came into service.
On 1 April 2018, to mark the 70th anniversary, former Station Commander John Bull published “The Evolution of Buckinghamshire Village and Town Fire Brigades Into The Buckinghamshire Fire Brigade.”
John’s 30-year career with Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service started in January 1981 when he became a retained firefighter at Beaconsfield Fire Station.
He became a wholetime firefighter at High Wycombe Fire Station in 1982, transferred back to Beaconsfield in 1989 and worked his way up the ranks to become an ADO (Assistant Divisional Officer, later called Station Manager and now Station Commander) in 2004 before retiring in January 2011.
“Our values guide our actions and decisions every day. Integrity, compassion, and trust are the cornerstones of who we are and what we stand for. These values represent the foundation of our Service and will guide us in everything we do. Our brand personality is brought to life through the below behaviours. They reflects our commitment to professionalism, connection, ambition, and empowerment.”
We are so much more than fighting fires! While it is true to say responding to emergency incidents like fires and road traffic collisions is at the very core of what we do, our firefighters and wider support teams work within the community keeping our vulnerable safe.
Some are surprised to know we have a wide range of support teams from HR, appliance workshop, to Community Safety Technicians that make sure our pumps get out the door and help prevent emergencies from starting.
What must the Responsible Person do for affected residents?
Where a resident agrees, the Responsible Person must:
The Regulations do not require Responsible Persons to carry out medical assessments or force participation.
Where can further guidance be found?
Statutory guidance and supporting materials for Responsible Persons are available on GOV.UK, including government-published guidance on residential evacuation planning and consent-based engagement with residents.
Are there additional duties for high-rise residential buildings?
Yes. Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, Responsible Persons for high-rise residential buildings (those that are 18 metres or more in height or seven storeys or more) must also:
These duties are separate from, and in addition to, the Residential Evacuation Plans Regulations.
What about data protection and consent?
All elements of the process are subject to the resident’s explicit consent.
Information must be handled in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Regulations do not authorise processing of personal data that would contravene data protection legislation. Residents may withdraw consent at any time.
Is a building-level evacuation plan required?
Yes. Responsible Persons for buildings in scope must prepare and maintain a Building Emergency Evacuation Plan. This plan must:
How must the information shared with the Fire and Rescue Service be provided?
The Regulations require the information to be provided to the Fire and Rescue Authority.
It is for the Fire and Rescue Authority to determine whether this information should be provided digitally or in hard copy, and Responsible Persons should confirm the Authority’s preference before sharing information.
Where a building is already required to have a Secure Information Box under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, the information must be kept there in hard copy.
Where a Secure Information Box is not already in place and the Fire and Rescue Authority requires hard copy information to be held on site, the Responsible Person must install and maintain a Secure Information Box for this purpose.