The service headquarters is located in
Hertford whilst the Training and Development Centre (JESA (Joint Emergency Services Academy)) and Fire Control Centre are located in
Stevenage. It is administered by a Fire Authority which is an internal part of
Hertfordshire County Council. The service is led by Chief Fire Officer Alex Woodman, who was appointed in Sept 2021
In December 2005, the service dealt with what is thought to be the largest fire since World War II following an
explosion at the Buncefield oil depot near
Hemel Hempstead. The incident saw a large scale national response involving many UK fire services.
Wholetime fire station. 24/7 crewed.4 watches working 2 days, 2 nights, 4 rest days
Wholetime +
On-call fire station As wholetime station but with a second on call fire engine, where firefighters have another primary job and respond via pager from home or work when available
Day-crewed fire station. Daytime cover on station, night time via pager from home
New Day-crewed fire station Daytime cover on station, night time via pager from adjacent accommodation block
On Call Fire Station. Firefighters have another primary job and respond via pager from home or work when available
The protection area includes four large settlements with a population between 50,000 and 100,000:
Hemel Hempstead,
StevenageWatford, and the city of
St Albans.[3]
Almost 89% of residents live in urban areas, comprising 32% of the county; while the remaining population live in the 67% of the county that is rural.[4]
Performance
Every fire and rescue service in
England and Wales is periodically subjected to a statutory inspection by
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The inspections investigate how well the service performs in each of three areas. On a scale of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was rated as follows: