Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade

Address: Bourges Boulevard, Peterborough, PE1 2AF [what3word location: Name.Sounds.Gravy]

Phone: 01480 444 500 (headquarters)

The Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade operates from its station in the centre of the city. They are the only volunteer service in the UK, crewing a fire engine along with a 1970s show fire engine.

The volunteer station operates as a private fire brigade under a unique contract with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, coming under the jurisdiction of the county chief fire officer for responding to emergencies and training. All potential volunteer firefighters go through the same recruitment process as the Service's on-call firefighters, but give their service for free. They train at the station every Tuesday.

The chief officer at the station is Anthony Gould.

 

History of the Peterborough volunteers

The Volunteer brigade was formed in 1884 by a group of Peterborough businessmen after they believed the efforts of the Corporation Brigade, as it was then, had been ineffective following a serious fire at the Infirmary. The Volunteer brigade has managed to remain a separate entity since then despite a number of reorganisation of the fire and rescue service since then, such as the major change in 1941 when over 1,600 separate fire brigades merged into the national Fire Service, and in 1948 when the fire service was returned to local authority control. 

The brigade's motto is 'Ready and Willing'. 

(Source: 110 Years of Fire and Rescue - A Celebration of the Work of the Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade by Neil Wallington).

 

Find them on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeterboroughVolunteerFireBrigade

Instagram: www.instagram.com/PeterboroughVolunteer1884