If you think that Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service only deals with fires and road traffic collisions, think again!

The 24/7 emergency response that everyone expects from firefighters also includes dealing with flooding, water rescue, animal rescue, rescue from height, and helping colleagues in the police and ambulance service.

Alongside that, we also provide free Safe & Well visits to residents to help them be safe in their own homes; our education and road safety teams work with schools to embed vital safety messages with our children and young people; and our Protection department ensures that fire safety laws are being met by businesses and commercial landlords.

Did you know?

• We support over 1.45 million residents across an area that stretches from Lyme Regis to Cricklade.
• We have 50 fire stations, 37 of which are crewed by on-call firefighters only.
• Anyone interested in becoming an on-call firefighter in their local community can find out more at www.dwfire.org.uk/on-call-firefighters 
• We have 70 fire engines and multiple specialist support vehicles, equipped to deal with a wide range of incidents.
• Our 999 call operators in our Service Control Centre answer emergency calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
• Our headquarters is in Salisbury and our other sites include offices in Swindon, Potterne and Trowbridge; workshops in Bowerhill and Trowbridge; and an occupational health unit in Bromham.

Every day, we work closely with a range of partners, including local authorities, Police, the ambulance service, health providers and the military.

When we have a fire or other incident that is impacting the local area – for example, smoke affecting nearby homes or severe flooding – we can hold a multi-agency teleconference (called Op Link) to liaise with our partners and agree how we can work together to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

We also train with other agencies, including our neighbouring fire and rescue services, with real-time exercises held at locations such as the David Murray John Tower in Swindon and at military sites across the area. 

DWFRS is much more than putting out fires – you can find out more at www.dwfire.org.uk or look out for @DWFireRescue on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.