Who we are

Our Vision : National code of ethics, our core values and priorities

The Service currently employs approximately 342 wholetime firefighters, 322 On-Call duty system firefighters, 38 Command and Control personnel and 176 support personnel. The Services operates and maintains 31 fire stations, three area offices and the Services joint headquarters in Ripley, Derbyshire.

The Services governing body is the Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Authority which provides strategic leadership, monitors the costs incurred by the service and sets the budget.

For more information on the structure of the service or the facilities we operate please browse the sub-sections given below.

Structure of the Service

The Service is headed by the Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive and the Strategic Leadership Team. Its work is split into the following areas - Community Safety, Response Delivery and the supporting portfolios of Operational Training (Policy and Assurance), Property and Corporate Services, People and Organisational Development, Corporate Financial Services. Each of these areas is the responsibility of an Area Manager apart from Corporate Financial Services which is the responsibility of the Joint Director of Finance.

Strategic Leadership Team

The Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) at Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service helps set the organisation's strategy and monitors the performance of the organisation. The team meets formally on a regular basis to discuss strategic internal issues as well as the impact that national issues have at a local level.

The SLT consists of the Principal Officers, which comprises the Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Area Managers.

Principal Officers

Contact details: reception@derbys-fire.gov.uk   Tel: 01773 305 305

Community Safety

The Community Safety Portfolio is made up of two distinct areas that cover all of the Services prevention and protection activities.

Prevention

This area of work encompasses a range of activities which are focused on the safety of our diverse communities in their homes, on the road and at leisure. Some of this work is carried out with partner organisations where responsibilities overlap. In Derbyshire, this work includes:

• Working with partner agencies to ensure the most vulnerable members of our communities are safe from fire. Running community safety campaigns that raise awareness of specific events such as chimney fire safety week, support national fire safety drives, like the Fire Kills campaign, or that help keep fire safety fresh in the minds of the communities of Derbyshire.
• Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service have identified elderly and vulnerable people as a top priority for action. This includes publicity campaigns and direct interventions, where we will carry out a free Safe & Well visit then provide and fit smoke alarms together with information around fire safety, escape plans and night-time routines.  Alongside the Safe & Well check information will be given relating to the First contact Derbyshire signposting scheme which provides an easy way for individuals to get in touch with local service who can offer support for their health & wellbeing, helping individuals and families stay independent.
• Schools' education work through fire safety education to years 2 and 6 pupils in local education authority schools
• We are members of the Derby & Derbyshire Adults and Childrens safeguarding boards, playing an active role in providing awareness of safeguarding issues.
• Playing a key role in the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership to prevent incidents on Derbyshire's roads. DFRS takes the lead role on reducing the number of deaths and injuries among young drivers aged 17 to 25.  DFRS also works in partnership with the Police to deliver safety initiatives (Biker Down) for motorcycle riders in the county.
• Founders of the Derbyshire Water Safety Partnership.  DFRS delivers water safety campaigns and initiatives with other agencies in order to reduce the amount of water incidents, injuries and deaths across Derbyshire.

Inclusion

• Reviewing how we communicate with our diverse communities across the county and sharing good practice with our partners when delivering our services
• Building and maintaining a culture of inclusion within the Service that is reflected in the interactions of our employees with members of our communities within Derbyshire

• Engaging with and hosting inclusion and positive action events, to communicate with our diverse communities and recruit potential firefighters of the future

You can read more about our varied work with our partners by visiting our community work section. More detail about the Services Inclusion and Equality work and achievements can be found in our Inclusion and Equality section.

Protection

This area of work centres on the duties of Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.

DFRS has a duty to enforce the Order in non-domestic premises within the county. The Order is designed to protect people from fire. Individuals and groups who have control over premises are now responsible for making sure people in or around them are not at risk from fire and its effects.

The Order also includes powers to make sure that facilities within premises that are there to help firefighters in their work are maintained and available.

There are a range of options open when breaches or potential breaches of the Order are identified. These range from advice and agreed action plans through to alteration, enforcement and prohibition notices and, in other circumstances, prosecutions.

Except for single private houses, all work on buildings that are subject to building control legislation requires building control authorities to consult DFRS. These consultations range from projects such as alterations to the entrance hall in a small nursery school, to the major refurbishment and extension of a city centre shopping complex or a multi storey hospital. None of these places should be constructed, occupied and managed in a way that puts people in or around them, at an unacceptable exposure to the risk of harm if a fire occurs.

In the largest and most complex premises, specialist fire engineers develop solutions bespoke to the premises structure and use. These solutions have to be verified by this group and this is managed by running computer simulations of fire growth within them. These computer simulations have proved invaluable in demonstrating how a fire would behave and how a building would perform if a fire occurred. These models are also used to recreate events to assist in fire investigation.

Fire investigation is another role within the Protection work area and, in Derbyshire, co-ordinates local and regional intelligence to advise and support fire investigation officers, working closely with the police. Within this area is the regionally funded Fire Investigation Dog and Handler and the Regional Fire Investigation Coordinator.

For information on how your business can support the work of the DFRS and for fire safety advice for business click visit our Fire Safety for business section.

Response

This is the area of work that is most visible to the public. It is where people see fire appliances responding to incidents and dealing with fires, attending road traffic collisions, and other rescue situations, often on the county's roads.

To enable Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) to respond to incidents, the county has been split into three areas. These are split along council boundaries and are:

• East Area [North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Bolsover and Amber Valley]
• South Area [Derby City, South Derbyshire and Erewash]​​​​​​​
• West Area [High Peak and Derbyshire Dales]

The response area of work for DFRS also includes making sure the response of the service is matched to identified needs in local communities, such as large industrial premises, historic buildings or areas of high population, and making sure that an effective operational response is maintained at all times.

Response also takes into consideration researching operational response nationally to make sure that good practice is taken into account and developing that to meet the needs of local communities.

Fire Stations

To cover the county, DFRS has a total of 31 fire stations based in strategic areas to cover the risk of the local area. To find out more about a station, see the fire stations section.