KENT FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is responsible for delivering fire and rescue services to more than 1.7 million people in Kent. With 56 fire stations and 1,700 operational members of staff, Kent Fire and Rescue Service has a fleet of more than 100 fire engines and other operational vehicles, including pumps, pump rescue ladders and turntable ladders. More than 225km (139 miles) of coastline, inland waterways and the busiest sea channel in the world means we work closely with HM Coastguard and the Royal Air Force when called upon to deal with off-shore ship fires and rescues. Firefighters also get called upon to help with many smaller incidents on our inland waterways and the Thames Estuary. The White Cliffs at Dover present their own unique challenge each time the service’s technical rope rescue team is called out to pluck people to safety.

www.kent.fire-uk.org

MIRG EX is an international joint partnership. Safety Region Zeeland (NL), which brings together crisis management, fire fighters and medical assistance, is lead partner. The other partners in the project are: the Fire Brigades of Antwerp, Beveren and Ghent (BE). These brigades are linked to important international ports, that accommodate large chemical production plants. Being able to effectively fight fires on board ships is simply essential. In addition to the fire brigades, the Federal Organisation of Public Civil Assistance in Brugge, the Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services-Shipping Assistance Division and the Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeehaven nv (Zeebrugge Port Authority) are partners in the MIRG-EX project. The French Service départemental d’incendie et de secours de Pas-de-Calais and the English Kent Fire and Rescue Service complete the partnership. Both are confronted with heavy traffic on the Channel and the North Sea. An incident may be just around the corner, but this doesn’t mean it can be easily reached let alone be dealt with. Working with similar teams on both shores, reduces will help to reduce response time.