Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

About The Service

Here are some details about the service and the counties of Devon and Somerset.

In order to deliver its services, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority employs 2,255 staff:

•         798 Wholetime and Control personnel
•         1208 Retained personnel
•         249 Non-uniformed personnel

Fire-fighting and community safety activity is delivered from the 82 fire stations across the area, of which there are:

•         67 retained stations – the largest number in England
•         5 wholetime stations
•         9 wholetime/retained stations
•         1 volunteer station

The Service Headquarters are based at Clyst St George, Exeter with Control Rooms in Exeter and Taunton.  Due to the large geographical area of the counties, there are six divisional headquarters based in Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Barnstaple, Taunton and Yeovil.  Training Centres are located at Plymouth and a shared facility at Severn Park, Avonmouth.  Fire safety enforcement is delivered from these divisional headquarters. 

•         Over one million people live in Devon and over half a million in Somerset. Both counties are expecting population growth with the increase mainly in the over 65 age group.  

•         The Black Minority Ethnic population of the total population is 1.2% in Devon and 2.9% in Somerset. Chinese is the highest ethnic population in both counties. Whilst there is no official recording, it is believed that Romany Gypsy are a significant ethnic minority – particularly in Somerset.

•         The combined county area covers over 10,000 square kms (Devon – 6,711 sq km; Somerset 3,452 sq km).

•         There are almost 700,000 households across the counties: 480,000 homes in Devon and 210,000 in Somerset.

•         Both counties enjoy a diverse mix of urban, market towns and rural communities which presents challenge in how the Fire and Rescue service is provided.  Nearly half of the Devon population live in Plymouth, Exeter and Torbay (with the main town in the North of the county being Barnstaple). Over 25% of the Somerset population is concentrated in Taunton, Bridgwater or Yeovil. Outside of these major towns, both counties are rural and sparsely populated.

•         In building sustainable communities, towns and cities in both counties are trying to attract new business to the area (as highlighted by the South West RDA’s Economic Strategy). Infrastructure reflects the rurality of the area with the most significant road artery being the M5, which runs through both counties. Devon is served by airports at Exeter and Plymouth (both of which are seeking to expand) and the ferry port at Plymouth. Rail links to London pass through the major towns and cities of both counties.

•         Devon has some 14,222km of roads (more than any other county in the UK) with 6,531km of road in Somerset. The main arterial routes give fairly good access across the counties but many areas can only be accessed through narrow lanes. 

•         Both counties are popular with tourists and enjoy over 900km of coastline (Devon 857km of coastline; Somerset 64km) together with beaches, estuaries, countryside, moorlands (Dartmoor and Exmoor), areas of outstanding natural beauty (including Quantock, Mendip and Blackdown Hills) and the many National Heritage sites.  Over 30 million tourist nights are spent in Devon and 9 million in Somerset each year, this significantly increases the population at peak times (by as much as 25% in Devon).

•         Employment within Devon focuses on the service and manufacturing industries, dominated by the public service sector, which accounts for nearly 30% of all employment.  The National Health Service is the largest single employer in Devon.  Agriculture and tourism are also important industries in the county, whilst Somerset’s dominant employment sector is Distribution, followed by Hotels and restaurants. The dockyard at Plymouth plays a key role in the maritime economy and the city also hosts the Devonport Naval Base.  At county levels, rates of unemployment are lower than the national average, but wages are generally poorer. Both counties are home to military bases (notably Royal Marine bases in Taunton, Lympstone, Plymouth and Bickleigh; and RNAS Yeovilton) and Hinkley Point nuclear power station sits on the coast North West of Bridgwater.