Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

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**Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service**
Coverage
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service area
Area	Greater Manchester
Size	496 miles²
Population	2,500,000
Operations
Formed	1974
HQ	Swinton, Greater Manchester
Staff	2,641
Stations	41
Chief Fire Officer	Barry Dixon

Website	Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service
Fire Authority	Greater Manchester Fire Authority

The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England.

Greater Manchester is the second largest fire service in the United Kingdom, covering an area of approximately 496 square miles.^[1] The service has 41 fire stations which are organised into three territorial Area Commands (South, East and West), each one with an Area Command Headquarters, based at Stretford, Rochdale and Bolton. The service employs 2,641 personnel, of which 2,174 are uniformed operational personnel, 64 control room staff, and 403 non-uniformed support staff.

The Fire Services' Headquarters is located on 146 Bolton Road, Swinton in Salford.

1 History
2 See also
3 References
4 External link

[edit] History

The service was created when the county of Greater Manchester came into being in 1974. It had, until fairly recently, been called the Greater Manchester County Fire Service. The change in name reflects the growing roles the service now does and many services across the United Kingdom are changing their names to "Fire and Rescue Service" too. This change was inspired by new primary legislation for England and Wales, The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.^[2].

The service was originally administered by the Greater Manchester County Council, but when this was abolished in 1986, administration of the service was taken over by a joint authority of the ten Metropolitan Boroughs of Greater Manchester, known as the "Fire and Rescue Authority". Five members are appointed by Manchester City Council, two each by Bury and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Councils, and three each by the remaining seven boroughs.^[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ What We Do, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Website. URL accessed December 10, 2006.
^ The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, Pub TSO, (accessed 19 Oct 2006)
^ Local Government Act 1985 (1985 c.51), schedule 10, part II