Fire and Rescue costs
Costs
The standard fire pumping appliance is based on costs of 2018 registration appliances. The cost of leased personal protective equipment (PPE) including the managed service is £461.47 per firefighter for 2018.
Additional or replacement items
- Tunic - £250.79
- Over trousers - £186.97
- Fire helmet - £221.35 + Torch £49.41
- Fire hood - £36.41
- Leather boots - £154.02
- Firefighter gloves - £59.06
- Rescue gloves - £28.53
The total cost is £986.54.
Calculation of Section 106 (s106) claim for development of new dwellings
Capital cost model
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Dwelling fires as a percentage of all property fires (3 year average) | 65% |
Cost of additional fire stations, appliances and equipment
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Number of households in Warwickshire | 231,000 |
| Divide by the number of fire stations | 17 |
| Average number of fire dwellings per fire station (2÷3) | 3,067 |
| Average build cost per station | £3,500,000 |
| Average cost of new fire appliance plus equipment | £300,000 |
| Average cost per non-residential building ((5+6)÷4) | £1,239 |
| Average floor space (sampled) | 100 square metres |
| Cost per non-residential building (per square metre)(7÷8) | £12.39 |
Annual revenue costs of additional firefighters personal protection equipment (PPE)
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Average establishment per fire station (FTE) | 17 |
| Total PPE cost per new fire station (leased) | £7844.99 |
Installation of fire hydrants
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Average number of dwellings (within a typical estate) served by each fire hydrant | 29 |
| Average cost per hydrant installation | £1153 |
| Hydrant cost per dwelling (13÷12) | £39.75 |
Please note that the hydrant cost will be removed when calculating developer contributions, where fire hydrants are agreed as a supplementary planning condition.
Calculation of s106 claim for development of non-residential buildings
Capital cost model
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Non-residential building fires as a percentage of all property fires (3 year average) | 35% |
Cost of new additional fire stations, appliances and equipment
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Number of non-residential buildings in Warwickshire | 52.140 |
| Divide by the number of fire stations | 17 |
| Average number of non-residential buildings per fire station (2÷3) | 3,067 |
| Average build cost per fire station | £3,500,000 |
| Average cost of new fire appliance plus equipment | £300,000 |
| Average cost per non residential building ((5+6)÷4) | £1239 |
| Average floor space (sampled) | 100 square metres |
| Cost per non-residential building (per square metre)(7÷8) | £12.39 |
Annual costs of additional firefighters PPE
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Average establishment per fire station | 17 |
| Capital cost per firefighter for PPE | £986.54 |
| Total PPE cost per new fire station (10+11) | £16,771.18 |
| Cost per non-residential building for firefighter PPE (per square metre)((12÷4)÷8) | £0.05 |
Installation of fire hydrants
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Average floor area (non residential property) served by each fire hydrant | 5000 square metres |
| Average cost per hydrant installation | £1153 |
|
Average cost (per square metre floor area) for fire hydrant provision on a typical industrial estate (sampled data) (15÷14) |
£0.23 |
Please note that where fire hydrants are agreed as a supplementary planning condition, the hydrant cost will be removed when calculating developer contributions.
Fire hydrant provision
In addition to capital costs, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) requires fire hydrants to be installed within all developments. On average, one fire hydrant is needed for every 29 properties or 5,000 square metres of non-residential property (although a risk-based assessment will be required to confirm this) and the cost to install a fire hydrant is £1153. This is a cost of £39.75 per dwelling or £23 per 100 square metres of commercial premises.
Whilst this capital contribution can be secured through a planning obligation, fire hydrants should be designed into the development at the master plan stage and implemented through a planning condition.
This is the actual condition used by WFRS, for securing fire hydrants:
“The development hereby permitted shall not be commenced until a scheme for the provision of adequate water supplies and fire hydrants, necessary for fire fighting purposes at the site, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall not be occupied until the scheme has been implemented to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority”.
With potential growth, WFRS may have to increase the capacity of the team to enable a full maintenance schedule to be developed, and this will alter the cost ratio calculations.
Requirements for fire station new builds
When building a new fire station it is essential that all factors are considered within the design to ensure that both operational and local community needs are met.
There are various staffing models in operation across Warwickshire which directly influence the size of and range of facilities required. The total Gross Internal Area (GIA) and land area requirement for new fire stations based on the duty system type will need to be considered. These are based on current whole-time and day crewed or retained crewing station models within Warwickshire. These illustrative examples would form the basis of discussions for future new builds.
Examples of station areas within WFRS by duty system type
| Duty system type | Station area (square metres) | Site areas (square metres) |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-time station | 1,300 | 4,400 |
| Day crewed station | 620 | 2,340 |
| Retained station | 240 | 2,000 |
Any new station will require certain facilities as standard specifications. Main requirements would be discussed on a case by case basis dependent on the requirements of the service, these are:
- minimum of 3 appliance bays for whole-time stations
- minimum of 2 appliance bays for variable or retained stations
- 3 bay ancillary garage (at whole-time stations only)
- training ground / drill yard (to be suitable for breathing apparatus and line working training
- training tower
- breathing apparatus maintenance room (including air compressor)
- kitchen facilities
- rest area
- watch room
- lecture room
- office space
- specific room or facility for community use
- safe access and egress for appliances
- an area suitable for removal of demountable pods from prime movers
- diesel pump (above ground)