Local fire and rescue authorities and services operate under the Fire and Rescue Services Act framework.
Fire-service reference hub
How UK fire and rescue services work
Understand emergency response, prevention, Fire Safety Order enforcement and published data—then open detailed profiles for London and Surrey.
UK framework
Local services operate within different national arrangements
Fire and rescue is devolved. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different service and governance structures, while local fire and rescue authorities in England plan for community risk and enforce fire-safety legislation within their areas.
Our detailed operational and data coverage is deliberately focused on London and Surrey, matching the areas where this information service provides assessment-enquiry support.
A national Scottish Fire and Rescue Service operates across Scotland.
Regional fire and rescue authorities serve areas of Wales.
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service provides the regional service.
Four connected functions
Response is only one part of the service
Prevention and protection activity happens before an incident, while operational response manages emergencies. Follow the operational process from 999 call to prevention and enforcement.
Respond
Attend fires, road collisions and other incidents under each service’s operational policies.
Prevent
Target home and community risks through visits, campaigns, education and partnership work.
Protect
Audit relevant premises, investigate concerns and enforce the Fire Safety Order for most sectors.
Plan and publish
Assess community risk, plan resources and publish governance, performance and incident information.
London and Surrey
Detailed service, station and data profiles
Each profile connects the official service routes to our independent local directories and data products.
LFB103stations indexed
Greater London
London Fire Brigade
Understand London Fire Brigade governance, stations, prevention, business fire-safety enforcement and open data, with links to all 33 borough directories.
- London’s fire and rescue service and principal Fire Safety Order enforcer
- Station and mobilisation data are available through official open datasets
- Business-safety teams audit premises and may use formal enforcement powers
SFRS25stations indexed
Surrey
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
Understand Surrey Fire and Rescue Service governance, stations, prevention, business-safety enforcement and published data across Surrey’s 11 authority areas.
- Surrey County Council operates the county fire and rescue service
- The service covers all 11 Surrey district and borough areas
- Business-safety work includes advice, audits and Fire Safety Order enforcement
Important distinction
The fire service does not complete your FRA for you
For most relevant premises, the service is the enforcing authority. The responsible person must arrange and record a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and act on its findings.
Primary legal and statistical sources