REPUBLIC OF PERILO FIRE SERVICE

The Fire Service Act of 1967 provides for the establishment and operation of fire departments within the Republic of Perilo.  This piece of legislation provides authority for local governments to establish, operate, and regulate local fire departments and establishes the framework of a uniform approach to fire service staffing.

Currently 20 regular fire departments operate in the country.  These include the following:

• 5 fire departments in Class I cities with paid staff

• 1 fire department in a Class I city with paid staff supplemented by volunteers

• 2 fire departments in a Class II city with paid staff

• 6 fire departments in Class III towns with paid officers and volunteer personnel

• 3 fire departments in Class IV towns with volunteer staff

• 1 fire department in a Class V village with volunteer staff

• 2 industrial fire departments

Local fire departments identify their own requirements for vehicles and equipment and procure them through budget allocations by their jurisdiction, and in some cases through public subscription and other fund raising activities.  As a result, there is considerable variance as to vehicle types, performance characteristics, and equipment carried.  However, Fire Service Standard 1 established standard terms used to describe fire appliances.

Firefighters are trained by the individual departments according to training standards that are locally developed.  Most of the training in smaller departments is on the job training.  All of the departments in Class I cities operate firefighter schools to train their annual intake of firefighter recruits.  In 2005 four fire officers were sent abroad for training in fire officer courses conducted in the United Kingdom (Fire Service College), United States (National Fire Academy), and Singapore (Basic Officers Course).

AUXILIARY FIRE SERVICE

The Auxiliary Fire Service was established on 1 August 1969 to provide the ability to mobilize numbers of vehicles and personnel for movement over long distances to conflagrations during wartime and in disasters.  Because of the Service's civil defense function, the majority of its Companies were initially deployed outside the major metropolitan areas to increase their survivability in wartime.   Auxiliary Fire Service units are organized as  single vehicle Engine Companies equipped with one self-propelled pump, a cross country capable vehicle designed in the 1950s for ease of use and maintenance by part time volunteer crews.  The self-propelled pumps were manufactured on a Bedford lorry chassis as part of the original Green Goddess purchase by the government of the United Kingdom, and 80 were purchased by Perilo when declared surplus to United Kingdom requirements in 1968.  Although old, these vehicles have been well maintained by both their local units and by the Central Garage in Glencoe, and have been three rehabilitation and upgrade programs.

Provincial Governments are responsible for recruiting and training a volunteer central support task force which can be mobilized to support response at any major incident in the Province.  Equipment assigned to these task forces is as follows:

1 Mobile command post

1 Foam tender

2 Hose units

2 Pipe units

1 Mobile dam unit

4 Tankers

Auxiliary Fire Service units train one weekend afternoon a month, and are available for callout by local fire departments in significant emergencies.  In many small communities the Auxiliary Fire Service Company provides the only fire protection.