At a special ceremony on Friday, March 11, the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service will be given the Freedom of Liverpool.
The service was formed in 1836 and was a division of the police force until 1941, it was renamed Merseyside County Fire Brigade in 1971.
It has a history of being on the cutting edge of innovation and new technology, having used the world’s first steam fire engine decades before other cities.
Its responsibilities include not only putting out fires and responding to car accidents, but also maritime rescue and the safe evacuation of dangerous goods.
The Ministry of Fire and Rescue Services (MFRS) has also been recognised as the main fire service for National Resilience, which involves planning for and responding to catastrophic incidents.
It responds to 15,884 occurrences in 2020/21, serving a population of 1.43 million people in 252 square miles from 23 fire stations situated around the region.
Its world-class fire prevention work has resulted in a reduction in fire deaths from 25 in the pre-2000 period to four last year, the lowest number ever recorded.
In addition to this effort, the Service’s protection team has examined every residential high rise block in the city in response to concerns raised in the aftermath of the Grenfell tower fire, ensuring the safety of our inhabitants.
Councillor Mary Rasmussen, Lord Mayor of Liverpool said:
“Every day, firefighters across Merseyside stand ready to be called into action to tackle major incidents and save lives.
“They never know what they will be faced with when they come on shift, so we all have reason to be extremely grateful for their work – whether installing and checking smoke alarms, their community safety programme or responding to 999 calls.
“It is an honour to be able to award Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service the Freedom of Liverpool on behalf of the people of the city.”
During the ceremony at Liverpool Town Hall, Lord Mayor Cllr Mary Rasmussen will present Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan with a Freedom scroll.
