Occasionally, a loud blaring siren alerts us to their presence or we catch sight of a large, red appliance proceeding to some unknown, urgent mission.

We applaud them on Independence Day Parades, and at the back of our minds we all know, or should know, that in an emergency dialing 990 is the fastest way of summoning their assistance…

But have you ever really stopped to wonder about our Fire Service? Who are these brave and courageous men and women, who have dedicated their lives to protect the community from fire and other hazards? Exactly how many fire stations are there, and where are they located? And, probably the most popular question of all, what do firefighters do when there is no fire?

The answers to these and other queries may be surprising to a lot of people, whose normal daily routines may not entail contact, whether directly or indirectly, with the operations of the Fire Service. It is not that the Service is shrouded in secrecy - far from it.

But it may be that the inner workings of the Fire Service vastly differ from those normally found in other, more basic careers.

To begin with, fire fighting is considered more of a science than a career. Firefighters are required to have more than a basic knowledge of such subjects as the Physics and Chemistry of Combustion, Hydraulics and Electricity, to name a few. This knowledge is necessary when having to face risks and hazards, which may occur in high rise buildings and factories utilizing chemicals and other combustible materials of high toxicity.

The resources of our Fire Service have therefore been spread in an effort to quickly address these contingencies whenever they may occur.

At present the country is services by 22 fire stations and substations which, due to their geographical locations, are in turn divided into four divisions, namely:

• Northern Division,
• Central Division,
• Southern Division and
• Tobago Division.

The stations under these Divisions are:

NORTHERN DIVISION:

CENTRAL DIVISION:

SOUTHERN DIVISION:

TOBAGO DIVISION:

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