Welcome to the Rock. Gibraltar's only a little over three square miles across, but it soars upward to a height of almost 1,400 feet. If you look closely, you'll see a major seaport, a densely populated town on the western side and tunnels cut through the limestone that open onto sheer drop-offs on the high cliffs. Along with the port, there's an international airport, a NATO ammunition site and a major fuel depot. All this, and not a natural supply of fresh water in sight.

Rescue in the rough

With multiple problem areas jammed into such a small spot, there's very little room for error. But the City Fire Brigade takes Gibraltar in stride. The brigade operates a series of specialty teams including ship fire, diving and hazmat, with backup coming from the regular units. Still, the list of potential problems goes on, and the brigade has to deal with all of them.

Other difficulties come from the twisting, narrow streets in the older parts of the city and from the rough roads leading up to the Rock. In response, the brigade uses specially designed vehicles that allow them the mobility they need. If the vehicle they need isn't commercially available, one is built to their specifications. Smaller fire apparatus are used in the old city, while the larger units respond to the newer areas with wider access. Most of the vehicles have four-wheel drive that allows them to travel on undeveloped roads higher up on the Rock.

Additional problems are caused by the dense population and the traffic it generates. An influx of 500 to 600 cars crossing the border with Spain every day only adds to this problem. Many of these visitors are tourists, bringing a new set of challenges for the brigade. Tourists often take their vehicles onto the mountain roads and get stuck, requiring assistance from the brigade. Furthermore, visiting climbers often become trapped or injured on the Rock and have to be rescued.

Chief Fire Officer Louis Casciaro laughs, “At least we don't have many language difficulties.” For those visitors who don't speak English, French or Spanish, interpreters are available 24 hours a day.

Solid beginnings

This modern, forward-looking service was established in 1976, when the City Fire Brigade and Fire Services Ordinance was enacted. This doesn't mean that Gibraltar went without a service before the ordinance, however.

In fact, the brigade's history goes back to before 1865, when the firefighting was done by military fire engines stationed at various points over the island. That year, a Sanitary Commission was set up at the military base. As part of its duties, this commission was given the responsibility for “the prevention and extinction of fires.”

In 1913, with World War I looming, the military began to withdraw troops from Gibraltar for other duties. A suggestion was made to staff the brigade with police, but a sergeant in the fire brigade suggested using civilian employees from the commission's workshops as firefighters.

This practice continued until 1940, during World War II, when Capt. A.W. Beevers was appointed as the first professional fire officer to serve on the Rock of Gibraltar. He reorganized the brigade to match the needs of wartime service. The existing brigade was reinforced by the Number Four Overseas Fire Brigade, which brought additional vehicles and equipment from Great Britain.

In October 1946, as the military forces on Gibraltar were further decreased, 12 civilians were hired and trained as firefighters. The military transferred the brigade's duties to the city council, and the civilian force fought its first fire in December of that year.

The service began its modernization and improvements in training and technical abilities with an ordinance passed in 1976. Fire officers began advanced training at the Fire Service Technical College in the United Kingdom. Fire prevention also took on a new look that year, as inspections were made of government buildings, hospitals, petroleum installations and other potential trouble spots.

Four years later, training was begun in other emergency services such as mountain and underwater rescues. Then in 1988, the brigade established a marine section to respond to fires at sea.

Continuing on a roll

Today, the brigade operates from a single station in the center of the city. From this location, its maximum response time to any point of the island is seven minutes. It is responsible for firefighting, fire prevention and rescues over the entire Rock, except in areas still under military control.

The city fire brigade's training is under the guidance of the British Home Office. Basic recruit training is done in Gibraltar, while advanced training for officers and instructors is done at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, England.

Due to the nature of the Rock, all officers and firefighters are required to be proficient in rope rescue and underwater rescue techniques. Additional specialized training, such as ship firefighting and mountain rescue, is done at other centers in Britain, including the Strathclyde International Fire Safety Center. A firefighter who receives instructor training there returns to teach others on Gibraltar.

The brigade recently began a five-year training and development program aimed at three main sections: senior management, operations and fire safety. An in-depth schedule has been set up to meet the requirements of this program, with officers attending further classes at the training schools in Britain.

The training program is in constant review, and the brigade makes changes as needed. It regards the amount of specialist training as highly important because of the unusual risks found on Gibraltar. The intensity of these courses ensure a high level of competence in brigade personnel.

Fire prevention is also of paramount importance to the Gibraltar brigade. Its fire prevention department is responsible for new and existing building inspections, post mortems on fires and investigations, court appearances, lectures, complaints and public information.

Comprehensive ordinances require that the fire prevention department be given the plans for any new building or alterations on an existing building prior to the start of construction. This allows advance determination of escape routes, placement of fire alarms and detectors, and position of emergency lighting. It also lets the brigade determine the positioning of first aid and firefighting equipment, and the best way to stop smoke spread by compartmentalizing the fire area.

This department also inspects and licenses any vehicle, garage or service station where large amounts of fuel are stored or transported, and it routinely inspects bars, restaurants, nightclubs, schools and hotels to ensure the safety of the patrons. Furthermore, any explosive, including fireworks, must be approved by the fire prevention department before its import is allowed. It is the issuing agency for fireworks display permits and requires technicians to be properly certified.

Another department of note is the fire safety department. This section is currently being given a higher profile by the brigade and more resources are being made available to it.

It conducts training and lectures for government offices and civilian groups on subjects such as fire safety, extinguisher use, and how to deal with a fire in the home or workplace. It also carries out intense public awareness campaigns for fireworks safety on holidays such as Guy Fawkes Day and New Year's Eve. The fire safety department recently created a fire safety house for educating children ages 4 through 11 about fire safety and how to escape a fire in the home environment.

Steady future on shaky ground

Going beyond fighting fires and working rescues, the City Fire Brigade is heavily involved in the community. This is reflected in the dramatic drop in fire calls over the past few years. Responses to actual fires have dropped steadily each year since 1995. On the other hand, responses to false alarms called in with good intentions have increased as the public has become more fire conscious.

Chief Casciaro credits the drop in real fires to the continuing and expanding education program. New building legislations and requirements have also played a part, requiring concrete and steel construction as opposed to wood.

One of the biggest changes facing the brigade is the decrease in the military presence on the Rock. More military areas will be coming under the jurisdiction of the brigade in the near future, and Casciaro is certain that with the additional area of responsibility, the brigade will need more personnel and equipment.

Unlike many services, the brigade has no real logistical support in case of a major fire. While they often respond into Spain as backup for the service just across the border, their Spanish counterparts don't have the equipment or staffing to return the favor. But even being on their own, the brigade's members feel they can handle whatever comes their way.

The chief said it best: “Gibraltar is very proud of its firefighters. They have a very long tradition of service and caring for the public here. It is the people that we have on the brigade who make the difference.” And the people are a steady as the Rock they live on.

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Jon C. Crusoe lives in north Florida, where he has been a paramedic for 29 years. For the past 16 years, he has been employed by Wakulla County EMS. He is also on the personnel roster of the Saint Marks Volunteer Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic and medical training officer. Crusoe is a published science fiction and fantasy author and is currently writing a novel about EMS in a fantasy setting.