Penrith Fire Station
Tel: 0300 303 8623 Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Training Evening: Tuesday 1830 hrs to 2030 hrs.
Email: enquiries.fire@cumbria.gov.uk
Penrith fire station is staffed by Regular and On-call Firefighters and houses two fire engines, one Prime Mover with Environmental Protection Unit (EPU), one Water Bowser (also used as a training vehicle) and one Enhanced Logistical Support vehicle (ELS).
The station also provides cover to a large remote rural area covering approximately 37,500 hectares. Penrith is situated at the crossroads of the M6 and the A66 so deals with a number of road traffic collisions.They also attend agricultural fires such as barn fires and livestock rescues. The station's firefighters also receive specialist water rescue training.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service carry out Safe and Well Visits; please use the link below for more information.
Safe and Well Visits and Safety in your home
Next nearest supporting Fire Engine
Lazonby - 8 miles
Shap - 10 miles
Appleby - 13 miles
| Station Area | 24,400 population |
| Crewing Type | Day Crewed (9am to 5pm) and On-Call |
| Fire Engines | 2 fire engines, 1 water bowser, 1 National Resilience Enhanced Logistics Vehicle, 1 Environmental Protection Unit, Breathing Apparatus Support Vehicle, 1 Joint Incident Control Unit and 1Training Appliance |
Penrith has a rich history. It was in the 9th and 10th century that the town became the capital of Cumbria, a semi-dependant state which until 1070 AD formed part of the Kingdom of Scotland and Strathclyde. The two oldest streets, Burrowgate and Sandgate, date from the 13th Century and there are additional significant heritage buildings within the station area.
The area contains:
7 Heritage Sites, 19 Grade II listed buildings and over 70 Grade I listed buildings
The River Eden is a Special Area of Conservation, and there are 14 Sites of Specific Scientific Interest
There are 4 Site Specific Risks; Ullswater Pumping Station, Omega Proteins (Wildriggs), Carrs Billington Agriculture and Rheged
Flood Risk:
The River Eamont at Eamont Bridge has caused flooding in recent years: 1968, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2009 are examples of some of the worst occasions. The Eamont catchment covers an area of approximately 230Km2 and its main tributaries are the River Lowther, Dacre Beck and Thacka Beck. Average annual rainfall is high over most of the catchment ranging from 270mm in the South West to 800mm in the North East. Flooding in the Eamonth Bridge area is mainly due to the River Eamonth outflow from Ullswater but Dacre Beck, which joins the Eamont upstream of the Eamont Bridge Flood Warning area, can often have a significant influence during flood events. There are approximately 90 properties at risk, including Southwaite Green Mill Caravan Park.
Penrith Station is also the first to respond to flood risk again arising from the river Eden, at Armathwaite. The Armathwaite Flood Warning Area covers approximately 0.0015Km2 and consists of isolated properties, roads and high quality agricultural land from Langwathby to Armathwaite. There are approximately 32 properties at risk, including Armathwaite Castle. Major flooding to the area has occurred in 1822, 1856, 1925, 1968, 1972, 2005 and 2009.
The centre of Penrith flooded in 2003 and again in 2006 as a result of localised heavy rainfall over the Thacka Beck catchment (M6 corridor between J40-41). It affected the businesses on Middlegate, particularly those close to Burrowgate.
The risks within the town are both residential and commercial and with major roads being major arterial ways for the County, and ever increasing number of road traffic collisions are now being attended.
The table shows the number of incidents that have occurred within a nominal area assigned to the station (as shown on the map in the station profile). This is different to the number of incidents attended by fire engines which are based at the station, as they may attend incidents outside their station area.
| Fire | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | |
| All emergencies attended | 207 | 167 | 169 | |
| All Fires | 68 | 43 | 44 | |
| Accidental primary dwelling fires | 11 | 9 | 8 | |
| Secondary fires | 9 | 12 | 14 | |
| Chimney fires | 19 | 10 | 5 | |
| Deliberate primary fires | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Deliberate secondary fires | 13 | 3 | 4 | |
| False Alarms | ||||
| All false alarms | 112 | 83 | 84 | |
| Special Service Calls | ||||
| Non Road Traffic Collisions Special Service Calls | 9 | 21 | 25 | |
| Road Traffic Collisions Special Service Calls | 19 | 20 | 16 |
Response times
Day Crewed Fire Engine
| Fire Engine C27P1 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
| Average crew turnout time (time it takes the crew to respond to the station) | 3 mins 47 secs | 3 mins 47 secs | 3 mins 37 secs |
| Average response time (time it takes the crew to arrive at the incident from the station) | 10 mins 55 secs | 10 mins 8 secs | 10 mins 4 secs |
| Number of incidents attended by fire engine C27P1 | 288 | 244 | 242 |
On-call Fire Engine
| Fire Engine C27P2 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
| Average crew turnout time (time it takes the crew to respond to the station) | 6 mins 3 secs | 6 mins 18 secs | 4 mins 24 secs |
| Average response time (time it takes the crew to arrive at the incident from the station) | 10 mins 44 secs | 12 mins 18 secs | 12 mins 36 secs |
| Number of incidents attended by fire engine C27P2 | 102 | 77 | 78 |
Availability
Day Crewed Fire Engine
| Fire Engine C27P1 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
| Total Availability | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Mon - Fri (08:00 - 18:00) | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Mon - Thurs (18:00 - 08:00) | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Fri - Mon (18:00 - 08:00) | 100% | 100% | 100% |
On-call Fire Engine
| Fire Engine C27P2 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
| Total Availability | 93% | 84% | 90% |
| Mon - Fri (08:00 - 18:00) | 94% | 89% | 89% |
| Mon - Thurs (18:00 - 08:00) | 97% | 73% | 98% |
| Fri - Mon (18:00 - 08:00) | 89% | 81% | 84% |
Further information for this fire station is available on a number of themes at the Cumbria Intelligence Observatory, including:
Population
Crime and Community
Health and Social Care
Housing
Economy and Employment
Environment
Children and Young People
Please visit www.cumbriaobservatory.org.uk and choose a fire station area for your particular theme of interest.
