Local Authority Control
In 1938 when the Fire Brigades Act was passed, there were between 1400 and 1500 small brigades run by local councils throughout Britain.
With the coming of the Second World War, the
Auxiliary Fire Service was formed and in 1941 this and the existing fire
brigades were amalgamated by the then Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, into the
National Fire Service.
At the conclusion of the National Emergency
and under the provisions of The
Fire Services Act, 1947 the national
organisation was handed back to local authorities but not to the small local
boroughs and borough councils but instead to county councils and county
boroughs, in all 148 different brigades.
On the 1st April 1974, further Local Government re-organisation took place which again substantially reduced the number of Fire Authorities, each of which is now equipped and trained to cover a much larger area.
There are, in England and Wales, now only 54 brigades comprising Metropolitan Brigades in urban areas and county brigades rural locations. In total there are 63 brigades in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
