Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

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Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service Proud to help our communities to be safer by preventing and responding to fire and rescue emergencies

Our Social Media Community Standards ...

We want to make sure there are good conversations on our social media accounts. We will encourage respectful and open conversation, but we have some standards of what is acceptable and what is not. What comments do we class as unacceptable?

• Malicious or unreasonably negative against our staff or another commenter.
• Abusive to individuals or the organisation.
• Non-inclusive views or language.
• Offensive, including but not limited to: any type of prejudice or discrimination, bullying, or harassment.
• Obscene.
• Negative assumptions about our actions, e.g., we won’t listen, our intentions are corrupt.
• Misinformation and disinformation.
• In violation of a law or regulation.
• Using a post to change the topic for a personal or political campaign. What it’s not

• Challenging decisions.
• Giving constructive negative feedback on our Service or services. What actions will we take

No difficult or unacceptable comment will go unchallenged. Not responding can allow views to be felt to be validated and could be seen by onlookers as a lack of caring or even as if we’re accepting of those views. We will assess each situation and aim to resolve most situations first with a clear message of why we feel the comment is unacceptable, reinforcing our values at every opportunity. If people are persistent or the severity – such as targeted abuse naming or aimed at an individual – of the comment warrants it, we will delete it, block the user and report that account to social media platforms or enact our Unreasonable behaviour policy, if the route is through website comments or complaints.

22/10/2026

Storm Austen is set to bring wet and windy weather to the South West tonight. An amber wind warning is in place for parts of Devon between 1am and 10am on Friday 23 October.

Travel disruption is likely, and there is a risk of fallen trees, damage to property, and power or communication outages.

For advice on staying safe during severe weather, visit- https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/safety/outdoors/safety-severe-weather-conditions

Did you catch us discussing wildfires on Crimewatch? 📺 🔥 Our Area Commander, Joe Kenny, headed to Cardiff last week to t...
20/10/2026

Did you catch us discussing wildfires on Crimewatch? 📺 🔥

Our Area Commander, Joe Kenny, headed to Cardiff last week to talk wildfires on BBC Crimewatch, showcasing how our Argocats (4x4 vehicles) help crews tackle fires in challenging terrain.

Joe also shared vital wildfire safety advice and highlighted how, following a hugely busy summer of outdoor fires, we can all play our part in preventing them.

Catch Joe in action on BBC iPlayer link in the comments below, from 34:05.

If you're near Paignton train station this evening (19 October), do not be concerned if you notice an increased emergenc...
19/10/2026

If you're near Paignton train station this evening (19 October), do not be concerned if you notice an increased emergency service presence between 7pm and 9pm.

Our crews will be carrying out a planned search and rescue training exercise at the station on Queens Park Road.

Synthetic smoke may be visible in the immediate area, and several fire appliances will be involved.

We’re stepping up our efforts to save water across Devon and Somerset💧Drought conditions in the south west have reached ...
16/10/2026

We’re stepping up our efforts to save water across Devon and Somerset💧

Drought conditions in the south west have reached the ‘severe’ category - a UK first. With no expected rain on the horizon, pressure on water supplies is likely to continue.

Here’s how we’re playing our part:

- Training exercises and drills will not use water from the mains supply 🚒

- Vehicle washing will be limited to what’s essential for safe operations, such as cleaning windscreens and blue lights 🚒

We’re taking responsibility for our water use and asking our colleagues and communities to do the same.

For further information on steps you can take, take a look at the links from South West Water and Wessex Water in the comments below 👇🏼

Want to find out more about how we identify risks and what we do about them?   Join one of our question and answer sessi...
16/10/2026

Want to find out more about how we identify risks and what we do about them?

Join one of our question and answer sessions to find out how we developed our draft five-year plan.

If you can’t make one of these dates but have questions about the draft plan, get in touch [email protected] or 01392 261287.

Don’t forget to tell us what you think by filling in the short consultation survey https://orlo.uk/Wx4R8

13/10/2026

Do more houses mean more house fires?

Dave Church, our Strategic Analyst, has looked into this trend for our draft Community Risk Management Plan – and the answer is not necessarily.

Tell us what you think of our five-year plan by filling in the short consultation survey available on our website.

Find out why community resilience is one of the most important parts of our five-year plan for Assistant Chief Fire Offi...
09/10/2026

Find out why community resilience is one of the most important parts of our five-year plan for Assistant Chief Fire Officer Andy Smith at one of our question and answer sessions.

Learn more about our plan to reduce risk in your communities with Andy, Strategic Analyst Dave Church and Community Risk Planning Manager Mark Watson.

More information about the question and answer sessions, the plan and a link to a short consultation survey are on our website. Link in the comments.

07/10/2026

Yesterday, Prince William visited the Service to hear how we dealt with a record-breaking summer of wildfires and our plans to improve community resilience to these events in the future.

Today, we launch our draft five-year plan, which has a new focus on community resilience, and how we as a Service will work with you to build it.

We want to hear from you so that we can ensure we cover all the risks you see in your local area.

Tell us what you think by filling in the short survey which you can find on our website https://orlo.uk/wayP7

👑 We had a special visitor today 👑 HRH The Prince of Wales visited Ilminster Fire Station to learn more about this summe...
06/10/2026

👑 We had a special visitor today 👑

HRH The Prince of Wales visited Ilminster Fire Station to learn more about this summer’s record wildfire season and meet some of the people who led our response.

It was an exceptionally busy summer for both our Service, and fire and rescue services across the country, with prolonged hot and dry conditions leading to a significant increase in outdoor fires.

Today’s visit recognised the dedication of our firefighters and partners, while highlighting how emergency services are building resilience and protecting communities whatever the weather brings 🚒

Read more about the the visit in the comments below 👇🏼
📸 Somerset County Gazette/Molly Kirk

Do you know a young person who is learning to drive? Help them to be safe on the roads with our   More information on ou...
04/10/2026

Do you know a young person who is learning to drive? Help them to be safe on the roads with our

More information on our website: https://orlo.uk/Eh0JC

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Exeter
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