Volume 3 | Issue 2 | July 2026
Welcome to the latest edition of our Community Newsletter!
Across Dorset and Wiltshire, our firefighters and support teams have been busy protecting lives, supporting local communities, and working behind the scenes to help keep people safe. From prevention and education initiatives to emergency response and community engagement, everything we do is driven by a shared commitment to those who live, work, and visit our area.
We’re pleased to share some of the highlights from the past six months and showcase the work that continues to make a positive difference across our communities.
Service update
Our Service Update videos, published three times a year, provide a snapshot of the work taking place across Dorset and Wiltshire, highlighting community engagement, operational incidents, events and the people behind the Service. We’re proud of the work that’s been undertaken and achieved to support and keep our communities safe.
We invite you to watch the most recent update here for July 2026 to really see our teams in action and learn more about the work taking place across the Service.
Careers fairs
On 14 May, we attended a local careers event in Trowbridge, where around 300 people came along to explore opportunities with a wide range of local employers. The event provided a fantastic opportunity to engage with the community with a chance to speak to aspiring firefighters, provide information on corporate career opportunities, as well as have valuable conversations with local businesses who support their employees for our on-call roles.
Additionally, firefighters from Stratton On-Call recently attended the Premier League Inspires Careers Event in Swindon where they were able to share information with young people about career pathways and opportunities. The event hosted by Swindon Town FC brought together six local businesses and organisations to inspire the next generation.
Encouraging Future Talent
In June, Salisbury Fire Station welcomed ten Year 9 students from South Wilts Grammar School as part of the school’s annual Enterprise Challenge. Through station tours, discussions with firefighters and practical activities, students gained a first-hand insight into the wide range of opportunities available within Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The day concluded with students presenting ideas on how to encourage more people to join the fire service, helping to raise awareness of firefighter careers and inspiring the next generation to consider opportunities within the Service.
Public Consultation – Fire Authority decision
At its meeting on 30 June, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority agreed a recommendation to keep the fire stations at Bradford on Avon, Cranborne, Charmouth, Hamworthy, Maiden Newton, Mere, Ramsbury and Wilton open and endorse the Service’s Modernisation Programme, subject to the funding conditions required to secure the Service’s long-term future.
CFO Andy Cole thanked the community for its support and campaign to help keep the eight stations open. More information can be found on our website here.
Staff Networks Day
On National Staff Networks Day, the “Eat, Chat and Learn” event held at Service Headquarters, brought colleagues together to celebrate the diversity of our workforce.
It featured both internal and guest speakers who shared perspectives on leadership, personal development and inclusion, alongside opportunities for networking and discussion.
Alongside our Minority Ethnic Network, we are proud to support five other staff networks. Together, they help foster a culture of belonging, amplify employee voices and create opportunities for colleagues to support one another and influence positive change across the organisation.
International Women’s Day
At our International Women’s Day event supporting this year’s theme #GiveToGain, colleagues had the option to take part in an online conference with speakers sharing experiences and insights on leadership, operational roles, community support and financial wellbeing.
This was followed by practical activities at Salisbury Fire Station, where colleagues, members of the wholetime recruitment pool and prospective firefighters gained a hands-on insight into operational firefighting activities led by an all-female crew.
The event received positive feedback and demonstrated the value of bringing people together to learn from one another and celebrate the achievements of women across the Service, while helping to inspire interest in operational careers and future opportunities.
🗨️ “What I gained was seeing female leaders and role models from DWFRS create a culture of inclusion and a welcoming organisation, giving everybody a sense of belonging. It was an incredible way to gain a stronger appreciation for the experiences, resilience and achievements of women in different roles.”
🗨️ “For Corporate staff to experience the world of our operational women is so important. I’ve always admired the work our operational staff do and particularly so from our women, given the challenges and sometimes difficult experiences you face.”
🗨️ “I’m in the wholetime recruitment pool so it was really useful to meet other people in the pool and learn more about the role. I’d definitely be interested in more events like this!”
Open Days and Community Events
Dorchester Fire Station, Swindon Fire Station and Salisbury Fire Station have all had great success with their open days this summer. Good weather helped attract visitors, who enjoyed a range of displays and demonstrations.
A huge thank you to all the staff, volunteers and partner organisations who helped organise and deliver the events, making it a truly enjoyable day for visitors and the local community. All three events helped raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity and Young Lives vs Cancer with a collective total of just under £5,000 for their chosen charities.
Fundraising through Community Car Washes
Additionally, between March and May, stations across Dorset and Wiltshire raised nearly £11,000 through a series of fire station car washes with the Fire Fighters Charity, Prostate Cancer UK, Chippenham Community Hub, Wilton Community Carnival and Doorway all benefitting.
A huge thank you to all the crews, volunteers and community members who supported these events. Their efforts have helped raise vital funds for charities and organisations making a real difference across our communities.
Shaftesbury Food Festival
Crews from Shaftesbury and Gillingham proudly represented the Service at the annual Shaftesbury Food Festival in May, which attracted more than 12,000 visitors. The festival provided an excellent opportunity to engage with the public, promote the role of on-call firefighters and highlight the benefits of serving local communities.
The team’s efforts have already had a positive impact, generating strong interest in on-call firefighting and resulting in several applications, alongside further expressions of interest from people across Dorset and Wiltshire.
If you’re interested in becoming an on-call firefighter, we have lots of information on how to apply and station vacancies on our website here – On-call firefighters.
Pride Events
As part of our wider community engagement programme, colleagues from across the Service also attended a number of Pride events, providing opportunities to engage with local communities and share information about our work here at DWFRS.
Chesil Youth Pride
Watch Manager Matt Fry and colleagues attended Chesil Youth Pride in Weymouth. In true fire service style, operational duties took priority, with a fire call during the afternoon. Despite this, the crew were still able return to the event, engage with members of the community and share information about the work of the Service.
Bourne Free
As a Service, we have been navigating changes linked to the wider legal landscape this year. This meant that we were unfortunately unable to attend Bourne Free or engage with the event in the way we had hoped and have done in previous years. We acknowledge this has been disappointing for both our staff and the people we serve. We recognise the importance of showing visible and meaningful support for our LGBTQ+ communities and we are looking carefully at what happened so we can learn from the experience. Our focus is on ensuring we are better prepared to provide robust, thoughtful and meaningful support at Bourne Free next year.
Recent events at Berlin Pride
We are deeply saddened by the recent tragic events at Berlin Pride and offer our sincere condolences to the victims, their families and all those impacted. As we are all living in difficult global times for under-represented groups within our communities, many are feeling shock, sadness and concern at this and other terrible events. As a Service, we wish to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to inclusion, equality and the right of every person to live openly, safely and with pride. Our thoughts remain with the people of Berlin, our staff and the wider LGBTQ+ community.
Community Requests
We take great pride in connecting with our communities and always welcome opportunities to engage, educate, and inspire. This includes helping to celebrate special occasions and events. To make it easier for schools, external organisations, and members of the public to reach us, we have a Community Engagement landing page on our website.
Through this page, you can request one of a range of visits or interventions, including:
- Attendance at a community event
- School or home education group visits
- Pre-school or nursery visits
- Organised children’s group visits
- Fire safety education for children and teenagers to promote safer behaviours
- This new resource makes it simple to bring the fire service into your community and help us work together to keep everyone safer, informed, and inspired.
General safety tips
A growing number of fires are due to battery failures in e-bikes/e-scooters. Take a look at our safety advice: www.dwfire.org.uk/e-bikes-and-e-scooter/
Don’t wait until it gets cold – have your boiler serviced now. It could help protect you and your family from carbon monoxide, the silent killer: www.dwfire.org.uk/carbon-monoxide
Got an open fire or wood burner? Regular cleaning of your chimney or flue will eliminate the build-up of soot and clear obstructions such as bird or animal nests, leaves and debris: www.dwfire.org.uk/chimney-safety
If you’re a carer, we have plenty of fire safety information for you too: www.dwfire.org.uk/safety/advice-for-carers