I have read with some interest several articles on the MOD Fire Services, going back over 40 years when I joined the Air Force Department Fire Service, there were more fire services in the MOD than you could shake a stick at, as well as the AFDFS there was the Army Fire Service, Royal Navy Fire Prevention Service (officers only), RAF Fire Service (servicemen) Dockyards Brigades, Royal Navy Handlers/Fireman (servicemen) PE Firemen (places like Farnborough) contractors like Shorts and Airworks, as well as local employed civilians on bases overseas, bet I have left some out.
As for training AFDFS, PE, and contractors trained at CTE Manston, Army Fire Service at Reigate (Surrey Fire Service) RAF at Catterick. AFDFS and RAF driving at St Athan (mixed courses) RN at Currose??? Transferring to other MOD fire services was not easy if you trained at a different training school, on the closure of Thorney Island, (that was another problem bases were always closing down) I tried to transfer to the Army Fire Service, guess what they did not recognise the AFDFS training I was qualified to Sub Officer with the AFDFS I was told if I wanted to join the Army Fire Service I had to sit the entrance exam and do all the courses which I eventually did. On the other hand PE if I wanted to work for them would recognise all my courses at Manston. But having a young family it was a question of location. Servicemen on leaving the RAF Fire Service and joining the AFDFS had to do the basic course at CTE Manston.
Reading some articles why some RAF airfields are service manned and other civilian manned, this is my opinion, it is nothing to do with the type of base or the aircraft they fly, bases like Wattisham flew Lightning’s the state of the art aircraft of the day, were civilian manned, bases like Northolt and Odiham that did not operate combat aircraft were service manned, in the days of the cold war V bombers would be dispersed to airfields that could handle them, civilian and service manned. Everyone had signed the official secrets act any way. I believe that the MOD had planned to phase out the service fireman in the RAF (like the army, there is no trade in the army as fireman, all army fireman are civilian) but they had overlooked one thing, civilians could strike, or just walk off the job, in this present climate why should anyone want to leave a good job, well paid, good shifts, good pension, but it was not always like that, poor pay, long hours, awful shifts. In the mid 1960s there were many good well paid jobs going begging. A fireman could leave his £13-13-0 a week job (that was the wage in 1965) and get one the next day paying more. Because of the poor shift pattern in the autumn of 1965 two civilian manned stations Wattisham and Thorney Island decided to work their own shifts, this was a wake up call for the MOD after this I cannot think of one major RAF flying station that was civilianised. They would be stretched but there are enough service firemen to man all the important RAF flying stations, without the civilian element of the Defence Fire Service.
During the 27 years I spent in the now named Defence Fire Service, I have worked on airfields, RAF and USAF, Military Port, and an Army Storage Depot. I have attended courses at CTE Manston, Surrey Fire Brigade Training School at Reigate, RAF St Athan, RAF Catterick, and HMS Phoenix. Spent 4 weeks detached to the FGSU at CTE Manston Taken part in many exercises with local Authority Fire Services, been on detachment to many RAF service manned stations. It is a much better job now than when I stated or even when I retired, when I joined 6 applied for 7 vacancies, when I retired 300+ applied for 3 vacancies it is now a lottery just to get in. If someone asked me to recommend a fire service to join, I would say an airport fireman on a large civil airport such as Gatwick, they are not going to close as many MOD stations do, or have cut backs to pay for the next pay rise as LA do.
