Who We Are

We are responsible for delivering a fire and rescue service to the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

We operate from 27 fire stations, which vary in status from being staffed 24/7, 365 days a year, to being completely on-call, where firefighters are available day and night and respond to emergencies around their other life commitments by a pager. The Service's headquarters is located in Huntingdon, with the senior leadership team, combined fire control room and many of our support staff being based there.

We are accountable to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority and our responsibilities as an emergency service are set out in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Our community

The population estimate of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is around 895,000 according to the Office for National Statistics Census 2021 figures. This represents an increase of around 11 per cent from the previous census in 2011. The population is 49 per cent male and 51 per cent female, living in around 360,000 households.

The population of Cambridgeshire is ageing with the number of people aged 65 and over accounting for 18 per cent of the population (around 160,000 people). Those most at risk from a fatal fire in the home are vulnerable people aged 65 and over.

The social demography of Cambridgeshire varies considerably, with the cities of Peterborough and Cambridge being particularly multi-cultural and multi-racial compared with other areas of the county. For example, around 20 per cent of those living in the cities identify as non-white, with most of that population identifying as Asian. In the rest of the districts, the population is around 90 per cent white. Across the county, 16 per cent of residents are disabled under the Equality Act. More than 35 per cent of the population work predominantly from home. These figures come from the Census 2021 data.

Our built environment

Cambridgeshire has a diverse and resilient economy. Situated in the heart of the East of England, Cambridge is less than one hour from London, just 20 minutes from London Stansted airport, which has excellent links to most major European cities and Cambridge also hosts its own private airport.

Cambridgeshire has good access to the national motorway network with the A1, A14 and M11 roads, which provide superb connections to the Midlands, the North, London and the east coast ports of Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Ipswich, Great Yarmouth and Harwich.

To accommodate the expected increase in population, a number of new sustainable developments have emerged in recent years and continue to grow. These include the country’s first eco-town Northstowe, being built just five kilometres from the city of Cambridge and Alconbury Weald just north of Huntingdon.

Peterborough grew and developed rapidly in the seventies and eighties, following its designation as a ‘new town’ in 1968. Three new residential townships were developed with a full range of social and economic facilities and the fourth, Hampton, will continue this growth with over 5,000 homes and supporting infrastructure.

There is predicted to be over 21,000 new homes built across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in the next five years in major developments alone.

Our heritage

Cambridgeshire is a county of contrasts in the East of England. The county’s towns and cities are steeped in history and have evolved over centuries. Cambridge is a university city of old streets, ancient colleges and bridges spanning the River Cam. Ely has a magnificent Norman cathedral and Huntingdon was the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell. Wisbech in the Fens has fine examples of Georgian street architecture whilst the Fens themselves are renowned for their impressive agricultural landscapes. The city of Peterborough is a mixture of the ancient and modern. The renowned 11th century cathedral dominates the city centre landscape, with new townships sited around the existing urban centre.

Our natural environment

Cambridgeshire has a diverse natural environment, from gently undulating hills in the south of the county to the man-made landscape of the Fens in the northeast.

Covering an area of some 3,200 square kilometres, extending almost to the Wash in the north, Cambridgeshire is the most westerly county of East Anglia. It is a largely low lying area and the landscape is notably flat, with clay islands to the west and south east over soft chalk. Reclaimed fenland with rich peat beds, criss-crossed with man-made dykes, makes up the northern part of the county.

There are three principal rivers, the Nene in the north, the Cam to the south and the Great Ouse in the northwest.