SOMERSET'S fire brigade will cease to exist at midnight on Saturday as it merges with its neighbour to form Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service.
The combined service will employ almost 2,000 uniformed staff and 220 support workers, making it the largest non-metropolitan and the sixth largest service in the whole country.
The union will provide the resources to cope with the increasing demands on fire and rescue services nationally, such as preparing for major emergencies.
However, the focus for the new organisation will be on providing a locally-based emergency response from a network of 82 fire stations, including 67 retained stations.
For the views of the boss of the new service, see Thursday's Somerset County Gazette.
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