SIAMURBC story

The new Belgium entrusted the municipalities with the responsibility of fire fighting. Firefighters are not all in the same boat. Equipment varies according to budget and status: professional, volunteer, mixed, dependant on law enforcement, etc.

After the First World War, some Brussels municipalities disbanded their fire services for financial reasons. They signed agreements with neighbouring municipalities to provide rescue services. Other municipalities merged as the port expanded and the canal widened. We bring together entities from the municipalities of Brussels, Laeken, Haren and Neder-Over-Heembeek.

Fearing a second global conflict, the Belgian Government added a regional level to the organisation of war relief: the "Groupes Régionaux de Défense contre l'Incendie" (GRDI - Regional Fire Defence Groups). During the war, Brussels' nine municipal bodies were grouped together in a single GRDI. The firefighters supervised the volunteers of the "Défense Aérienne Passive" (Passive Air Defence) (forerunner of the Civil Protection) which carried out numerous rescue missions during the bombings. The GRDI was disbanded after the war.

After the war, only five municipal authorities remained: Brussels, Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaerbeek and Ixelles. They covered the 19 Brussels municipalities and a few municipalities on the outskirts. The willingness to collaborate was there, but the equipment and vehicles remained heterogeneous. On 22 May 1967, the Innovation Fire killed 251 people and tragically demonstrated the problem. The Belgian State then provided the legal tools to enable municipal bodies to merge.

In 1973, a new supra-municipal administrative entity was created: the Brussels Agglomeration. It was given responsibility for fire-fighting and first-aid extinguishing. The five municipal bodies were merged, resulting in a wide-ranging reorganisation on several levels: administrative, operational, logistical and technical.

New regional institutions were created as part of the third State reform. The fire brigade was transferred from the Agglomeration to the Region, becoming a public interest organisation under the supervision of the regional government. It was renamed "Service d'Incendie et d'Aide Médicale Urgente de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale" (Fire and Emergency Medical Service of the Brussels Capital Region). The name changed, but the service remained the same in practice.

On 30 July 2004, a gas pipeline exploded in Ghislenghien, Hainaut. Civil protection was reformed in the wake of the disaster; one of the aims was to standardise working methods and better coordinate operations. Belgium's fire services were grouped into 34 zones. As it was already operating as a zone, the Brussels fire brigade underwent few changes and became part of the system in 2014. However, the scope of its missions was broadened, with a more proactive approach to risk anticipation and prevention.

The sixth State reform gave the Brussels Region greater autonomy, particularly in the areas of prevention and security. In March 2016, attacks plunged Belgium into mourning, underlining the importance of greater coordination between security stakeholders. In 2017, the federal government decided to close four of the six Civil Protection stations in Belgium, limiting the possibility of reinforcements in the event of a disaster. The Brussels Fire Service therefore had to prepare for new risks, notably CBRN-e (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive).