Brandweer Zone Antwerpen is the rescue zone for the city of Antwerp, with its ten districts, and neighboring Wijnegem: 567,817 residents plus the Antwerp side of the port and its petrochemical cluster. Its 725 firefighters work from nine posts. Eight are staffed around the clock by career crews, and Post Borsbeek is run by 27 volunteers. In 2024 the zone handled 13,508 calls, including 3,063 fires and 975 hazardous-materials incidents, and the first crew arrived on average 6 minutes 44 seconds after the call. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 3 338 88 11- Recruitment (Werving en Selectie): +32 3 338 88 38, selectie@bza.be
- info@brandweerzone.antwerpen.be
- Post Noord, Noorderlaan 69, 2030 Antwerpen, Belgium
- antwerpen.be/nl/overzicht/brandweer
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Brandweer Zone Antwerpen
Since 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (hulpverleningszones) run by their member municipalities. Brandweer Zone Antwerpen (BZA) covers two:
- Antwerpen — the city and its ten districts: Antwerpen, Berchem, Berendrecht-Zandvliet-Lillo, Borgerhout, Deurne, Ekeren, Hoboken, Merksem, Wilrijk and Borsbeek, a former municipality that merged into the city on January 1, 2025.
- Wijnegem — east of the Deurne district.
Zwijndrecht is no longer in the zone. On January 1, 2025, it merged into Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht (East Flanders), which is served by Hulpverleningszone Waasland. The federal list of rescue zones (April 2026) names only Antwerpen and Wijnegem.
BZA was fully professional (beroepsbrandweer) until it took over the Borsbeek volunteer post. It now has 725 operational staff, 27 of them volunteers (vrijwilligers), plus 108 administrative staff, including 8 dispatchers. Career crews work 12-hour shifts in four companies. Dial 112: the call goes to the zone's dispatch at Post Noord, which alerts the nearest crews.
Fire Posts in Brandweer Zone Antwerpen
| Post | Type | Location | Specialist teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post Berendrecht | Career | Kruisweg, Berendrecht | Hazmat, surface water rescue |
| Post Lillo | Career | Scheldelaan, Lillo (port) | Ship & industrial firefighting |
| Post Noord (HQ) | Career | Noorderlaan 69, 2030 Antwerpen | Divers, rescue boat, technical rescue, breathing apparatus, drones, dispatch |
| Post Linkeroever | Career | Halewijnlaan, Linkeroever | Ship & industrial firefighting |
| Post Centrum | Career | Sint-Jacobsmarkt | Drones/robotics |
| Post Deurne | Career | Waterbaan, Deurne | Rope rescue (GRIMP), surface water rescue |
| Post Zuid | Career | Paleisstraat, Antwerpen-Zuid | Technical rescue, surface water rescue |
| Post Borsbeek | Volunteer | Borsbeek district | Not published |
| Post Wilrijk | Career | Jules Moretuslei, Wilrijk | Hazmat |
Posts have no public phone numbers, and only Post Noord has a full published address. Dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Nine posts share about 216 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 2.8 km (1.7 mi). With about 2,600 residents per km² and eight posts staffed 24/7, the zone uses the urban/career column of our baseline table. Borsbeek gets the volunteer column, because volunteers must first reach the post. Distances are longer in the northern port, where Berendrecht and Lillo cover large industrial areas.
| Radius | Career posts | Borsbeek (volunteer) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 2.4 km | 4–6 min | 8–12 min |
| 2.4–4.8 km | 6–8 min | 10–14 min |
| 4.8–9.7 km | 8–11 min | 12–18 min |
| > 9.7 km | 11+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 6–8 minutes for most addresses, in line with the 2024 average of 6 min 44 s; longer at the far ends of the port and in heavy Ring traffic.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass patch, dumpster, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large woodland fire | 2–12+ hours |
The port holds about 25 chemical and petrochemical companies, 43 upper-tier Seveso sites, two large refineries and 350 km of pipelines. Fires there can take many hours and are fought by the ship and industrial firefighting teams (Lillo, Linkeroever) with foam. The city adds high-rise districts (Eilandje, Nieuw Zuid), a historic center full of monuments, a pre-metro and many tunnels under the Scheldt. For major port incidents, BZA works with Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Hulpverleningszone Waasland and about twenty company fire brigades in the Brandweernetwerk Zeehaven-Schelde.
Apparatus & Equipment
No current fleet list is published. Wikipedia NL reports 140+ vehicles: at least one fire engine (autopomp) and one aerial ladder or platform per post, tankers, hazmat, foam and powder vehicles (numbers not published), and:
- Rope-rescue (GRIMP) vehicle
- 1
- Dive vehicle with boat
- 1
- Breathing-air vehicle
- 1
- Mobile command post (CP-Ops bus)
- 1
The zone also has a rescue boat (RIB), drones and a firefighting robot. No fireboat is documented; per Wikipedia NL, port tugboats with fire pumps can assist, and BZA is part of the European Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG).
- Hazmat
- Industrial & ship fires
- Foam
- Dive rescue
- Water rescue
- Rope rescue (GRIMP)
- Technical rescue
- Drones
Brandweer Zone Antwerpen in Numbers (2024)
- 13,508 calls, about 37 per day
- 3,063 fire, 975 hazardous-materials and 4,525 technical-rescue calls (excluding wasps and weather)
- Average arrival 6 min 44 s after the call, 8 s faster than in 2020 (VRT), helped by new dispatch software
- 9 disaster phases (rampenfase) declared
Services & Community Programs
- Career firefighter recruitment (beroepsbrandweer): werkenbijdebrandweer.be, selectie@bza.be or +32 3 338 88 38. Recruits train at Post Noord and Campus Vesta in Ranst.
- Fire prevention advice and E-loket: on the zone's section of antwerpen.be.
Ratings & Accreditation
Belgium has no public fire-protection rating comparable to the US ISO classification. Not applicable.
Outdoor burning: Flemish environmental rules ban burning any waste in the open air, garden waste included. The Flemish Environment Agency lists only narrow exceptions, such as fire-brigade training, farm or landscape plant waste that cannot be processed on site, plant-health reasons and campfires. Police rules or a drought ban can restrict even these. Take garden waste to a recyclagepark and ask the City of Antwerp or Wijnegem before lighting any outdoor fire.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Brandweer Zone Rand, Antwerp Province (north, east and south: Stabroek, Kapellen, Brasschaat, Schoten, Schilde, Wommelgem, Boechout, Mortsel, Edegem)
- Brandweerzone Rivierenland, Antwerp Province (south: Aartselaar, Hemiksem)
- Hulpverleningszone Waasland, East Flanders (west, on the left bank: Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht)
- Netherlands (north: Woensdrecht and Reimerswaal)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Antwerp?
The zone's general number is +32 3 338 88 11 (headquarters, Noorderlaan 69). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Brandweer Zone Antwerpen cover?
Antwerp with its ten districts (including Borsbeek since 2025) and Wijnegem. Zwijndrecht left in 2025, when it merged into Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht, served by Hulpverleningszone Waasland.
Are Antwerp's firefighters paid?
Almost all: 698 of the 725 operational staff are career firefighters at eight posts staffed 24/7. The 27 volunteers work at Post Borsbeek.
How fast does the fire service respond in Antwerp?
In 2024 the first crew arrived on average 6 minutes 44 seconds after the call; expect about 6–8 minutes, longer at the far ends of the port.
Can I burn garden waste in Antwerp?
No. Flemish rules ban burning garden waste in the open air, with narrow exceptions. Use a recycling park and ask the city before any outdoor fire.
Last verified:
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (April 17, 2026) (members, HQ, phone, neighbors)
- BZA — Recruitment info session 2026 (posts, staff, population, risks, 2024 figures)
- BZA — Career firefighter brochure 2026 (service area, posts, HQ, shifts)
- City of Antwerp — Brandweer Zone Antwerpen
- Vlaanderen.be — Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht (Waasland zone)
- VMM — FAQ on outdoor burning
- VRT NWS — Response times (2026)
- Wikipedia NL — Brandweer Zone Antwerpen (post streets, vehicles, area)
- Wikipedia NL — Antwerpen (stad) (districts, area, neighbors)
- Wikipedia NL — Wijnegem