The Brussels Fire and Emergency Medical Service — SIAMU in French, DBDMH in Dutch — protects all 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region: about 1.26 million residents on 162 km². It is a regional, fully professional service rather than one of Belgium's 34 rescue zones. Nearly 1,200 staff work from 11 posts and stations, led by the main barracks on Avenue de l'Héliport, with about 200 vehicles. It also runs the city's 112 ambulances: in 2025 it logged 117,496 interventions, 99,716 of them by ambulance. In an emergency, dial 112.
Headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 2 208 81 11- Fire prevention: +32 2 208 84 30
- Event safety: +32 2 208 84 48
- info@firebru.brussels
- Avenue de l'Héliport 11-15 / Helihavenlaan 11-15, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- pompiers.brussels · brandweer.brussels
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Brussels
Brussels has a single regional service: the Service d'Incendie et d'Aide Médicale Urgente (SIAMU), in Dutch the Dienst voor Brandbestrijding en Dringende Medische Hulp (DBDMH), known to the public as Pompiers de Bruxelles / Brandweer Brussel. Once a municipal duty, firefighting passed from the Brussels Agglomeration to the Region in the 1990s. The service covers all 19 municipalities (French / Dutch name):
Anderlecht, Auderghem / Oudergem, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe / Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels City / Brussel, Etterbeek, Evere, Forest / Vorst, Ganshoren, Ixelles / Elsene, Jette, Koekelberg, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Saint-Gilles / Sint-Gillis, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode / Sint-Joost-ten-Node, Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek, Uccle / Ukkel, Watermael-Boitsfort / Watermaal-Bosvoorde, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert / Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe.
All operational staff are career firefighter-ambulance crews (pompiers-ambulanciers). Nearly 1,200 people work for the service, about 200 of them at the main barracks, including the operators of the region's 112 emergency call center, officers, mechanics and prevention staff.
Fire Posts in Brussels
| Post | Type | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caserne principale (HQ) | Career | Avenue de l'Héliport 11-15, 1000 Brussels | Headquarters; move to Port Business Park (Tour & Taxis) planned |
| Poste Cité | Career | Rue Vésale, Pentagon (city center) | Opened 2016; European Quarter, pedestrian zone, Saint-Josse |
| Delta | Career | Delta area | New building planned |
| Anderlecht | Career | Anderlecht | Extra budget in 2026 agreement |
| VUB post | Career | Not published | Extra budget in 2026 agreement |
| Poste de la Chênaie | Career | Uccle | Not published |
The service says it has 11 posts and stations, but publishes only the main barracks' address. Five posts are not named in the public sources we found. Posts have no public phone numbers; dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Eleven posts share 162 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 2.2 km (1.3 mi). With about 7,700 residents per km² and full-time career crews, Brussels uses the urban/career column of our baseline table. The service publishes its own target: in nearly 90% of cases it reaches medical emergencies in under 10 minutes and fires in under 12.
| Radius | Career crews |
|---|---|
| ≤ 2.4 km | 4–6 min |
| 2.4–4.8 km | 6–8 min |
| 4.8–9.7 km | 8–11 min |
| > 9.7 km | 11+ min |
Typical expectation: about 4–8 minutes for most addresses, longer in rush-hour traffic and narrow old streets; the service's own figure is under 12 minutes for nearly 90% of fire calls.
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 |
Brussels is a dense capital of apartment blocks, offices and historic streets. The Cité post was opened in 2016 to cover the European Quarter and the old center, where it cut travel times by up to 4–5 minutes compared with the Héliport; it received an aerial ladder truck with four-wheel steering for the narrow streets. The city's worst fire, at the Innovation department store in 1967, killed 251 people. Staffing can be a factor: during a five-day strike in July 2026, only 17% of planned crews were on duty one morning.
Apparatus & Equipment
The service has about 200 vehicles. No fleet breakdown (engines, aerial ladders, ambulances) is published.
- Vehicles, all types
- ≈200
- Aerial ladder with four-wheel steering (Cité)
- 1
- Ambulance (EMS)
- Firefighting
- Technical rescue
- Hazmat & pollution
- Flooding
- Animal rescue
- 112 call center
Brussels Fire Service in Numbers (2025)
- 117,496 interventions in total, about 320 a day
- 99,716 ambulance interventions; medical aid is about 85% of the work
- 17,780 fire-service interventions, including 4,210 fires, 4,866 technical rescues, 2,788 logistical support calls, 677 hazardous-materials calls and 4,382 false alarms
- Nearly 90% of medical calls reached in under 10 minutes and fires in under 12 (service target)
Services & Community Programs
- Recruitment: firefighter-ambulance crews, 112 operators, officers and support staff. Entry starts with the federal aptitude test (CAF) run by the Brussels Fire Academy (CFPB); registration was open October 1–23, 2026.
- Fire prevention: +32 2 208 84 30; home visits and school projects via +32 2 208 81 11.
- Event safety: +32 2 208 84 48.
- Youth firefighters (Jeunes sapeurs-pompiers) program.
Ratings & Accreditation
Belgium has no public fire-protection rating comparable to the US ISO classification. Not applicable.
Outdoor burning: Rules on outdoor fires in Brussels come from the Region (Brussels Environment) and each municipality's police regulations; we could not confirm a specific rule for this guide. Do not burn garden waste without asking your municipality, and use the green-waste collection or a Recypark instead.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Brandweerzone Vlaams-Brabant West, Flemish Brabant (north, west and south: e.g. Vilvoorde, Machelen, Zaventem, Kraainem, Dilbeek, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Drogenbos, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode)
- Hulpverleningszone Oost Vlaams-Brabant, Flemish Brabant (southeast: e.g. Tervuren, Overijse, Hoeilaart)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the Brussels fire service?
The general number of SIAMU / DBDMH is +32 2 208 81 11 (Avenue de l'Héliport 15, 1000 Brussels). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does the Brussels fire service cover?
All 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, from Anderlecht to Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Brussels has one regional service instead of a rescue zone.
Are Brussels firefighters professional?
Yes. Operational staff are career firefighter-ambulance crews; the service employs nearly 1,200 people in all roles.
How fast does the fire service respond in Brussels?
The service says it reaches nearly 90% of medical emergencies in under 10 minutes and fires in under 12. Our estimate is about 4–8 minutes for most addresses.
Does the Brussels fire service run ambulances?
Yes. Its ambulances made 99,716 of its 117,496 interventions in 2025; medical aid is about 85% of its work.
Last verified:
- be.brussels — Pompiers de Bruxelles (HQ, phones, 19 municipalities)
- be.brussels — Casernes (main barracks, response targets)
- be.brussels — Working for the fire service (staff, posts, vehicles)
- be.brussels — Missions (mission types, 85% medical)
- be.brussels — Brandweer Brussel: history (Dutch name, 1967 fire)
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (April 17, 2026) (municipalities, HQ, phone, email)
- IBSA — Key figures of the Region (population, area)
- SAU — Central fire station conversion study (HQ move)
- RTBF — 117,000+ interventions in 2025
- L'Avenir — Caserne Cité opens (2016)
- DH — Post inspections (2020) (Chênaie, Uccle)
- VRT NWS — Fire strike suspended (2026) (Anderlecht, VUB post)