Hulpverleningszone Taxandria is the rescue zone for Turnhout and 11 neighboring municipalities in the north-east of Antwerp Province, up to the Dutch border at Baarle-Hertog: 207,756 residents on 630 km². Its 485 firefighters, 404 of them volunteers, work from 12 posts; Turnhout and Hoogstraten also have career crews and run the zone's five ambulances. In 2025 the zone handled 7,012 calls, including 4,245 wasp nests and 560 building fires, plus 7,584 ambulance runs. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone secretariat (non-emergency)
+32 14 47 09 20- info@hvztaxandria.be
- Noord-Brabantlaan 68, 2300 Turnhout, Belgium
- hvztaxandria.be
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Hulpverleningszone Taxandria
Since 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (hulpverleningszones) run by their member municipalities. Taxandria covers 12, confirmed by the federal list of rescue zones (April 2026): Arendonk, Baarle-Hertog, Beerse, Hoogstraten (with Meerle), Kasterlee, Lille, Merksplas, Oud-Turnhout, Ravels, Rijkevorsel, Turnhout and Vosselaar.
At the end of 2025 the zone had 81 career firefighters (beroeps: 42 in Turnhout, 20 in Hoogstraten, 13 zone-wide and 6 dispatchers), 404 volunteers (vrijwilligers) and 29 volunteer ambulance crew. Dial 112: the provincial emergency center passes fire calls to the zone's dispatch in Turnhout, whose Verdi software proposes the fastest crews.
Fire Posts in Hulpverleningszone Taxandria
| Post | Type | Location | Specialist teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post Meerle | Volunteer | Gemeenteplein, 2328 Meerle; +32 3 314 32 11 | Not published |
| Post Baarle-Hertog | Volunteer | C.A. Bodestraat 2, 5111 DP Baarle-Nassau (NL); +32 14 47 09 20 | Joint Belgian-Dutch post |
| Post Hoogstraten | Combination | Sint-Lenaartseweg 38, 2320 Hoogstraten; +32 3 314 32 11 | 2 ambulances, divers, rope rescue, gas suits |
| Post Rijkevorsel | Volunteer | Looiweg 32, 2310 Rijkevorsel; +32 3 314 17 21 | Divers, heavy rescue truck |
| Post Merksplas | Volunteer | Steenweg op Weelde 2A, 2330 Merksplas; +32 14 63 47 87 | Divers, wildfire truck |
| Post Ravels | Volunteer | Melkerijstraat 1, 2381 Ravels; +32 14 65 97 52 | Divers, command-post container |
| Post Beerse | Volunteer | Bisschopslaan 52, 2340 Beerse; +32 14 61 24 43 | Divers |
| Post Turnhout | Combination | Parklaan 12, 2300 Turnhout; +32 14 41 97 35 | 3 ambulances, divers, hazmat, rope rescue, gas suits |
| Post Vosselaar | Volunteer | Breemsedijk 54, 2350 Vosselaar; +32 14 61 63 20 | Not published |
| Post Arendonk | Volunteer | Kerkstraat 38, 2370 Arendonk; +32 14 67 81 74 | Divers, rope rescue |
| Post Lille | Volunteer | 2275 Lille (street not published) | Not published |
| Post Kasterlee | Volunteer | Lichtaartsebaan 4 bus 1, 2460 Kasterlee; +32 14 85 25 25 | Divers, rope rescue |
Post phone numbers are as listed by the zone; for emergencies always dial 112. Oud-Turnhout has no post of its own. Lille is a young post, with a new station planned.
Estimated Response Time
Twelve posts share about 630 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 4.1 km (2.5 mi). With about 330 residents per km², most of the zone is semi-rural. Ten posts are volunteer, so we use the volunteer column of our baseline table; Turnhout and Hoogstraten, with career crews, get the combination column.
| Radius | Volunteer posts | Turnhout, Hoogstraten |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 2.4 km | 8–12 min | 5–8 min |
| 2.4–4.8 km | 10–14 min | 7–10 min |
| 4.8–9.7 km | 12–18 min | 9–13 min |
| > 9.7 km | 18+ min | 13+ min |
Typical expectation: about 10–14 minutes for most addresses, faster in Turnhout. The zone met its own response target on 94.1% of measured calls in 2025. In 2024 the first fire engine was available 99.3% of the time in Turnhout, but only 44.1% in Meerle and 3.1% in Lille; there, crews come from other posts.
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 |
Heath fires, such as at Grote Houtbos in June 2025, make wildfire a growing task: the zone now has three wildfire trucks, the third moved to Merksplas in late 2025. Turnhout leads in building fires (186 of 560 in 2025). The prevention service handled 107 environmental and Seveso files in 2025, the zone held an exercise at the Bobbejaanland amusement park, and the Baarle-Hertog post is shared with Dutch firefighters.
Apparatus & Equipment
The 2025 activity report counts 117 vehicles, including:
- Ambulances (Turnhout 3, Hoogstraten 2, plus 1 reserve)
- 6
- Wildfire trucks
- 3
- Heavy rescue truck with 203 kNm crane (Rijkevorsel)
- 1
In 2025 the zone also bought a hook-lift truck and a dive vehicle for Turnhout (about €600,000 for all new vehicles that year).
- Dive rescue
- Wildfire
- Rope rescue (GRIMP)
- Hazmat
- Heavy rescue
- Ambulance (EMS)
Hulpverleningszone Taxandria in Numbers (2025)
- 7,012 calls (6,764 in 2024), of which 4,245 wasp nests
- 2,767 other interventions: 560 building fires, 766 other urgent calls, 1,243 non-urgent, 149 weather
- 7,584 ambulance runs by the zone's ambulances
- About 68,820 training hours; 47 recruits trained
Services & Community Programs
- Recruitment: hvztaxandria.be/brandweer-worden (25 new volunteers in 2025).
- Fire-safe living (Brandveilig Samenleven): school project VUUR!, fireworks lessons and visits after serious fires.
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 your municipality before lighting any outdoor fire.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Brandweer Zone Rand, Antwerp Province (west: Wuustwezel, Brecht, Malle)
- Brandweer Zone Kempen, Antwerp Province (south: Herentals, Geel, Retie)
- Netherlands (north: North Brabant, including Baarle-Nassau)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for Hulpverleningszone Taxandria?
The zone secretariat is +32 14 47 09 20 (Noord-Brabantlaan 68, Turnhout). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Taxandria cover?
Twelve: Arendonk, Baarle-Hertog, Beerse, Hoogstraten, Kasterlee, Lille, Merksplas, Oud-Turnhout, Ravels, Rijkevorsel, Turnhout and Vosselaar.
Are Taxandria's firefighters volunteers?
Mostly: 404 volunteers and 81 career firefighters (2025), who work in Turnhout, Hoogstraten and dispatch.
How fast does the fire service respond around Turnhout?
The zone met its target on 94.1% of measured calls in 2025; we estimate 10–14 minutes for most addresses.
Can I burn garden waste in Taxandria?
No. Flemish rules ban open-air burning of garden waste, with narrow exceptions. Use a recycling park.
Last verified:
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (April 17, 2026) (members, HQ, phone)
- HVZ Taxandria — Activity report 2025 (population, area, staff, vehicles, calls)
- HVZ Taxandria — Fire posts (addresses, phones)
- HVZ Taxandria — About us
- VMM — FAQ on outdoor burning
- Wikipedia NL — Hulpverleningszone Taxandria (teams per post, dispatch)