Hulpverleningszone Waasland provides fire and ambulance cover for six municipalities in the Waasland region of East Flanders, including Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht with the Left Bank of the port of Antwerp: 253,502 residents on about 464 km². Its 396 firefighters, 90 career and 306 volunteers, work from nine posts. Melsele is a career post, Sint-Niklaas is mixed and the other seven are volunteer posts. In 2025 the fire service handled 8,091 calls, including 665 fires, and the zone's ambulances made 17,103 trips. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 3 502 09 00- bestuurszaken@hvzwaasland.be
- Post Sint-Niklaas, Nijverheidsstraat 33, 9100 Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
- hvzwaasland.be
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Hulpverleningszone Waasland
Since 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (hulpverleningszones) run by their member municipalities. Hulpverleningszone Waasland covers six:
- Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht — formed on January 1, 2025 by the merger of Beveren, Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht. It includes Doel, Kallo and Kieldrecht in the Left Bank port area of Antwerp.
- Sint-Gillis-Waas, Sint-Niklaas, Stekene, Temse and Waasmunster.
Zwijndrecht is new to the zone. Until 2024 it was part of Antwerp Province and served by Brandweer Zone Antwerpen. With the 2025 merger it moved to East Flanders and to Waasland. The federal list of rescue zones (April 2026) names the six municipalities above. Zwijndrecht has no Waasland post of its own; the nearest posts are Melsele and Kruibeke.
The zone runs fire and ambulance services together. In July 2026 it had 546 staff: 90 career and 306 volunteer firefighters (beroeps / vrijwilligers), 35 career and 78 volunteer ambulance crew, and 37 administrative and technical staff. Dial 112 for any emergency: the call is dispatched to the nearest available crews.
Fire Posts in Hulpverleningszone Waasland
| Post | Type | Location | Fire / ambulance crews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post Beveren | Volunteer | Gravendreef 5, 9120 Beveren | Volunteer fire; PIT ambulance (career and volunteer) |
| Post Kieldrecht | Volunteer | Kouterstraat 245, 9130 Kieldrecht | Volunteer fire |
| Post Kruibeke | Volunteer | Brandweerstraat 6, 9150 Kruibeke (opened 2023) | Volunteer fire; ambulance (career and volunteer) |
| Post Melsele | Career | Keetberglaan 7 (port no. 1098), 9120 Melsele | Career fire; career ambulance |
| Post Sint-Gillis-Waas | Volunteer | Blokstraat 107, 9170 Sint-Gillis-Waas | Volunteer fire; volunteer ambulance |
| Post Sint-Niklaas (HQ) | Combination | Nijverheidsstraat 33, 9100 Sint-Niklaas | Career and volunteer fire; ambulance and PIT (career) |
| Post Stekene | Volunteer | Zavelstraat 37, 9190 Stekene | Volunteer fire; career ambulance |
| Post Temse | Volunteer | Kasteelstraat 16, 9140 Temse | Volunteer fire; ambulance (career and volunteer) |
| Post Waasmunster | Volunteer | Burgemeester Michel Du Tré-straat 1, 9250 Waasmunster | Volunteer fire |
Posts have no public phone numbers. Temse is due to move to a new station, and a new station is being built in Sint-Gillis-Waas (first stone laid in September 2025). Dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Nine posts share about 464 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 4.1 km (2.5 mi). With about 550 residents per km² and mostly volunteer posts, the zone uses the suburban/combination column of our baseline table, with the volunteer column for the seven volunteer posts, where crews must first reach the station. The polders around Doel and Kieldrecht are at the slower end.
| Radius | Combination (zone) | Volunteer posts |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 2.4 km | 5–8 min | 8–12 min |
| 2.4–4.8 km | 7–10 min | 10–14 min |
| 4.8–9.7 km | 9–13 min | 12–18 min |
| > 9.7 km | 13+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 7–10 minutes in and around Sint-Niklaas and the port, 10–14 minutes in villages served by volunteer posts. The zone does not publish an average arrival time.
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 zone lists its own risks: the Left Bank port with Seveso companies, the Doel nuclear power plant, pipelines, railways, motorways, a prison, high-rise buildings, woodland and flood areas. A fire at a port or Seveso site can take many hours. For such incidents Waasland works with Brandweer Zone Antwerpen, Port of Antwerp-Bruges and about twenty company fire brigades in the Brandweernetwerk Zeehaven-Schelde, which it helped found in 2022.
Apparatus & Equipment
No fleet list for the fire service is published. The zone does publish its ambulance fleet:
- Regular ambulance (two ambulance crew)
- 5
- PIT ambulance (crew plus emergency nurse)
- 2
Regular ambulances run from Kruibeke, Melsele, Sint-Niklaas, Stekene–Sint-Gillis-Waas and Temse; the PIT vehicles from Beveren and Sint-Niklaas.
- Structural firefighting
- Hazmat & environment
- Port & industrial fires
- Technical rescue
- Ambulance (EMS)
- PIT (paramedic intervention team)
Hulpverleningszone Waasland in Numbers (2025)
- 8,091 fire-service calls, about 22 per day
- 665 fires, 155 hazardous-materials and environment calls, 1,853 technical-rescue calls and 2,940 wasp nests
- 1,551 calls that needed no action, 915 logistics runs and 12 special operations
- Busiest areas: Sint-Niklaas (2,513 calls) and Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht (2,456)
- 17,103 ambulance trips
Services & Community Programs
- Firefighter and ambulance recruitment (career and volunteer): see hvzwaasland.be.
- Fire prevention advice for building permits, events and high-risk sites, and fire-safety awareness for vulnerable groups (policy plan 2026–2031).
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, campfires with dry untreated wood, farm or landscape plant waste that cannot be removed, and plant-health reasons. A drought ban or local police rules can restrict even these. Take garden waste to a recyclagepark and ask your municipality before lighting any outdoor fire.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Brandweerzone Oost, East Flanders (south: Lokeren, Zele, Hamme)
- Brandweer Zone Antwerpen, Antwerp Province (east: Antwerp, including Linkeroever on the left bank)
- Brandweerzone Rivierenland, Antwerp Province (east, across the Scheldt: Hemiksem, Bornem)
- Netherlands (north: Zeelandic Flanders)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in the Waasland?
The zone's general number is +32 3 502 09 00 (headquarters, Nijverheidsstraat 33, Sint-Niklaas). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Hulpverleningszone Waasland cover?
Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht, Sint-Gillis-Waas, Sint-Niklaas, Stekene, Temse and Waasmunster. Zwijndrecht joined in 2025, when it merged with Beveren and Kruibeke.
Are the Waasland's firefighters paid?
Most are volunteers: 306 of the 396 firefighters. The 90 career firefighters work at Melsele and Sint-Niklaas; the other seven posts are volunteer posts.
How fast does the fire service respond in the Waasland?
The zone does not publish an average. Our estimate is about 7–10 minutes near Sint-Niklaas and the port, and 10–14 minutes in villages served by volunteer posts.
Can I burn garden waste in the Waasland?
No. Flemish rules ban burning garden waste in the open air, with narrow exceptions. Use a recycling park and ask your municipality before any outdoor fire.
Last verified:
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (April 17, 2026) (members, HQ, phone, e-mail)
- Hulpverleningszone Waasland — Our posts (addresses, post types)
- Hulpverleningszone Waasland — The zone in numbers (version 1/2026) (staff, area, population, risks, 2025 calls, ambulances)
- Hulpverleningszone Waasland — Policy plan 2026–2031 (port, prevention, stations)
- Hulpverleningszone Waasland — About us
- Hulpverleningszone Waasland — News (new stations, port network)
- VMM — FAQ on outdoor burning
- Wikipedia NL — Hulpverleningszone Waasland (Zwijndrecht in 2025, port network)
- Wikipedia NL — Stekene (neighbors)