Zone de secours DINAPHI (Dinant-Philippeville) is the rescue zone for the southern half of Namur Province: 22 municipalities, 179,646 residents and 2,501 km² reaching from the Meuse valley to the Ardennes forest on the French border. In 2025 it had 652 members: 362 firefighters, almost 80% of them volunteers, 264 civilian ambulance crew and 26 administrative staff. Firefighters work from 12 posts, from Walcourt and Yvoir in the north to Couvin, Gedinne and Vresse-sur-Semois in the south. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 84 21 99 90- Storm and flood damage (non-urgent): 1722, or the online request forms on the zone site
- info@zsdinaphi.be
- Rue de Dinant 146, 5570 Beauraing, Belgium
- zsdinaphi.be
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in DINAPHI
Since January 1, 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (zones de secours) run by their member municipalities. DINAPHI is one of three in Namur Province and, after Luxembourg, the second-largest in Wallonia; it measures more than 100 km end to end. Its 22 municipalities:
Anhée, Beauraing, Bièvre, Cerfontaine, Ciney, Couvin, Dinant, Doische, Florennes, Gedinne, Hamois, Hastière, Havelange, Houyet, Onhaye, Philippeville, Rochefort, Somme-Leuze, Viroinval, Vresse-sur-Semois, Walcourt and Yvoir.
Of the 362 firefighters, almost 80% are volunteers (volontaires) and the rest professionals (professionnels). The ambulances are crewed by 264 civilian first-aid/ambulance staff (secouristes-ambulanciers), 30 of them nurses specialized in emergency and intensive care. The zone is organized in three districts around main posts in Gedinne, Philippeville and, soon, a new central post at Achêne (Ciney). Commander: Colonel Philippe de Wergifosse. Dial 112 for any emergency.
Fire Posts in DINAPHI
| Post | Type | Location | Specialist teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poste de Cerfontaine | Secondary post | Cerfontaine | Not published |
| Poste de Couvin | Secondary post | Couvin | Not published |
| Poste de Walcourt | Secondary post | Walcourt | Not published |
| Poste de Philippeville | Main post (district) | Philippeville | Not published |
| Poste de Florennes | Secondary post | Florennes | Not published |
| Poste d'Yvoir | Secondary post | Yvoir | Not published |
| Poste de Dinant | Secondary post | Dinant | Not published |
| Poste de Gedinne | Main post (district) | Gedinne | Not published |
| Poste de Vresse-sur-Semois | Secondary post | Vresse-sur-Semois (new building 2018) | Not published |
| Poste de Beauraing | Secondary post | Beauraing (zone HQ: Rue de Dinant 146) | Not published |
| Poste de Ciney | Secondary post | Ciney (central post planned at Achêne) | Not published |
| Poste de Rochefort | Secondary post | Rochefort | Not published |
The zone publishes no post addresses or phone numbers, and does not say which posts its professionals staff. Zone-wide special teams: search dogs (cyno), rope rescue (GRIMP), divers, swift-water rescue and drones. Dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Twelve posts share about 2,501 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 8.2 km (5.1 mi). With about 72 residents per km² and mostly volunteer crews, who must first reach the post, the zone uses the rural/volunteer column of our baseline table. River valleys and forest roads can lengthen trips; one of the zone's stated projects is intervention times under 30 minutes.
| Radius | Volunteer posts |
|---|---|
| ≤ 2.4 km | 8–12 min |
| 2.4–4.8 km | 10–14 min |
| 4.8–9.7 km | 12–18 min |
| > 9.7 km | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 12–18 minutes for most addresses, faster in the post towns and longer in remote villages. The zone publishes no measured arrival times.
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, farm building | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large woodland fire | 2–12+ hours |
Forest and nature fires are a real risk here. On July 25, 2026 the zone fought three at once: a flare-up of the July 20 fire in Viroinval, more than 2 ha of nature reserve at Furfooz (Dinant), and more than 7 ha in the Croix-Scaille forest at Gedinne. Gedinne alone took 60 firefighters (45 from DINAPHI and the Luxembourg zone, 15 from France), 20 vehicles and two federal police helicopters; the NAGE zone helped at Furfooz. In September 2026 DINAPHI, the Luxembourg zone, the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg and the French departments of Ardennes, Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle signed a new mutual-aid agreement that lets crews work deeper across the border.
Apparatus & Equipment
No fleet list or vehicle count is published. Zone reports mention forest-fire trucks (three at the Viroinval flare-up), a high-capacity pump drawing from the Lesse and drones. Wikipedia FR shows a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter signage vehicle at Dinant.
- Forest fires
- Ambulance (EMS)
- Swift-water rescue
- Dive rescue
- Rope rescue (GRIMP)
- Search dogs
- Drones
DINAPHI in Numbers (2025)
- 652 members: 362 firefighters, 264 ambulance staff (30 emergency nurses), 26 administrative
- 12 posts in 3 districts for 22 municipalities and 179,646 residents
- Yearly call totals: Not published
Services & Community Programs
- Emergency ambulance: a crew of at least two, 24/7, with SMUR or PIT medical teams added for serious cases.
- Non-urgent requests: online forms for floods, storms and nests; 1722 during storms.
- Prevention: a prevention service and fire-safety standards guidance.
- Recruitment: no open call at the time of checking; spontaneous applications are not accepted.
Ratings & Accreditation
Belgium has no public fire-protection rating comparable to the US ISO classification. Not applicable.
Outdoor burning: in Wallonia, burning waste in the open air is banned. The exception is dry natural plant waste, under article 89 of the Rural Code: at least 100 m from homes, hedges, orchards and fields and 25 m from woods and forests, never in strong wind, and with water at hand. Damp material and fresh grass clippings may not be burned. Municipalities can set hours or ban all fires in dry spells. After the July 2026 fires, the zone asked residents to stay vigilant. Ask your municipality before lighting any outdoor fire.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Zone de secours NAGE, Namur Province (north)
- Zone de secours Val de Sambre, Namur Province (northwest)
- Zone de secours Hainaut-Est, Hainaut Province (west)
- Zone de secours Hemeco, Liège Province (northeast)
- Zone de secours Luxembourg, Luxembourg Province (east)
- France: Ardennes department, SDIS 08 (south)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Dinant, Ciney or Philippeville?
The zone's general number is +32 84 21 99 90 (headquarters, Rue de Dinant 146, Beauraing). For storm or flood damage, use 1722. For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Zone de secours DINAPHI cover?
22 in southern Namur Province, including Dinant, Philippeville, Ciney, Rochefort, Couvin, Walcourt, Florennes, Beauraing, Gedinne and Vresse-sur-Semois.
Are the firefighters paid?
Almost 80% of the 362 firefighters are volunteers; the rest are professionals. The ambulances are crewed by 264 civilian staff who are not firefighters.
How fast does the fire service respond?
The zone publishes no arrival times. Our estimate is about 12–18 minutes for most addresses; the zone's stated goal is intervention times under 30 minutes.
Can I burn garden waste?
Only dry plant waste, at least 100 m from homes and 25 m from woods, under Walloon rules and any municipal limits. Burning other waste outdoors is banned.
Last verified:
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (members, HQ, phone, email)
- Zone de secours DINAPHI — La zone (posts, districts, 2025 staff, area, projects)
- Zone de secours DINAPHI — Home (contact, 1722, recruitment)
- Zone de secours DINAPHI — Pompiers (special teams)
- Zone de secours DINAPHI — Secouristes-ambulanciers (ambulance staff, SMUR/PIT)
- Zone de secours DINAPHI — La Zone en feu (July 2026)
- Zone de secours DINAPHI — Cross-border cooperation (October 2026)
- Wikipedia FR — Zone de secours Dinaphi (population, area, commander, neighbors)
- RTBF — Garden fires: rules and distances in Wallonia (2026)