Zone de secours HEMECO (Hesbaye-Meuse-Condroz) is the rescue zone for 15 municipalities around Huy, from the Meuse valley south to the Ourthe at Hamoir: 107,224 residents (2024) on about 599 km². It has only two posts: Huy, staffed mainly by career firefighters, and Hamoir, run mainly by volunteers. About 140 firefighters handle 2,500 to 3,000 fire and rescue calls and 5,500 to 6,500 ambulance runs a year. Specialist teams cover rope rescue, divers and chemical and radiological incidents. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 85 27 10 12- General number in the federal zone list: +32 85 27 10 00
- info@zshemeco.be
- Rue de la Mairie 30, 4500 Huy, Belgium
- zshemeco.be
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 am–12:00 pm and 2:00–4:00 pm
Who Provides Fire Protection in Zone de secours HEMECO
Since 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (zones de secours) run by their member municipalities. HEMECO, short for Hesbaye-Meuse-Condroz, covers 15 of them:
- Meuse valley and Hesbaye (Huy post): Huy, Wanze, Amay, Villers-le-Bouillet, Héron, Marchin, Modave, Nandrin and Tinlot.
- Condroz and Ourthe (Hamoir post): Hamoir, Comblain-au-Pont, Anthisnes, Ouffet, Clavier and Ferrières.
The split by post is indicative (based on location); the zone does not publish official post areas. Dispatch sends the fastest available crew.
Huy, Wanze and Amay hold about 50,247 residents; the rest is rural, with 178 residents per km² on average. The Huy post is mainly staffed by career firefighters (pompiers professionnels) and handles about 70% of calls. The Hamoir post relies mainly on volunteers (pompiers volontaires) and has trouble filling its volunteer roster. In 2022 the two posts counted about 140 firefighters. The zone runs its own dispatch and three ambulances.
Fire Posts in Zone de secours HEMECO
| Post | Type | Location | Specialist teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caserne de Huy (HQ) | Mainly career | Rue de la Mairie 30, 4500 Huy | Dispatch, 2 ambulances, radiological cell |
| Caserne de Hamoir | Mainly volunteer | Rue de Tohogne 14, 4180 Hamoir | 1 ambulance |
The posts have no separate public phone numbers; use the zone number above. Zone-wide teams: rope rescue (GRIMP), divers and chemical/radiological response; the zone does not say which post hosts the first two. Dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Two posts share about 599 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 9.8 km (6.1 mi). With 178 residents per km², we use the combination column of our baseline table for the Huy post and the volunteer column for Hamoir, whose crews must first reach the post. The zone reports that the Huy fire crew is available 90% of the time and Hamoir's 79% (95% for its six-person pumper crew). Villages such as Tinlot, Clavier or Ferrières are far from both posts.
| Radius | Huy (mainly career) | Hamoir (mainly volunteer) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 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 7–13 minutes in Huy, Wanze and Amay; 13–18 minutes or more in Condroz villages far from both posts. The zone does not publish its own 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, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large woodland fire | 2–12+ hours |
The zone mixes Meuse-valley industry and the Tihange nuclear power plant in Huy with wooded Condroz and Ourthe valleys. Woodland and field fires are rising: in 2026 the zone said fire starts had increased, it is training with the Hesbaye zone on the French forest-fire model and has ordered two forest-fire tankers, expected before summer 2027. Remote farm and woodland fires can take hours, because only two posts must cover the whole zone and water must often be brought by tanker.
Apparatus & Equipment
The zone publishes its first-line fleet by post; reserve vehicles exist for each type, and the zone also has a 4x4 tanker:
- Pumpers (autopompes), zone total
- 4
- Aerial ladders (Huy, Hamoir)
- 2
- Rescue/extrication vehicles (Huy, Hamoir)
- 2
- Tankers (one per post)
- 2
- Ambulances (Huy 2, Hamoir 1)
- 3
- Command vehicle (Huy)
- 1
- Rope rescue (GRIMP)
- Dive rescue
- Water rescue
- Chemical & radiological
- Wildland fires
- Ambulance (EMS)
Zone de secours HEMECO in Numbers
- 2,500 to 3,000 fire and rescue calls in an average year (2022); about 70% handled by Huy, 30% by Hamoir
- 5,500 to 6,500 ambulance runs a year: 58% by the first Huy ambulance, 33% by Hamoir and 9% by the second Huy ambulance
- July 2021 floods: more than 1,000 calls in a few days; residents died along the Ourthe (Hamoir, Comblain-la-Tour) and the Mehaigne
Services & Community Programs
- Volunteer and career recruitment: see Devenir pompier; volunteers are assigned to Huy or Hamoir. The zone also runs a cadet school (École des Cadets).
- Fire prevention (prévention incendie): building advice and inspections via the zone office.
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 only exception is dry natural plant waste, burned under the Rural Code (Code rural, art. 89) and the Forest Code: at least 100 m from homes and from hedges, orchards, crops and other flammable material, and at least 25 m from woods. Municipal police rules can set hours or ban all burning in drought or wind. Ask your commune first, or take garden waste to a recyparc.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Zone de secours Hesbaye, Liège Province (north: Braives, Burdinne, Verlaine, Faimes)
- Liège Zone 2 IILE-SRI, Liège Province (northeast: Engis, Neupré, Esneux)
- Zone de secours Vesdre-Hoëgne & Plateau, Liège Province (east: Sprimont)
- Zone de secours 5 Warche Amblève Lienne, Liège Province (east: Aywaille, Stoumont)
- Zone de secours Luxembourg (south: Durbuy, Manhay)
- Zone de secours Dinaphi, Namur Province (southwest: Havelange, Somme-Leuze)
- Zone NAGE, Namur Province (west: Andenne, Ohey)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Huy?
The zone's office number is +32 85 27 10 12 (headquarters, Rue de la Mairie 30, Huy). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Zone de secours HEMECO cover?
Amay, Anthisnes, Clavier, Comblain-au-Pont, Ferrières, Hamoir, Héron, Huy, Marchin, Modave, Nandrin, Ouffet, Tinlot, Villers-le-Bouillet and Wanze.
Are HEMECO's firefighters volunteers?
Partly. The Huy post is mainly staffed by career firefighters, while the Hamoir post relies mainly on volunteers. In 2022 the zone had about 140 firefighters.
How fast does the fire service respond around Huy?
The zone does not publish arrival times. With two posts for about 599 km², our estimate is 7–13 minutes in Huy, Wanze and Amay and 13–18 minutes or more in remote Condroz villages.
Can I burn garden waste in the HEMECO zone?
Only dry natural plant waste, under the Walloon Rural Code: at least 100 m from homes and hedges and 25 m from woods, subject to municipal rules. Burning other waste is banned. Ask your commune first.
Last verified:
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (April 17, 2026) (members, HQ, phone, website)
- ZS HEMECO — Présentation (population, posts, fleet, teams, availability, calls)
- ZS HEMECO — Contact (phone, addresses, office hours)
- ZS HEMECO — Département opérationnel (career/volunteer posts)
- ZS HEMECO — Devenir pompier
- L'Avenir — July 2021 floods review (2022) (staff, yearly calls)
- L'Avenir — Forest-fire training and tankers (2026)
- L'Avenir — Radiological exercise in Huy (2026)
- RTBF — Garden fires: rules and distances (2026)
- Wikipedia FR — Zone de secours HEMECO (area)
- Wikipedia FR — Tihange and neighbors: Huy, Clavier, Ferrières, Comblain-au-Pont, Burdinne