Zone de secours Hesbaye is the rescue zone for 13 farming municipalities in the Hesbaye plateau of western Liège Province, from Hannut and Waremme to Wasseiges and Oreye: 77,532 residents on about 390 km². It has only two fire posts, Hannut and Waremme, tied with HEMECO for the fewest of any Belgian zone, staffed by 108 volunteer and 15 career firefighters. In 2023 the zone handled 1,625 fire and rescue calls and 4,929 ambulance runs. Its posts also host an animal rescue team. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 19 60 54 20- Prevention and billing: +32 19 60 54 21
- Recruitment: +32 19 60 54 27, recrutement@pompiershesbaye.be
- info@pompiershesbaye.be
- Rue Joseph Wauters 65, 4280 Hannut, Belgium
- pompiershesbaye.be
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Zone de secours Hesbaye
Since 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (zones de secours) run by their member municipalities. Zone de secours Hesbaye covers 13 of them, all in Liège Province:
- Hannut post area (west): Hannut, Lincent, Wasseiges, Braives and Burdinne.
- Waremme post area (east): Waremme, Berloz, Donceel, Faimes, Geer, Oreye, Remicourt and Verlaine.
The split by post is indicative (based on location); the zone does not publish official post areas. Dispatch sends the fastest available crew.
The zone relies on 108 volunteer firefighters (pompiers volontaires) and 15 career firefighters (pompiers professionnels). Volunteers are paged from home or work, so turnout adds minutes. The two posts also run the zone's ambulances (aide médicale urgente), which make far more runs than the fire engines. Dial 112 for fire, rescue or ambulance.
Fire Posts in Zone de secours Hesbaye
| Post | Type | Location | Specialist teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poste de Hannut (HQ) | Combination | Rue Joseph Wauters 65, 4280 Hannut | Ambulance; animal rescue (ARTH) |
| Poste de Waremme | Combination | Rue Ernest Malvoz 34, 4300 Waremme | Ambulance; animal rescue (ARTH) |
The posts have no separate public phone numbers; use the zone number above for non-emergency questions. The zone does not say which post hosts the animal rescue team. Dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Two posts share 389.6 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 7.9 km (4.9 mi). With about 199 residents per km², farmland and mostly volunteer crews, we use the combination column of our baseline table when career staff are on duty, and the volunteer column when a crew must first reach the post. Villages at the zone's edges, such as Lincent, Wasseiges, Burdinne and Oreye, lie in the outer distance bands.
| Radius | Combination crew | Volunteer turnout |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 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 9–13 minutes for most addresses, 12–18 minutes or more when only volunteers are available or the address is near the zone border. 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 |
Hesbaye is open farmland with few woods, so most fires are small or medium: in 2023 the two posts logged 40 building fires, 49 outdoor fires, 14 grass and field fires, 25 chimney fires and 23 vehicle fires. Field fires are rising in dry summers: by late July 2026 the zone had counted about fifty natural-area fires since January 1, and it trains with HEMECO on forest-fire tactics. Barn and farm fires in remote villages can take longer, because water supplies are limited and the second post is far away. Large fires need crews from both posts or from neighboring zones; in 2023 the posts logged 239 reinforcement (renfort) call-outs.
Apparatus & Equipment
The zone does not publish a fleet list, so vehicle numbers are Not published. Each post runs fire engines and ambulances; Wikipedia FR shows an aerial ladder at Hannut. Specialist capabilities:
- Ambulance (EMS)
- Animal rescue (ARTH)
- Vehicle extrication
- Pumping & flooding
- Gas leaks
Zone de secours Hesbaye in Numbers (2023)
- 1,625 fire and rescue calls, 160 fewer than in 2022 (on average about 1,600 a year)
- 4,929 ambulance runs: 2,337 from Hannut and 2,592 from Waremme
- 307 dangerous-animal calls and 37 animals in danger, the largest single call type
- 96 people trapped and 27 people trapped in vehicles; 127 water and pumping calls
Services & Community Programs
- Volunteer and career recruitment (recrutement): recrutement@pompiershesbaye.be or +32 19 60 54 27; details on pompiershesbaye.be.
- Fire prevention (prévention): building plan reviews and advice, +32 19 60 54 21.
- Animal Rescue Team Hesbaye (ARTH): handles animals in danger or animals that endanger people.
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. Wet material and fresh grass clippings may not be burned. 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 HEMECO, Liège Province (south: Villers-le-Bouillet, Wanze, Amay, Héron)
- Liège Zone 2 IILE-SRI, Liège Province (east: Crisnée, Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher, Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse)
- Zone NAGE, Namur Province (southwest: Éghezée, Fernelmont)
- Zone de secours du Brabant Wallon (west: Orp-Jauche, Hélécine)
- Hulpverleningszone Oost Vlaams-Brabant, Flemish Brabant (northwest: Landen)
- Hulpverleningszone Zuid-West, Limburg (north: Gingelom, Heers, Tongeren-Borgloon)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Hannut and Waremme?
The zone's general number is +32 19 60 54 20 (headquarters, Rue Joseph Wauters 65, Hannut). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Zone de secours Hesbaye cover?
Berloz, Braives, Burdinne, Donceel, Faimes, Geer, Hannut, Lincent, Oreye, Remicourt, Verlaine, Waremme and Wasseiges.
Are Hesbaye's firefighters volunteers?
Mostly: the zone has 108 volunteer and 15 career firefighters working from two posts, Hannut and Waremme.
How fast does the fire service respond in Hesbaye?
The zone does not publish arrival times. With two posts for about 390 km², our estimate is 9–13 minutes for most addresses and longer when only volunteers are available or near the zone border.
Can I burn garden waste in Hesbaye?
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 Hesbaye — La zone de secours (personnel, population, area, posts)
- ZS Hesbaye — Contacts (department phone numbers)
- ZS Hesbaye — Poste de Hannut and Poste de Waremme (addresses)
- ZS Hesbaye — Activités opérationnelles 2023 (calls by type and post)
- ZS Hesbaye — Ambulance runs 2023
- ZS Hesbaye — Nos spécialisations (ARTH)
- L'Avenir — Forest-fire training, Hesbaye and HEMECO (2026)
- RTBF — Garden fires: rules and distances (2026)
- Wikipedia FR — Zone de secours Hesbaye (two posts, aerial ladder)
- Wikipedia FR — neighbors: Hannut, Oreye, Burdinne, Wasseiges, Lincent, Remicourt