Zone de secours NAGE is the rescue zone for northern Namur Province: ten municipalities around Namur, Andenne, Gembloux and Eghezée, whose initials form its name. It protects 234,403 residents on 829 km² from four posts. At the end of 2023 these were staffed by 157 career and 188 volunteer firefighters, plus 16 ambulance crew who are not firefighters. The zone also runs the area's 112 ambulances: in 2023 it handled 18,865 medical missions and 4,719 fire-service missions. Specialist teams include divers, rope rescue, CBRN and search dogs. In an emergency, dial 112.
Zone headquarters (non-emergency)
+32 81 32 52 00- info@zone-nage.be
- Chaussée de Liège 55, 5100 Jambes (Namur), Belgium
- zone-nage.be
- Office hours: Not published
Who Provides Fire Protection in Zone de secours NAGE
Since 2015, Belgian fire services are organized in rescue zones (zones de secours) run by their member municipalities. NAGE is one of three zones in Namur Province and covers ten:
- With a fire post: Namur (113,286 residents), Andenne, Gembloux and Eghezée.
- Without a post: Assesse, Fernelmont, Gesves, La Bruyère, Ohey and Profondeville, served from the nearest of the four posts.
The zone is a combination service. On December 31, 2023 it had 393 staff: 157 career firefighters (sapeurs-pompiers professionnels), 188 volunteers (volontaires), 16 ambulance crew who are not firefighters and 32 civilian staff. Career and volunteer firefighters work at all four posts. Dial 112: the zone's own dispatch center, staffed 24/7 by 8 career and 17 volunteer dispatchers, then sends the fastest crews.
Fire Posts in Zone de secours NAGE
| Post | Type | Location | Specialist teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poste de Gembloux | Combination | Gembloux | Divers (2) |
| Poste d'Eghezée | Combination | Eghezée (renovation started 2023) | Not published |
| Poste de Namur (HQ) | Combination | Chaussée de Liège 55, 5100 Jambes | Divers (28), aerial ladder |
| Poste d'Andenne | Combination | Andenne | Divers (6), aerial ladder |
Posts have no public phone numbers, and only the Namur post (zone headquarters, opened in 2015) has a published street address. Rope-rescue (GRIMP) members come from all four posts. Dial 112 for emergencies.
Estimated Response Time
Four posts share 829 km², so the average distance to the nearest post is roughly 8.1 km (5.0 mi). With about 283 residents per km² and mixed career/volunteer crews, the zone uses the suburban/combination column of our baseline table. When only volunteers are available, add their trip to the post: NAGE volunteers must be able to reach their post within 12 minutes, so the volunteer column applies. Six of the ten municipalities have no post of their own.
| Radius | Combination crews | 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 7–10 minutes in the towns of Namur, Andenne, Gembloux and Eghezée; 9–13 minutes in most villages; longer in Assesse, Gesves, Ohey and Profondeville. NAGE does not publish a fire arrival time; its ambulances left on average 144 seconds after the alert in 2023.
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 rural north sees long barn and farm fires. In June 2023 crews fought hay-barn fires in Saint-Germain (Eghezée), Wierde and Cognelée through the night. At Saint-Germain, weak hydrant flow meant a 14,000-liter tanker had to come from Namur; at Wierde, a tanker came from Ciney in the neighboring zone. A June 2023 woodland fire at Haillot (Ohey) needed crews from Andenne and Namur. The zone also covers the Meuse, where divers went out 41 times in 2023, the E411 and E42 motorways, and the Namur cable car, whose evacuation is the rope-rescue team's job. A storm in July 2021 brought close to 1,000 calls in 24 hours, mainly in Namur and La Bruyère.
Apparatus & Equipment
The zone had 92 vehicles in 2023. The fire service uses 79 of them, including 6 trailers and 3 boats. Engines (autopompes), tankers (citernes) and the aerial ladders at the Namur and Andenne posts are not counted separately. Other published counts:
- Licensed 112 ambulances
- 13
- Boats
- 3
- Fire-service trailers
- 6
- Officer vehicles bought in 2023
- 2
In 2023 the zone also bought a CBRN vehicle, gas-tight suits, an ATEX fan, swift-water gear and 15 new defibrillators for its ambulances and the four posts.
- Ambulance (EMS)
- Dive rescue
- Swift water & floods
- Rope rescue (GRIMP)
- CBRN
- Search dogs
- Technical rescue
Zone de secours NAGE in Numbers (2023)
- 23,587 missions handled by dispatch, about 65 a day
- 18,865 urgent medical (aide médicale urgente) missions, 80% of all work, about 52 a day
- 4,719 fire-service missions: 911 fires, 2,223 technical rescues, 983 logistics calls, 152 hazardous-materials or environmental calls and 406 false alarms
- 349 calls on the E411 (185), E42 (122) and N4 (42)
- 41 dive, 25 rope-rescue and 3 search-dog missions
- 1,520 requests for fire-prevention reports or advice
Services & Community Programs
- Volunteer firefighter recruitment: candidates must be able to reach their post within 12 minutes. In 2023 the zone hired 32 volunteers and 9 career firefighters.
- Fire prevention: reports for permits and inspections, and voluntary fire-safety advice for homes and businesses; ask via info@zone-nage.be.
- Event safety: 906 safety opinions for small and medium events in 2023.
Ratings & Accreditation
Belgium has no public fire-protection rating comparable to the US ISO classification. NAGE is working toward Accreditation Canada (Qmentum International) at Gold level for its governance, leadership and ambulance services; in the August 2023 assessment it met 86.9% of the Gold-level criteria.
Outdoor burning: In Wallonia, burning waste in the open air is banned. Dry plant waste may be burned only under the Rural Code (article 89): at least 100 m from homes, hedges, orchards, crops and other combustibles, and 25 m from woods. Wet plants and fresh grass clippings are not allowed, and municipalities can set stricter hours or total bans in drought or high wind. Check with your commune first, and take garden waste to a recyparc.
Neighboring Rescue Zones
- Zone de secours du Brabant Wallon, Walloon Brabant Province (north, along Gembloux and Eghezée)
- Zone de secours Hesbaye, Liège Province (northeast: e.g. Braives, Burdinne)
- Zone de secours Hemeco, Liège Province (east: e.g. Héron, Wanze, Huy)
- Zone de secours Dinaphi, Namur Province (south: e.g. Anhée, Yvoir, Ciney)
- Zone de secours Val de Sambre, Namur Province (west: e.g. Floreffe, Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, Sombreffe)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for the fire service in Namur?
Zone de secours NAGE's general number is +32 81 32 52 00 (headquarters, Chaussée de Liège 55, Jambes). For any fire or medical emergency, dial 112.
Which municipalities does Zone de secours NAGE cover?
Ten: Namur, Andenne, Gembloux, Eghezée, Assesse, Fernelmont, Gesves, La Bruyère, Ohey and Profondeville. Only Namur, Andenne, Gembloux and Eghezée have a fire post.
Are NAGE firefighters paid or volunteers?
Both. At the end of 2023 the zone had 157 career and 188 volunteer firefighters, and all four posts use both.
How fast does the fire service respond in the Namur area?
NAGE does not publish a fire arrival time. Our estimate is about 7–10 minutes in the four post towns and 9–13 minutes in most villages; ambulances left on average 144 seconds after the alert in 2023.
Can I burn garden waste in Namur Province?
Only dry plant waste, at least 100 m from homes and 25 m from woods under the Walloon Rural Code, and only if your municipality allows it. Use a recyparc when in doubt.
Last verified:
- FPS Home Affairs — Rescue zone contacts (April 17, 2026) (members, HQ, phone)
- Zone de secours NAGE — Annual report 2023 (population, area, posts, staff, vehicles, missions, neighbors)
- RTBF — NAGE relaxes rules for volunteers (2019) (12-minute rule)
- La Libre — Nearly 1,000 calls in 24 hours (2021)
- RTBF — Garden fires: rules and distances (2026)
- Wikipedia FR — Zone de secours NAGE (four posts, Namur post opened 2015)