Fire brigade employees; professional and voluntary, ranks, region 2000-2019

Fire brigade employees; professional and voluntary, ranks, region 2000-2019

Region Years Operational staff Professional staff Total professional fire fighter (number)
Nederland 2019* 5,375
Noord-Nederland (LD) 2019* 382
Oost-Nederland (LD) 2019* 838
West-Nederland (LD) 2019* 3,159
Zuid-Nederland (LD) 2019* 996
Groningen (PV) 2019* 122
Friesland (PV) 2019* 150
Drenthe (PV) 2019* 110
Overijssel (PV) 2019* 303
Flevoland (PV) 2019* 104
Gelderland (PV) 2019* 431
Utrecht (PV) 2019* 223
Noord-Holland (PV) 2019* 1,161
Zuid-Holland (PV) 2019* 1,614
Zeeland (PV) 2019* 161
Noord-Brabant (PV) 2019* 698
Limburg (PV) 2019* 298
Groningen (VR) 2019* 122
Fryslân (VR) 2019* 150
Drenthe (VR) 2019* 110
IJsselland (VR) 2019* 138
Twente (VR) 2019* 165
Noord- en Oost-Gelderland (VR) 2019* 92
Gelderland-Midden (VR) 2019* 145
Gelderland-Zuid (VR) 2019* 194
Utrecht (VR) 2019* 223
Noord-Holland-Noord (VR) 2019* 152
Zaanstreek-Waterland (VR) 2019* 70
Kennemerland (VR) 2019* 320
Amsterdam-Amstelland (VR) 2019* 557
Gooi en Vechtstreek (VR) 2019* 62
Haaglanden (VR) 2019* 564
Hollands-Midden (VR) 2019* 143
Rotterdam-Rijnmond (VR) 2019* 801
Zuid-Holland-Zuid (VR) 2019* 106
Zeeland (VR) 2019* 161
Midden- en West-Brabant (VR) 2019* 262
Brabant-Noord (VR) 2019* 189
Brabant-Zuidoost (VR) 2019* 247
Limburg-Noord (VR) 2019* 64
Limburg-Zuid (VR) 2019* 234
Flevoland (VR) 2019* 104
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Dataset is not available.


This table includes information on the number of employees of municipal and regional fire brigades and security regions on 1 January of the reference year. Operational staff are broken down by professional and voluntary status. Since 2005, non-operational fire brigade employees are also included. Operational staff is broken down by rank and non-operational staff by education level. The figures refer to the situation on 1 January of a particular year. Data are available for the Netherlands as a whole and for each security region.

Since 1 January 2011, figures may vary from previous years due to introduction of a new ranking system and a revised questionnaire. Since that date, the questionnaire can be completed consistent with the new ranking system as published in “Het besluit personeel Veiligheidsregio’s” (for details see: Staatsblad 2010, nr 253)”. The “Leidraad Conversie Rangen van de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Brandweerzorg en Rampenbestrijding (NVBR)” is used for the translation from function to rank and from the old to the new ranking system.

Since 2012, higher and mid-level ranks are included in one category. This decision was made because a reliable break-down by region cannot be made.

Since 1 January 2011, the definitions of professional, voluntary and non-operational staff are also adjusted.

The security regions Limburg Noord en Brabant-Zuidoost could not deliver data of 2019 before the closingdate of the survey.They agreed that the figures for 2018 are also valid for 2019.
De security regions Kennemerland en Haaglanden have indicated that for 2019 they have reported data with a higher quality than before. They agreed that the figures for 2019 are retroactively also valid for 2018.

Data available from: 2000.

Status of the figures:
Figures for the period 2000-2018 are definitive and figures for the year 2019 are provisional.

Changes effective from 25 February 2021:
None, this table has been discontinued.

When will new figures be published?
Not applicable.

Description topics

Operational staff
Fire brigade employees trained to fulfil repressive (fire-fighting) duties. They are mostly engaged in fire-fighting duties and they render assistance. Employees in management functions are also included. These employees can be engaged in repressive and non-repressive duties. New definition (since 2011): fire brigade employees fulfilling repressive duties (including trainees), also if fire-fighting is not their main duty.
Professional staff
Public servants, employed on a temporary or permanent basis by a municipality or security region, whose main job is to provide fire-fighting services. New definition (since 2011): professional fire-fighters fulfilling repressive (fire-fighting) duties (including trainees), also if fire-fighting is not their main duty.
Total professional fire fighter
Public servants, temporarily or permanently appointed by the municipality or region, who fulfill their fire fighting service as main profession. As from 2011 professional fire-fighters who have a repressive task which is not their main task are also reported as professional fire-fighters.