Defence Fire Training and Development Centre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Defence Fire Training and Development Centre |
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| Near Manston, Kent in England | |
The entrance to the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre
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 DFTDC
Location in Kent
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| Coordinates | 51°20′53″N 1°21′00″E / 51.348°N 1.350°E |
| Type | Defence Training Establishment |
| Area | 39 hectares (96 acres) |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator | Royal Air Force (1959–2007) British Army (2007–2020) |
| Condition | Closed |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1959 (as the Air Ministry Fire Training School) |
| In use | 1959–2020 |
The Defence Fire Training and Development Centre (DFTDC) was a special place where firefighters for the Ministry of Defence learned their skills. It was located near Manston in southeast England. This training centre used to be part of a larger Royal Air Force (RAF) base. After the training centre closed in 2020, the site was later used for a different purpose starting in 2022.
Contents
History of Firefighter Training
The RAF base at Manston became home to several training schools in 1959. One of these was the Air Ministry Fire Training School. Over time, this school grew. In 1989, the RAF brought together different fire training units at Manston. This created the RAF Fire Services Central Training Establishment (CTE).
By 1995, this location was chosen as the main training spot for all Ministry of Defence firefighters. It was then called MOD FSCTE. In 1999, the rest of the RAF Manston base closed down. This left FSCTE as the only part of the old base still in use. The airfield part became Kent International Airport, a civilian airport.
In 2007, the British Army took over responsibility for all firefighting in the British armed forces. This meant FSCTE became part of the Army's control. The last group of RAF firefighters finished their training at FSCTE in October 2020. After this, all firefighter training moved to the Fire Service College. This ended the RAF's long connection with Manston, which had lasted for 104 years.
Manston Fire Museum
Inside the old RAF CTE building, there was a museum dedicated to firefighting history. It was called the Manston Fire Museum. This museum started from the private collection of a firefighter named Flt Sgt Steve Shirley. The RAF agreed to take over his collection, and it opened as the Ministry of Defence Fire Museum in June 1995. It was later renamed the Manston Fire Museum in 1998.
The museum had many interesting items. These included old fire vehicles, small models, badges, uniforms, helmets, and various firefighting tools. The museum closed in 2014. Its collections were then moved to the Museum of RAF Firefighting, which is located at Scampton.
Manston Arrivals and Processing Centre
Since February 2022, the former DFTDC Manston site has been used as a place to process people arriving in the UK. This facility is officially called the Manston Asylum Processing Centre. People who arrived in the UK, often by small boats, were brought here for security and identity checks. The goal was for people to stay there for no more than 24 hours.
However, in late 2022, the centre became very crowded. It was holding about 4,000 people, which was more than double its planned capacity of 1,600. Many people had to stay in tents. The overcrowding led to health concerns, including outbreaks of illnesses. In November 2022, a person who had been at the centre sadly passed away in a hospital after becoming ill.
In October 2022, an official inspector, David Neal, visited the centre. He described the conditions as very difficult. He met a family from Afghanistan who had been staying in a large tent at the centre for over a month.
In May 2024, the government agreed to look into claims of mistreatment at the centre. In September 2024, the new Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, decided to change this to an independent inquiry, citing financial reasons. A legal challenge against this decision was made in the High Court in November 2024. Documents from this case showed that many people stayed longer than 24 hours between June and November 2022.
See also
- Defence Fire and Rescue Service
