fire brigade: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Formal, official, everyday (UK); Formal, official (US, but less common).
Quick answer
What does “fire brigade” mean?
An organized group of trained firefighters and their vehicles, employed by a local authority, responsible for fighting fires and rescuing people.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
An organized group of trained firefighters and their vehicles, employed by a local authority, responsible for fighting fires and rescuing people.
Used metonymically to refer to the service or organization itself. Can be used humorously or figuratively to describe a group hastily assembled to solve an urgent problem.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The primary term in British English. In American English, 'fire department' is standard; 'fire brigade' is understood but can sound formal, old-fashioned, or specifically refer to a volunteer unit or a historic/military context.
Connotations
UK: Standard, neutral, institutional. US: Can connote a volunteer force, a specialized unit (e.g., 'airport fire brigade'), or have a somewhat quaint/archaic tone.
Frequency
Very high frequency in UK English; low-to-medium frequency in US English, largely replaced by 'fire department'.
Grammar
How to Use “fire brigade” in a Sentence
call/phone/ring + the + fire brigadethe + fire brigade + arrive(s)/respond(s)/attend(s)a + member of + the + fire brigadeVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “fire brigade” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- They had to fire-brigade the project at the last minute. (informal, rare)
adjective
British English
- He adopted a fire-brigade approach to management, only fixing crises.
American English
- The airport's fire-brigade unit is on high alert. (specialized context)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in risk assessment contexts (e.g., 'Ensure the fire brigade has access').
Academic
Rare, used in historical or social studies of public services.
Everyday
Common in UK English for discussing emergencies.
Technical
Used in official documents, safety regulations, and emergency planning.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “fire brigade”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “fire brigade”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “fire brigade”
- Using 'fire brigade' as a countable noun for an individual firefighter (incorrect: 'He is a fire brigade'; correct: 'He is in the fire brigade' or 'He is a firefighter').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Fire brigade' is standard in British English. 'Fire department' is standard in American English. In the US, 'fire brigade' often refers to volunteer or specialized units.
Yes, metonymically. For example, 'The fire brigade are here' means the firefighters are here. However, an individual is a 'firefighter', not 'a fire brigade'.
Yes, it is used in other Commonwealth countries like Australia, New Zealand, and India. It is also used in technical/official contexts and historical references worldwide.
Typically with the definite article 'the' and as the object of verbs like 'call', 'phone', 'alert', or as the subject of verbs like 'arrive', 'attend', 'fight'. Example: 'We called the fire brigade, and they arrived within minutes.'
An organized group of trained firefighters and their vehicles, employed by a local authority, responsible for fighting fires and rescuing people.
Fire brigade is usually formal, official, everyday (uk); formal, official (us, but less common). in register.
Fire brigade: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfaɪə brɪˌɡeɪd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfaɪər brɪˌɡeɪd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “like a fire brigade (acting in a hurried, emergency-response manner)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a BRIGADE of soldiers, but their battle is against FIRE.
Conceptual Metaphor
AN ARMY FOR FIRE (organization, hierarchy, rapid deployment against a hostile force).
Practice
Quiz
In which variety of English is 'fire brigade' the most common and neutral term?