Carmarthen Fire Station Open Day, Wales 2026

Key Points

• Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service will hold a free Open Day at Carmarthen Fire Station on Friday, 28 August 2026.
• The event will run from 10.30am to 4pm at Lime Grove Avenue, Carmarthen, SA31 1SP, and will mark the service’s 30th anniversary.
• Visitors can watch live firefighting demonstrations, take part in children’s activities and firefighter fitness tests, view operational displays, and enjoy refreshments and a raffle.
• Firefighters and support staff will be available to meet visitors, who can also see appliances and equipment up close and meet Sbarc, the service mascot.
• Money raised during the event will go to the Fire Fighters Charity, which supports serving and retired UK fire and rescue personnel and their families.
• Chief Fire Officer Craig Flannery said the event will give the public a chance to learn about the service’s work while enjoying a family-friendly day.

Wales Fire (Wales Times) August 24, 2026 – Carmarthen will host a major community event as Mid and West uk/fire/">Wales Fire and Rescue Service opens its station and headquarters to the public later this week. The Open Day, scheduled for Friday, 28 August 2026, is being held to mark three decades since the formation of the regional fire and rescue service and to give local residents a behind-the-scenes look at firefighting operations.

According to an announcement published by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the free event will take place at Carmarthen Fire Station on Lime Grove Avenue (SA31 1SP) from 10.30am until 4pm. Organisers have outlined a programme designed for all ages, combining education about fire safety and emergency response with hands-on activities and live demonstrations.

As reported in the service’s newsroom update, Chief Fire Officer Craig Flannery said: “Our Open Day is a fantastic opportunity for people to come along, meet their local firefighters and learn more about the important work carried out by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.” He added that there would be “plenty to see and do for all ages, from live demonstrations and activities to the chance to get up close to our fire appliances and equipment.” Flannery concluded: “As we celebrate 30 years of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, we look forward to welcoming members of the community to Carmarthen Fire Station and Service Headquarters for what promises to be a great day out.”

What activities and demonstrations are planned?

The Open Day programme features a mix of practical demonstrations, interactive displays and family-focused activities. According to the service’s published details, attendees will be able to watch live firefighting demonstrations that showcase operational techniques and equipment used by crews in real incidents.

Children’s activities are included to engage younger visitors, while firefighter fitness tests will offer a glimpse into the physical demands of the role. Operational displays will allow the public to examine appliances and specialist kit, and there will be opportunities to speak directly with firefighters and support staff about their duties.

Refreshments will be available on site, and a raffle is being held as part of the fundraising element of the event. The service’s mascot, Sbarc, will also be present to meet visitors, adding a lighter touch to the day’s proceedings.

Who can attend and how much does it cost?

The event is open to members of the public and is free to attend, according to the service’s announcement. Families, school groups and community organisations are all welcome, with organisers emphasising the day’s suitability for “all ages”.

The venue is Carmarthen Fire Station and Service Headquarters at Lime Grove Avenue, Carmarthen, SA31 1SP. No ticketing or pre-registration has been mentioned in the published information, suggesting the event will operate on a drop-in basis during the stated hours of 10.30am to 4pm.

How will the Open Day support charity?

In addition to its community engagement aims, the Open Day will raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity. The charity supports serving and retired members of the UK fire and rescue community and their families, providing welfare, mental health and rehabilitation services across the sector.

Fundraising will be integrated into the event through activities such as the raffle and refreshment sales, with proceeds directed to the charity. This aligns with a broader pattern of fire service open days across the UK, which often combine public education with charitable fundraising.

What safety advice has been issued alongside the event?

While the Open Day announcement focuses on community engagement, recent weeks have seen significant wildfire activity across parts of Mid and West Wales, including incidents near Rhandirmwyn and Llandovery that prompted evacuations and road closures. In those incidents, the service repeatedly urged the public to avoid affected areas, follow road closures and call 999 if flames or immediate risk to life or property were observed.

Although the Carmarthen Open Day is a planned, controlled event at a station site, the wider context of dry conditions and recent wildfires underscores the importance of fire safety messaging that the service typically delivers at such events. Visitors attending the Open Day are likely to receive practical advice on preventing fires at home and in the outdoors, consistent with the service’s recent public communications during the wildfire response.

Background to the 30-year milestone

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service was formed in 1996 following local government reorganisation in Wales, which merged previous county fire brigades into new regional services. The 2026 Open Day marks 30 years since that restructuring, during which the service has covered the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Swansea.

Over three decades, the service has evolved its operational capabilities, including the development of on-call and wholetime crews, specialist wildfire response, water rescue and community fire safety programmes. Carmarthen Fire Station also functions as the service headquarters, housing administrative and command functions alongside operational crews.

Anniversary events such as this Open Day provide an opportunity to reflect on changes in firefighting technology, training and community risk reduction, while reinforcing the relationship between the service and the populations it protects.

Prediction: How could this development affect local residents and fire safety awareness?

The Carmarthen Fire Station Open Day is likely to increase public familiarity with the work of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and improve understanding of fire safety practices among attendees. By allowing residents to meet firefighters, see appliances and observe demonstrations, the event can demystify emergency response and encourage more people to engage with fire prevention advice in their homes and workplaces.

For families in Carmarthenshire and surrounding areas, the Open Day may also strengthen trust in local emergency services and promote the Fire Fighters Charity’s welfare work, potentially leading to higher awareness of support available to firefighters and their families. In the longer term, such engagement can contribute to a culture of prevention, reducing the number of avoidable fires and emergency calls.

Given recent wildfire incidents in the region, the timing of the event may also heighten awareness of outdoor fire risks during dry spells. If the service uses the platform to deliver targeted safety messages—on topics such as barbecues, campfires and disposal of cigarettes—this could have a measurable effect on reducing wildfire triggers in rural and semi-rural communities around Carmarthen and beyond.