When the present Brigade was established in 1974, despite inheriting the former Chester City and Warrington County Borough Brigades, and the Widnes station which came from Lancashire County Fire Brigade, the overall number of fire stations dropped from 30 to 23. A number of stations in the North East of the County went into the newly formed Greater Manchester Fire Brigade, whilst a number of stations on the Wirral Peninsula went into Merseyside. Birchwood Station, in part of Warrington New Town was subsequently built, bringing the total number of stations to the present 24.
Nevertheless, the Cheshire Brigade remains perhaps one of the most interesting in the north west. Whilst largely a rural county, it also has a significant number of Chemical and Petrochemical premises, that all carry a high fire risk. During its history, the brigade has coped well with a number of major incidents.
The fleet is modern, and as can be seen from the photographs that follow, most of the stations are also of modern construction.