Was launched at Hanley fire station, Stoke-on-Trent in 1992 The credit union has offices tucked away in a corner of the Hanley fire station They have been fortunate in retaining their offices there due to the generosity and constant support of a succession
of Chief Officers. In the ten years it's been going, Flamesavers has loaned out more than £2.5 million and has assets of around £1.2million. They expanded in 2001 by inviting Cheshire Fire & Rescue to join the Credit Union. Then in 2010 included
Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue in the Credit Union, and have at the moment well over 1,000 members throughout these three brigades. The team at Flamesavers Credit Union have found that through SMS it is far easier to contact their entire membership When
sending out loan reminders. The Credit Union have also discovered their members are more likely to read an SMS where phone calls can be easily ignored or missed. Also, since using SMS their workload reduced, given that it’s now easier and quicker for
members to request additional funds when they require. Training for directors and staff is provided by ACE Trading Association of which the credit union is a long-standing member.