In 1948, the Leicestershire and Rutland Fire Brigade and the separate City of Leicester Fire Brigade were created further to the Fire Services Act 1947, which encouraged Combination Schemes between fire and rescue authorities. Then, in 1974, the City of Leicester FB merged with Leicestershire & Rutland FB to create the present fire service. Today, the fire authority administering the service is a joint-board made up of representatives from Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council. The Leicestershire Fire Service currently operates 20 fire stations, covering 2,552.93 km and a population of 953,100.