July 2009
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Fire Service Holds Community Safety Day
Families across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are being invited to attend a Community Safety Day which will include demonstrations carried out by local rescue services. The event, which is being hosted by Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, in association with Worcester Racecourse and Worcester City Council, will be held at the Racecourse on Saturday, July 25, from 11.00am to 4.30pm.
Admission is free and the day is aimed at people of all ages. Many agencies plan to attend the event including The Fire Fighters Charity, the British Red Cross, St. John Ambulance Water Rescue agencies and West Mercia Police.
The events include:
- Water Rescue
- Road Traffic Collision Demonstration
- Urban Search and Rescue Demonstration
- Chip Pan Demonstration and Gas Canister Explosion
- Air Ambulance & Police Helicopter Flyover
There will also be several attractions at the event including Air Ambulance and Police Helicopter, Wyvern FM, Seat Belt Sledge, Smoke House, Food Stalls and Competitions with opportunities to win prizes. Face painting and other activities will also be taking place throughout the day.
Richie Jordan, Station Manager for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: “I am really looking forward to the event which gives us an opportunity to show the community the kind of work we are involved in and allows the Service to give advice on fire, water and road safety. With our demonstrations we hope to show the whole family the real dangers involved in traffic collisions and fires and what the Service responds to on a daily basis”. |
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Jacqui Smith, MP opens Urban Search and Rescue Training Centre
A new search and rescue training facility to enable Firefighters to save people trapped in collapsed buildings, was officially opened at Droitwich Fire Station by Ms Jacqui Smith, MP for Redditch on Friday July 10.
The Hereford and Worcester USAR team is one of 21 located in the United Kingdom. They are on 24-hour call and can be sent to any major emergency. They are also deployed with a wide range of rescue equipment to assist at incidents within the two counties in support of local crews.
The building, together with its equipment and vehicles, has cost £875,000 paid for by government grant. The training ‘rig’ has been built to enable the Urban Search and Rescue crews to recreate numerous emergency situations in which they can train .to save lives.
During the visit Jacqui Smith was given the opportunity to meet with members of the USAR team where it was explained how the team are able to respond to incidents and what specialist equipment is used.
Following a tour of the training facility Jacqui unveiled a plaque officially opening the building stating the following ‘“It is particularly appropriate that the rig is opened this week on the fourth anniversary of the 7/7 bombings when the Prime Minister and other world leaders are in Italy, where there was an earthquake, that we have been able to develop this fantastic facility with some of the most internationally advanced equipment and, most importantly, with these skilled and brave people.” |
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Road Shut as Fuel Tanker Overturns
An 800-metre cordon was put up around a gas tanker after it overturned on the B4084 at Stoulton, near Worcester, shortly after 8.15am on Friday, July 10, 2009.
The road was shut for almost five hours as emergency services pulled the tanker upright. The driver suffered a cut to his arm in the incident and was treated by paramedics at the scene.
HWFRS sent crews from Worcester, Droitwich, Pershore and Evesham to the incident, along with an Environmental Protection Unit. |
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Fire Crews Tackle Barn Blaze
Fire crews from across both Counties spent the weekend at a major blaze in Tewkesbury. Emergency services were called at 4.16pm on Saturday after fire broke out in a metal-plated barn containing straw and silage.
Crews from Broadway, Bromsgrove, Bromyard, Droitwich, Evesham, Fownhope, Hereford, Ledbury, Malvern, Pebworth, Pershore, Ross, Stourport, Upton, Whitchurch and Worcester attended, along with colleagues from Gloucestershire. Fire crews left the scene on Tuesday afternoon. |
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Cow Climbs Out of River
Firefighters were called to rescue a cow that had fallen into a river on Monday, July 23, 2009. The Service sent a boat crew to Uckinghall, near Upton-upon-Severn, at around 9am.
One of the crew jumped into the water and was able to coax the animal to the bank, where it climbed out on its own. |
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Fourteen Children Hurt as Coaches Crash
Fourteen children were taken to hospital on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, after two school coaches crashed in Worcester.
The coaches, which were travelling northbound on the A449 towards Kidderminster, collided with a silver Vauxhall Zafira coming in the opposite direction at around 10am.
Five fire appliances and six ambulances were called to the scene near Claines island. Two adults and 14 children from the coaches, along with the female car driver, were taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital with minor injuries. |
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Woman Conveyed to Hospital Following Restaurant Fire
Worcester Firefighters were called to Garcia Restaurant, Broad Street, Worcester, at 12.20pm on Tuesday, July 14.
The fire involved an extraction unit in the ground floor kitchen. One female was given oxygen at the scene as she was suffering the effects of smoke inhalation. She was taken to hospital by ambulance. |
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Parrot Dies in Kitchen Fire
Firefighters from Ross Fire Station were called to a kitchen fire at Park Lane on Tuesday, July 14 at just before 1pm. The crews used one hose reel to put the fire out. Sadly, a parrot died in the incident. |
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Fire at Former Snooker Centre
A fire broke out in the derelict building of the former Westside Snooker Centre, Hylton Road, Worcester, on Thursday, July 16, 2009. A total of four crews from Worcester and Malvern were called to the ‘persons reported’ incident, at about 9pm. All persons were accounted for and no-one was injured.
The circumstances of the fire are under investigation. |
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Two people cut free after RTC near Kidderminster
Two Kidderminster crews cut free two people from two cars that had collided on the A448 at Mustow Green on the afternoon of Wednesday July 1. A woman was carried by firefighters and paramedics to the Midland air ambulance and taken to Selly Oak Hospital and the other casualty was taken to hospital in Worcester by land ambulance. |
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Derelict farm building severely damaged by fire
A three storey derelict farm building was well alight when the first crews arrived at Lowenshill Farm, Weights Lane, Redditch on Wednesday evening, July 1. Six appliances were in attendance at the height of the fire that was stopped after seven hours.Youths were seen running away from the area and the police were informed. The building is the property of Persimmon Homes. |
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Views Sought on Fire Service Action Plan
People across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are being urged to have their say on the way the Fire Service is set to run.
At the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority meeting held on Friday, June 26, Members considered how its Fire Service intends to improve community safety and remain efficient.
Its Draft 2010-11 Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) Action Plan sets out a broad range of priorities. A 12-week consultation period is now open to gauge opinions on the recommendations outlined in the document.
Chief Fire Officer Paul Hayden said: “We have evaluated the effectiveness of our current prevention, protection and response arrangements. This review took account of input from our District Commanders, District Community Safety Staff and our Firefighters in order to capture local knowledge and risk information.
“The recommendations in the report explore ways in which we may be able to further increase the level of Service to the public. Although some of the recommendations are quite detailed we would like to encourage members of the public to read the IRMP action plan and to respond to our consultation questionnaire.”
Brigadier Peter Jones, Chairman of the Fire Authority, said: “These are only draft proposals at this stage and that it is why it’s vital to gauge the opinions of our communities. The consultation is open to everyone for 12 weeks and all opinions sought will be fed back to the Authority before any final decisions are made.”
To give your opinion of these plans go to 'Our Publications'. |
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Teenager drowned in River Severn
The body of a 17 year old boy was recovered from the River Severn on Monday June 29 following a two and a half hour search by Fire Service boat crews from Worcester and Evesham. They were assisted by crews from Droitwich and Malvern together with volunteers from Mercia Inshore Rescue and Severn Area Rescue Association, Police and the Air Ambulance. Officers gave interviews and briefings to local/regional and national broadcast/press reporters which included warnings about the inherent dangers of swimming in open water. |
2009 News Archive |
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2008 News Archive |
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