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EU Flood Exercise – A Major Success!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8271965.stm
Hundreds of firefighters and rescue crews have now returned to their bases across Europe following the very realistic FloodEx scenarios that took place in the Netherlands last week.
The exercise involved responses from Poland, Germany, Sweden, Estonia and The Netherlands, and, simulated the effects of a tidal surge that devastated the UK and Holland in 1953 resulting in over 2,000 fatalities.
The UK came close to a repeat of that disaster in November 2007, when sea defences on parts of the East Coast came within centimetres of being overtopped. On that occasion Chief Fire Officer Paul Hayden, of Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service was asked to direct flood rescue operations in Norfolk and Suffolk, with the Worcester Flood Command Centre coordinating responding flood rescue teams from the fire and rescue service and voluntary agencies.
The UK Element of FloodEx was launched on Monday 21st September 2009 at the Fire Service College in Moreton in the Marsh, Gloucestershire, with key-note speeches from CFO Paul Hayden and the Rt. Hon Jacqui Smith MP.
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Fire Service Warning Following Chimney Fire
Firefighters are urging householders, landlords and hoteliers to take great care with their open fires and wood burning stoves following a spate chimney fires across both counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire last winter. The latest, a chimney fire in a thatched cottage occurred on Sunday evening in Elmely Castle, Worcestershire. Group Manager Joe Simpson said, “January 2009 saw a 67% increase in the number of chimney fires. In this latest incident, our crews did an excellent job –using some of the very latest firefighting equipment and techniques to prevent the cottage from becoming a ruin.” “Using open fires (or wood burners), requires a robust maintenance and cleaning schedule. A vacuum cleaner alone is not sufficient to clean a chimney properly –a professional chimney sweep will provide the advice and service necessary for your premises.” Chimneys using…
- Wood should be swept every 3 months when in use
- Bituminous coal should be swept at least twice a year
- Smokeless fuels should be swept at least once a year
- Oil once a year
- Gas once a year
Always use competent professionals to install/maintain your fires and appliances. Never block or obstruct, air bricks, vents or flues. To prevent a fire starting in the first place…
- Don’t use flammable liquids such as petrol or paraffin to start the fire
- Don’t burn paper or rubbish
- Don’t overload the fire with fuel
- Use of spark guards and fire guards is recommended – but not for drying clothes!
In closing Group Manager Simpson said, “Check your smoke alarms every week, it will give you early warning should disaster strike. The average cost of a house fire in 2004 was £24,900, and a business fire could spell ruin for stakeholders.” Don’t take risks with fires, if you discover a fire; GET OUT, STAY OUT, CALL 999.
For further advice on fire safety, please contact you local fire station.
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Blanket Testing
1950 Electric Blanket
Faulty Blanket
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Get Your Electric Blankets Tested Before Winter Starts
People living in the Wyre Forest area will be able to check out the safety of their electric blankets before the onset of winter at a series of free “Home Safe Home” events taking place over the coming weeks at the Wyre Forest fire stations.
Stourport Fire Station will host the first day on Tuesday September 22, followed by Bewdley Fire Station on Wednesday September 30, both from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm. Kidderminster Fire Station will host the event on Thursday October 15 from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm.
David Williams, Station Manager at Kidderminster, said, “We have been very fortunate in the Wyre Forest area to have had only a small number of incidents in recent years that have been directly attributable to defective electric blankets.
“However, when we have carried out blanket testing in the past, we have found up to seventy per cent have been potentially unsafe. Making sure your blanket is safe to use before the cold winter nights set in, is time well spent, “ he said.
Check the blanket and its lead for the following signs of wear and tear –
- Fraying fabric and scorch marks
- Exposed elements and creasing or folding
- Soiling and dampness
- Damaged or missing tapes
- Worn lead and loose connections
For your free blanket test, please make an appointment by calling 01562 512612
The events are an ideal opportunity to find out more about energy saving and local services available particularly for older people.
Additionally a property marking scheme will be available at each event.
Hereford and Worcester Fire & Rescue Service in conjunction with Age Concern and Wyre Forest District Council will have support at each event by representatives from a number of partner agencies including The Community Housing Group, Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership, Act On Energy Worcestershire PCT and West Mercia Police. |
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Views Sought on Fire Service Action Plan
There are two weeks left for Herefordshire and Worcestershire residents to have their say on a plan which will help shape the future of their Fire Service.
The 12-week consultation on Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) will close on Tuesday, September 22.
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 opened after the Authority meeting 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 and all opinions sought will be fed back to the Authority before any final decisions are made.”
The plan details a number of initial objectives for 2010/11 and the recommendations are outlined below.
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The Service introduced revised shift systems at day crewed stations in its 2005/06 IRMP. It is recommended that during 2010 /11 that we review the effectiveness of the revised management arrangements at these stations (Droitwich, Malvern and Evesham) either confirming the new arrangements or making further recommendations for change.
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The IRMP also recommends investigating the use of Targeted Response Vehicles (TRVs) across the Service. TRVs are small fire appliances that have been introduced in many parts of the county to deal with minor fires, such as small areas of grass verge.
They are typically crewed by between two and four firefighters and offer the potential to reduce the number of times our main appliances are unavailable to respond to more
serious incidents because they are tied up on minor calls.
- Fire crews have also carried out an initial review of the cities, towns and villages they cover to identify heritage sites and sites with the potential to pollute, either from their on-site activities or from water run-off from firefighting at their premises. Protection of heritage sites and the environment is a developing role for the Fire and Rescue Service and this IRMP sets out an intention to further develop this work.
- The Service is working towards common operational procedures to reduce risk and make the most efficient and effective use of combined resources with other fire and rescue services. Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has made significant progress in this area, in particular with our neighbours in the West Midlands region. (Shropshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands]. However, the IRMP recommends that there is additional work to be done with our other neighbours in Gloucestershire, South Wales and Mid and West Wales.
- Following the 2007 flooding event, HWFRS carried out a significant piece of work and the findings were presented in a scrutiny report. Since then the Service has updated its Flood Response Strategy which has identified a number of improvements necessary to strengthen its response and ensure the safety of its responders.
Taking account of local flood/water risks and strategic cover requirements, a need for a number of trained “first responder” teams equipped with dry suits and other equipment was identified. These teams are in addition to specialist rescue units already maintained at Worcester, Hereford and Evesham.
Two options have been identified:
- To provide a minimum standard of cover, selected personnel at Kidderminster, Tenbury, Upton-on-Severn and Ross-on-Wye would receive additional equipment and training or,
- Should the Authority support an optimal level of cover that would provide extra flexibility and resilience across the two counties, Pershore, Bromyard and Leintwardine fire stations would also be equipped to first responder standards.
The consultation process will seek views on which of these options should be adopted and comment upon how they would be funded.
The changing nature of risk and the expanding rescue role for the Fire Authority has resulted in a number of new technical rescue disciplines being adopted in recent years, including water and rope rescue, along with Urban Search and Rescue. In order to consolidate support for all elements of technical rescue within the Service and provide greater coherence, the IRMP recommends that a central hub is established to co-ordinate and manage all specialist technical rescue functions within the Service. If the recommendation is adopted, this new Technical Rescue Support Hub can be built around the Government funded Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team at no cost to the Authority.
For more detail on the IRMP proposals and to have your say on the plan click here where a copy of the consultation can be found. The consultation ends on September 22, 2009.
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