Firefighters inspire through Firebreak course

Bedford firefighters inspire young people at Bedford and Luton

Firebreak Bedford March 2011

Teenagers who are under the guidance of the Bedfordshire Youth Offending Service are being introduced to firefighters as positive role models.

A series of special training weeks are staged at Bedford and Luton fire stations in conjunction with the BYOS and Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS). Firefighters who volunteer to take part in the sessions receive special training in working with these young people. In turn the teenagers are put through some tough training over a period of a week which ends in a “passing out” parade and presentation of certificates.

“Not all of the young people complete the course - for some of them the discipline comes as a shock. But if they do complete the course they go away with some self respect and sense of achievement,” explained BLFRS Youth Officer Cassandra Swan who established the project,

Nine out of ten young people completed the most recent course at Bedford Fire Station which ended on Friday March 25th.

Simon Westwood, Assistant Director Vulnerable Children and Children’s Social Care, at Bedford Borough Council, said: “Working closely with role models such as firefighters is valuable learning opportunity for these young people who leave with a greater sense of self-worth and, we hope, improved aspirations for their own futures.”

*A course is now running at Luton Fire Station which will end with a passing out parade on Friday April 1st.

**Special sponsorship for the courses has come from the Beds and Luton Community Foundation www.blcf.org.uk

Health and Well-Being Roadshows

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service is supporting a Bedford Borough Council and NHS Bedfordshire series of roadshow events with the aim of improving the health and well-being of local residents.

The 'Health and Well-being' launch event was held on Friday 4th March, at the Addison Centre in Kempston.

Members of the public are invited to come along to these events for information on local health and social care services and equip themselves with the tools, motivation and inspiration to develop a healthier lifestyle. On the day, a wide-range of advice will be on offer from a variety of organisations.

Residents aged 40 to 74 will also be offered an NHS health check, which helps to identify the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. Those identified at higher risk will be offered support and advice on reducing that risk.

All the events are being part funded by Central Government to help achieve set targets relating to areas of health and social care deprivation.

Jackie Golding, Public Health Manager, NHS Bedfordshire, said: "These events taking place throughout the borough will allow local people to take responsibility for their own health by accessing advice and information that will enable them to make informed lifestyle choices.”

BLFRS already works closely with the NHS by making the CFS bus available for ‘roadshow events’.

“SAFE AT HOME” scheme across Beds and Luton

In a bid to reduce deaths and injuries among children under 5 years of age the Government launched the: 'Safe at Home’ scheme.

Through the scheme, families on low incomes, or parents who are unemployed, could gain advice and receive free safety equipment.

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service worked locally in conjunction with Luton, Bedford and Central Beds councils, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Department of Education (DoE) on the scheme.

Equipment such as safety gates, window restrictors, kitchen cupboard locks, and smoke alarms were installed in more than 750 homes by BLFRS.

In addition parents were invited to visit the Fire Hazard House at Luton Fire Station to see for themselves how their homes could be made safer for children (see photos)

Testing time for new Incident Command Suite

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS) identified Command and Control training as a Level 1 priority within its corporate plan for 2008/09. As a result, a new Incident Command training facility was developed, which was completed and used for the first time in 2010.

Now, as a further development, BLFRS was to use the facility as part of two multi-agency exercises in March and May this year.

Station Manager Derek Hobbs, who is now responsible for the management of the “Incident Command Suite” (IC suite) reports that capital budget was made available for the project in 2008/2009, allowing for ground work and the construction of a modular building on BLFRS Headquarters site. Various Incident Command training packages were evaluated and the Fire Studio system, which is already used by a number of other Fire and Rescue Services, was eventually selected. Fire Studio provides realistic graphics and sound to produce images of a developing incident. One advantage of this software is that it can be used to tailor incidents to service risks.

During 2009 the information technology and control systems for the IC suite were specified and in 2010 the systems and software were installed. In late 2010 and early 2011, five High Rise Incident Command Training Courses were delivered, using an external provider Peter Stanley Training. These were based on Level 2/3 incident command at High Rise incidents. During 2011 the Service plans to deliver continuation training for Flexible-Duty System officers using the IC suite.

Exercise Watermark

During 2010, while the IC suite building was in progress, the Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) started planning for national flooding Exercise Watermark. BLFRS suggested that the new IC suite might be used as a venue for part of the exercise and this was accepted by the planning group. It was agreed that the multi-agency Tactical Coordinating Group (Silver level) for Exercise Watermark would operate from the IC suite's main meeting room. The exercise players would benefit from on-site access to such facilities as the Service Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which include risk information, mapping, flood risk area overlays and cordon plotting; and multiple display screens with internet access. They would also be able to view the BLLRF website, which was used to hold emergency plans such as the Multi-agency Flood Plan, and view and update the BLLRF Emergency Log for the exercise.

Fire Studio Software

Towards the end of 2010 the Service was contacted by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) which has responsibility for Sandy Petroleum Storage Depot - the only Top Tier COMAH site in BLFRS. It was time to start planning for the required 3-yearly certification exercise. In previous years, Exercise Avocet has been a multi-agency table-top exercise and has been played out at a local hotel. This year BLFRS offered the use of the IC suite and the Fire Studio software to give the exercise a much more realistic feel. After initial meetings between Greystar, who manage the Sandy depot for the Oil and Pipelines Agency (OPA), BLFRS and CBC, it was agreed that the necessary photographs of the depot will be taken in order to develop a full Major Accident scenario on the Fire Studio software. The exercise, planned for May 17th, will involve mostly Silver level play: however multi-agency responders arriving at “the scene” will be able to see and hear a realistic representation of the incident developing on the screens in the IC suite. Once the play progresses to a full multi-agency Tactical Coordinating Group, this will again meet in the main meeting room of the IC suite.

“We are an active member of our Local Resilience Forum and are please to be able to contribute our new facility with the latest technology to add to the realism of our multi-agency training end exercising,” said Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller,

“This training in line with our Service priority for Operational Safety and Firefighter safety.”

Article by: Control Station Manager Lisa Bedard
Emergency Response Planning Officer.

Major road traffic collision exercise

EXERCISE WESTERN

This exercise was designed for Southern Area Command to test BLFRS in dealing with a multi-vehicle road traffic incident.

Area Commander Dave Fothergill congratulated his team and their partners on a job well done:

“This exercise gave Southern Area crews the opportunity to practise the procedures required to manage and deal with a large multi-vehicle, multi-persons trapped RTC scenario.

“The exercise was well supported by partners including J&K Recovery and the local branch of the Casualty Union which made the exercise extremely realistic for all those participating.

“Exercises of this nature are an excellent way to practise all those individual components that are involved in dealing with this type of scenario, and for crews and officers to work together to ensure that when a real event occurs everyone is prepared - thus ensuring our community gets the best service from its local Fire and Rescue Service.”

Southern Command Operational Exercise Brief:

Grovebury Road, Leighton

Sunday 6th March 2011 13:30hrs

Exercise Appliances = Du2A; St2; St5; To2, Lb2a, Lb2b, To30 - StnM Osbourne, GM Peckham.

Standby Appliance Moves - Be2 - LB

Casualty Union

BLFRS team

DARC Simon Jones - Exercise Director
Watch Commander Jason Hollamby - Safety Coordinator

Exercise Watermark a local success

BLFRS took part in a national public safety rehearsal: Exercise Watermark in March.

BLFRS joined emergency response partners from Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) in putting joint flood response skills to the test across the county.

The public were invited two events to learn about the flood risks in their areas and how they could plan to protect themselves. A Flood Awareness Day was held in Harpur Square, Bedford and a Flood Evacuation Exercise at Cedars Upper School, Leighton Buzzard.

An exercise to test emergency responses to severe flooding in Bedfordshire and Luton also took place. As part of the national Exercise Watermark exercise, a range of scenarios were acted out, included stranded motorists, flooded homes and communities cut off.

The exercise involved all local authorities including police, the Environment Agency as well as the full range of NHS, ambulance and hospital trusts which serve the county.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller said: “Exercise Watermark was a useful test of the team work of organisations who have to deal with the whole range flooding related emergencies.”

Exercise Watermark was supported by the 'What would you do if...?' campaign which aims to help everybody living or working locally to be prepared if faced with an emergency.

www.whatwouldyoudoif.co.uk

Fond farewell to retiring Robert

ACFO Robert Hull has retired from BLFRS - seen here receiving a special fire trophy from Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller.

New ACFO is Julian Sears who was previously a temporary ACFO.

Bishop of St Albans meets fire team

The Bishop of St Albans, The Right Revd Dr Alan Smith visited Fire Control on his tour of BLFRS in March. Accompanied by BLFRS chaplain Revd Barbara Johnson, the Bishop also met with SC John Belcher and crews at Kempston Fire Station and GC Andy Peckham and team at the Training Centre.

*In 2010, 100 people attended the Commissioning and Licensing ceremony for Revd Barbara Johnson as Service Chaplain for BLFRS at Kempston Fire Station by The Bishop of Bedford, The Rt Revd Richard Inwood.

New Fire Control Technology

BLFRS Service is investing in new IT for Fire Control. The decision proved well made when it was announced earlier this year that the long-planned Regional Control Centre had been effectively cancelled.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller said: "We had to think ahead to ensure the safety of our community - our old system was functional but becoming obselete.

“The Combined Fire Authority had previously put £200,000 in reserves to cover the costs of technology and training for a new system and we decided to put that plan into action."

Existing staff will be trained in the new technology. The modern system will bring added advantages as it will more readily interface with other computer systems used elsewhere in the organisation.

Regional Control Centres were first suggested about ten years ago by the then Labour Government. The project has been delayed time and time again and was finally cancelled when the Government came to power.

*The Longest serving BLFRS control centre operator Tony Harris MBE retired at the end of 2010 after 46 years.

Firefighters' charity car wash 26 March

Get your car cleaned by a firefighter on Saturday 26 March.

Sandy and Toddington fire stations will be open from approx 10am-2pm on Saturday 26 March so that people can have their cars cleaned – and give a donation to the national Fire Fighters Charity.

Fire Service helps Luton youngsters ‘get independent’

pic (1) caption
L-R Trey Cyrus, Lynsey Johnston, Chantelle Westwood and Cassandra Swan in the look at the dangers in the Fire Safety House kitchen

BLFRS is helping young people to ‘Get Independent’ by working with Luton charity LCET.

LCET is an educational trust that undertakes a wide range of work with young people, aged 11 to 19 years.

The ‘Get Independent’ course helps teenagers and twenty-somethings prepare for living on their own. As part of the six-day course, candidates spend half a day at Luton Fire Station.

Fire Service Youth Development Officer Cassandra Swan said :

“We take them through our Fire Safety House and point out the sort of hazards which can easily cause a fire in the home. Young people frequently tell us stories of burning themselves or furniture with hair straighteners that have been left switched on. Cooking is still the biggest risk though, with pans left on the hob.”

LCET's Lynsey Johnston believes the fire service input is invaluable :

“The young people on our course are preparing to live alone for the first time, the advice on fire safety and fitting smoke detectors could save their lives in the future.”

Among the most recent graduates of the course were Chantelle Westwood, aged 19 and Trey Cyrus, aged 16.

Taking a Pride in Parkside, Houghton Regis

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS) joined residents of Parkside in Houghton Regis, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedfordshire Police and the DVLA as part of a 'Pride In' event on the estate.

Following the success of a number of Partnership Environmental Days in 2010 and the recent Pride In Downside event in Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire Council invited residents to join forces and learn more about their area and what services are on offer from local authorities.

During the Pride In Parkside day which took place on 15th February a number of actions took place including:

* Central Bedfordshire Council's waste team cleared away 1.7tonnes of rubbish in the area including a dining room table and a settee;
* The environment team cut back overgrown hedges along pathways in the area;
* Bedfordshire Police provided a mobile police station and distributed information about personal safety and preventing burglaries;
* BLFRS carried out a 'walkaround' with 20 potential fire risk areas being identified and cleared;
* The DVLA clamped three vehicles including one which had a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification);
* Suggestions were made to the housing team about how anti social behaviour could be combatted in the area; and
* Trading Standards distributed a number of leaflets to residents about a range of topics from scams to consumer complaints.

Cllr David McVicar, Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles at Central Bedfordshire Council said: "It was very pleasing for the council and our partners to be able to go to Parkside and offer helpful tips and advise about creating a safer neighbour for the residents who live there.

"It is important that we work with organisations such as the Parkside Voice Stakeholders to find out what the local issues are and then assist them in resolving problems.

"The Pride In Days have proven to be popular events and I hope that we and our partners can continue to work together to offer this important service."

ends

Two rescued from burning pub

Fire crews rescued one person by helping them down a ladder and led another to safety via internal stairs after fire broke out in a town centre pub in Bedford.

A 999 call at 18.12 on Saturday February 19th led to four fire engines, from Bedford and Kempston stations, the Operational Support Unit and the Aerial Platform converging on Midland Road outside the Paddington pub for several hours.

Flats on the first and second floor above the pub where smoke logged.

A Fire Investigation determined the fire was started accidentally.

Officer in charge Station Commander Mark Hutchings praised the effective work of the crews in stopping the fire spreading further throughout the property and in saving the lives of those trapped: “It was a professional job, well done by our team. The fire was contained to two rooms but the smoke had spread - and it is most often the smoke that kills.”

BLFRS always advises people to fit a smoke alarm. www.bedsfire.com

What would you do if flooded.....

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service will be joining Emergency response partners from Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) who will be putting their flood response skills to the test in the first week of March.

The public are invited to two events where they can find out about the flood risk in their area and how they can protect themselves. A Flood Awareness Day will be held in Harpur Square, Bedford, on Friday March 4 from 9am to 4pm, and a Flood Evacuation Exercise at Cedars Upper School, Leighton Buzzard, on Saturday March 5, from 10am to 5pm.

An exercise to test emergency responses to severe flooding in Bedfordshire and Luton will take place on Tuesday March 8. As part of the national Exercise Watermark exercise, a range of possible scenarios will be acted out, included stranded motorists, flooded homes and isolated communities.

The exercise will involve all local authorities including police, the Environment Agency as well as the full range of NHS, ambulance and hospital trusts which serve the county.

Chairman of BLLRF, Asst Chief Constable Kath Govier from Bedfordshire Police said, “Exercise Watermark will be a real test of our ability to deal with a range of issues such as burst riverbanks and surface water flooding. The effects of flooding can be devastating so it is essential that we are all prepared to deal with the risk.”

BLLRF supports the 'What would you do if...?' campaign which aims to help everybody living or working within Bedfordshire and Luton to be prepared and consider what they would do if faced with an emergency. Log onto www.whatwouldyoudoif.co.uk

Council tax increase 0% by BLFRS

Following one of the lowest council tax increases in the UK last year (of just 1 %) , the local fire and rescue service is this year is going one better and is holding to a 0% increase for 2011/12.

A combination of this 0% council tax increase and a cut in the tax payer monies it receives from Central Government, means the local service is not just fighting fires and saving lives, but fighting costs and saving money.

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service Chief Paul Fuller: “We will still be there when you dial 999 and we will still be working in the community to help prevent fires and road accidents. There will no loss of frontline service and no station closures* - we be making these savings by working more efficiently.

“We consider that we have always provided value for money and a service that people want from a modern Fire and Rescue Service - but now we are watching every penny - in much the same way as people are in their own lives.”

The cost to an average Band D council tax payer for their local fire and rescue service will be - as last year - £82.44 or 22.6 p per day.

Like other public bodies BLFRS is facing more cuts in the money it receives from Central Government - broadly 25% over the next four years. BLFRS had already been cutting costs and saving tax payers’ money.

“Efficiency savings are when the cost of an activity is reduced but the quality and effectiveness remains the same,” explains Assistant Chief Fire Officer Julian Sears,

“The previous Government set out efficiency saving targets for all fire and rescue authorities for the three years 2008/09 - 20/11. Our target was £1.260 Million - we beat that by £0.386 Million.

“The current Government has announced reductions over four years 2011/12 - 2014/15. We plan to deliver savings totalling £0.573 Million in 2011/12”

Future savings being considered are:

* Sharing support staff functions with other authorities or brigades

* Saving costs on the operational fleet by purchasing vehicles at the end of their lease and extending their use

* Make 24/7/367 firefighter cover more efficient through a revised shift system

More News from the Combined Fire Authority which met at Dunstable Community Fire Station on Thursday February 3rd.

* The national announcement that the Regional Control Centre project had been cancelled by Central Government showed that BLFRS made the right decision earlier in 2010/11 to put money aside for new technology at the brigade-wide control at Kempston.

Members heard that the existing 999 control room was sound - but that the new system, which will come into action in 2012, will link more effectively with back-room IT for data collection and processing.

“We made the right decision for Beds and Luton. Our current 999 call handling and mobilising is robust - but the new one will be welcome to support our successful modern fire and rescue service here in Beds and Luton,” said CFO Fuller.

* The Regional Management Board - which had been set up in parallel with the RCC has been disbanded.

* A question was raised at the CFA about a town plan for Leighton Buzzard which showed the site of the Fire Station being used for something other than a fire station. CFO Fuller said : “We are aware of this plan - it is not our plan and we have no plans to close any fire stations. We recently conducted an extensive study of risk in the county and decided that all of our stations are where they should be to allow fire engines to be mobilised swiftly to all areas.”

Help police find Henlow arsonists

A series of fires were reported in Henlow and Clifton in the early hours of Sunday February 13th.

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Control Room received the first call at:

* 00.09 to a fire in Arlesey Road, Henlow Village to a pile of tyres and other materials in a field.

A fire crew from Shefford attended and using water back packs, designed for use in hard to reach locations, put out the fire.

* Whilst Shefford firefighters were still at Arlesey Road, fire control received another call at 01.43 to a fire at Elm Close, Henlow Village. Across border support was brought in from Herts FRS's Hitchin station initially and then Shefford moved on to the scene.

The fire took in two wheelie bins, a car, trees and the plastic frontage to a house.

* At 02.30 control received a report of a skip fire at Whiston Crescent, Clifton. Shefford crews attended.

*At 02.34 a BLFRS duty officer filed a report to control of another incident at the High Street, Henlow of a wheelie bin which was put out by police using dry power.

Much of this activity was monitored from above by a police helicopter.

Bedfordshire Police said: “We can confirm we are investigating a series of arson attacks in the Henlow and Clifton area. The arsons took place between 1am and 2am on Sunday 13th February, during which 5 bins were damaged along with a skip and hedges. One bin was also reported stolen.Nobody was hurt. The offences happened in Elm Close, Coach Road and the High Street in Henlow whilst another offence took place in Whiston Crescent in Clifton.

“Safer Neighbourhood Officers are aware of the offences and are seeking to identify those responsible for the damage, anyone with information can contact the PS Andy Rivers on 01234 842531."

Stamp out fires started by smoking on March 9th

pic caption: Terry Daniels and the Tobacco Control Partnership

More than 100 fires were started locally by smoking materials last year.

Now Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS) is helping to encourage people to “stub it out”.

No Smoking Day on 9th March will see BLFRS Community Safety Manager Terry Daniels and team joining an anti-smoking event at The Mall Shopping Centre in Luton.

“A carelessly discarded cigarette will smoulder and could lead to a fire overnight,” explained Terry, “and without a working smoke alarm to alert you and your family, you could be overcome by the fumes as you sleep. We ask people to think about that when lighting up a cigarette.”

The event at The Mall will be in partnership with the Luton Tobacco Control Partnership.

Many fires start in the kitchen when grills and pots are left unattended - or fat and oil spill from pans. February 21st sees the start of National Chip Week which is a celebration of the nation’s favourite food - but firefighters hope to encourage people to take care when preparing french fries at home.

“Fat and oil pans can so easily start a fire - we do advise people to use safer electric deep fat fryers or buy oven chips,” added Terry.

For more local fire safety information go to www.bedsfire.com

Keep a cool head in the kitchen on February 21st

Many domestic fires start in the kitchen when grills and pots are left unattended - or fat and oil spill from pans.

February 21st sees the start of National Chip Week which is a celebration of the nation’s favourite food - but firefighters hope to encourage people to take care when preparing french fries at home.

“Fat and oil pans can so easily start a fire - we do advise people to use safer electric deep fat fryers or buy oven chips,” says Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service Community Safety Manager Vicky Allen.

No Smoking Day on March 9th is another focus point for fire safety as more than 100 fires were started last year locally - caused by cigarette materials.

“A carelessly discarded cigarette will smoulder and could lead to a fire overnight,” explained Vicky, “and without a working smoke alarm to alert you and your family, you could be overcome by the fumes as you sleep. We ask people to think about that when lighting up a cigarette.”

Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller says: “The single most important thing people can do to stay safe in their homes is to fit a smoke alarm

“If a fire starts overnight then you and your family may not live to see the next morning - please fit one today.”

For more local fire safety information go to www.bedsfire.com

Let's talk on Monday 24th January

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service is helping to host a series of “Let’s Talk Together” meetings aimed at the residents of Central Bedfordshire.

On January 24th a meeting will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm at Biggleswade Fire Station and on March 22nd at the same times at Toddington Fire Station.

BLFRS is committed to playing a role in partnership activities for the good of the community as a whole. It played a leading part in early Community Forums held in Mid Beds and is involved in many other similar activities across Bedfordshire and Luton with partners such as Beds Police and local councils.

Further information on the Let’s Talk Together meetings which go on throughout Jan, Feb and Mar can obtained via www.centraltogether.org.uk

Backing women behind the fire engine wheel

Beds and Luton Fire and Rescue Service - backing women behind the wheel

On 27th March 2011, The Fire Fighters Charity will visit Alconbury Airfield, near Huntingdon, Cambs to give women a once in a lifetime chance to drive a variety of large and unusual vehicles in the 'Ladies Driving Challenge'.

Participants will be able to try their hand at manoeuvring a range of different vehicles such as Fire Engines, 4x4's off road, Plant, Construction, Agricultural and even a Skid Pan spin - all thanks to organisations such as Asda, Donarbon, Alconbury Driving School, HE Services and Spartan Rescue.

Event Organiser, Laura Harden, said “The Ladies Driving Challenge promises to be an exciting day, with the chance to operate a fantastic collection of vehicles often only associated with male drivers. The Women-only Challenge is focused on handling vehicles with skill, enjoying a new experience, as well as raising money for a good cause.”

All women over the age of 17 with a full driving licence are welcome to join in during the morning or afternoon sessions. Registration costs £10 and entrants are asked to raise a minimum of £90 in sponsorship.

All proceeds from the event will go to The Fire Fighters Charity.

Laura explained, “Behind the fun, there is a very serious message that we are supporting a charity which helps injured fire fighters. The Fire Fighters Charity is the only charity dedicated to supporting firefighters and their families in times of need.”

To take part in the Ladies Driving Challenge, entrants should request a registration pack from Laura Harden on 01476 567750 or entrants can register on-line at: www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/ldc

- ENDS -

Notes to editors:

The Fire Fighters Charity - supports injured Firefighters through physical and emotional trauma.

Despite the best training, accidents and tragedies are sadly inevitable and The Fire Fighters Charity is here to support these brave men and women.

The Fire Fighters Charity has two therapy and two recuperation centres in the UK to provide physical and emotional rehabilitation to the Firefighters.

Over 17,000 beneficiaries are supported annually by the charity.

THE FIRE FIGHTERS CHARITY

Contact: Laura Harden - Regional Fund-raising Officer
T: 01476 567750 / 07798 725560
F: 01256 366599
E: lharden@firefighterscharity.org.uk
W: www.firefighterscharity.org.uk