South Yorkshire fire service misses response time target
It was announced earlier this week that South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has never met its own time target for responding to emergencies, according to fire authority figures.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said lives were being put at risk but Assistant Chief Fire Officer John Roberts said they “have to be realistic about what we can achieve” and they would be setting a new target in consultation with the public.
He also commented that “fire does spread quickly, and a lot of the work we do is around prevention to stop the fire from starting in the first place. In terms of getting there as quickly as we can, we will always make that commitment to the public, but with the ongoing financial situation we have to be realistic about what we can achieve now and in the future.”
By 2015 the government will be reducing its funding by about £10m, and the fire authority last month agreed to increase its council tax precept by 1.98% to bring in an extra £400,000 in annual revenue.
100 firefighters called to Glasgow blaze
More than 100 firefighters were called in to tackle a huge fire at a former Co-Operative Funeral Service building in Glasgow.
The fire broke out at the Morrison Street building at around 1.50pm on 28th November. Two buildings in the structure have been “gutted” with no floors from ground to the fifth level remaining. The third building was partially damaged.
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “This is now a dangerous building, and our building control team are now looking to speak to the building owners and their representatives to take the situation forward.”
At the height of the blaze, flames were reported to reach around 100ft into the air. Many neighbouring buildings had to be evacuated but residents were able to return to their properties later that night.
A spokesman for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said: “Firefighters are continuing dampening down operations at the Morrison Street incident. At present, we have one aerial rescue pump, one pump and two ground monitors working at the scene.
A full investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.
Family escape blaze after dog spots fire
A student has been praised for her quick thinking after alerting the fire brigade that a neighbouring house was on fire.
Eighteen year old Danielle Davey of Thorpe St Andrew was woken by her dog ‘Scooby’ at around 1am yesterday. Danielle said “I heard a bang and didn’t think anything of it and then my dog Scooby went over to the window and started barking. I looked out and saw the fire. When I looked out there was fire coming out of the window. When I was on the phone to the fire brigade there was a further explosion – there was just smoke everywhere.”
A 35 year old man was taken to the hospital to be treated for burns to his throat and smoke inhalation. All other occupants including the family pets escaped shaken but unhurt.
Norfolk Fire and Rescue service have said of Danielle; “We’re full of praise for her actions. With any kind of fire the sooner we can get there the less chance there is of someone being injured or killed.”
An investigation will be carried out by the police and fire officers to determine the cause of the blaze.