Doncaster fire calls response targeted
It was announced last week that the target response times for Doncaster fire crews to attend life-threatening incidents could be axed under new proposals.
Currently the target for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is to attend 80 per cent of house fires or road crashes in six minutes or less which could also be extended to around 10 minutes after the brigade failed to hit the mark.
Also a third risk-based option – where communities traditionally prone to more fires have one target and those with fewer blazes a different one – is also being put out to public consultation from the beginning of this week.
The brigade – which has to save £9.5m over four years – has not met its self-set six-minute target once in six years and the report to the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority said research showed response times were ‘not the main factor in preventing fire fatalities’.
Machinery fault theory in Rotherham factory blaze probe
Following the fire that broke out on Friday 8th March fire investigators are still working to establish how the powder coatings factory, JGW Coatings, caught fire, closing a Rotherham road for several hours.
Crews cordoned off the burning building, closing Mangham Way in both directions and remaining there until 5.30pm.
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that the fire had involved powdered plastic and that five other units on the business park were evacuated, also adding that the blaze had been extinguished quickly.
Evacuations included the five units and 12 staff members at JGW Coatings with no injuries being sustained.
The blaze is thought to have most likely been caused by a machinery fault but has been logged as accidental.
South Yorkshire fire crews say NO to Small Incident Units.
South Yorkshire fire crews say that the introduction of small vans to replace fire engines will cause ‘intolerable risks’ to safety.
The fire service has said that Small Incident Units have already been in successful operation for around two years, with no reported accidents.
The small fire units are commercial vans painted fire service red with the addition of blue lights and high-visibility stripes. The vans are able to carry a limited amount of water.
John Gilliver from the Fire Brigade union said: “Fire professionals know every large fire starts as a small fire and we don’t always know what we will find when we arrive. Firefighters will be put at intolerable risk at incidents if they are deployed in these vans. If a small fire has spread to a building with people inside, then two or three firefighters are not enough to deal with that safely. Everything that makes you a firefighter will push you to enter the building, even with the greatly-heightened risk you will face. We face risks in the hostile environments in which we work, but we know how to limit the risks to us when there are enough personnel, equipment, proper procedures and training. These small fire units will not provide that. It places intolerable pressure on the officers in command at the scene and leaves them vulnerable if anything goes wrong. Firefighters have been killed in situations where there is a lack of personnel, equipment and training. This is all entirely foreseeable and the introduction of these vans is reckless and totally unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said “We are extremely disappointed the FBU will still not allow its members to carry out the necessary training for the Small Incidents Unit, which has passed a series of rigorous and independent safety examinations and has responded to more than 700 fires successfully since August 2009. We are keen to introduce the SIU to Elm Lane station in full accordance with the Fire Authority’s decision following a full public consultation. It will respond to small incidents in the Sheffield area, keeping rescue pumps free to attend life-risk incidents. We have always stated the SIU will not be mobilised to any type of premise fire or vehicle fire. We remain committed to the introduction of the SIU to enhance fire cover in the Sheffield area and strongly urge the FBU to allow its members to begin training for the vehicle.”
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