South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service News
The children of South Yorkshire firefighters have spoken about their ‘kind’, ‘loving’ and ‘brave’ dads in a brand new campaign video from the county’s fire service. Filmed as part of International Father’s Mental Health Day (IFMHD), the video features five youngsters talking about the things they love about their dads – all of whom are serving firefighters. Messaging around IFMHD South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) says it h...
South Yorkshire firefighters are supporting a brave Sheffield girl’s bid to raise vital cash for the charity that supported her care. Molly Williams, aged 9, was born with a rare form of motor neuron disease, meaning she will never walk or stand without support. But Molly and her sister Anya and brother Edmund have spent time training with firefighters at Parkway Fire Station as she gears up to complete 84 laps of an athletics track- a lap for every night she’s spent in critical car...
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue attended a fire at Hatfield House, Balby Bridge just before midday on 26 April 2022 caused by hair straighteners setting fire to some bedding. The occupant was able to evacuate safely and the fire was already out when firefighters arrived on the scene, thanks to sprinklers that had been fitted throughout the building. value of fire sprinklers Fire officers say the incident again highlights the value of fire sprinklers fitted in high-rise, residential building...
Firefighters across South Yorkshire are urging people to be more careful with electrical goods, as part of a new safety campaign intent on reducing local house fires. The county’s fire service says that it has attended over 300 house fires in the last three years, where electrics have been to blame, making it one of the leading causes of accidental dwelling fire in the county. rise in electric fires With the use of things like e-scooters and e-cigarettes on the rise, and the increased a...
Tony Carlin has been named South Yorkshire’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, following a competitive selection process. Tony, who is currently the service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, was promoted following multiple recruitment stages and an interview by the Fire Authority’s appointments committee. tony's experience Tony joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 2000, having begun his career as a firefighter in North Yorkshire in 1992. He’s built up a broad range of e...
Fifteen years after being rescued from flooding as a child, a Rossington man has joined the same on-call firefighting crew that saved him. Mason Stead, 19, was one of five firefighter recruits who graduated from their intense training course earlier this month. He is now an operational firefighter at Rossington Fire Station, responding from home or work when people in the community need him and the crew. Mason, who was four years old when rescued from the 2007 floods, says he ha...
South Yorkshire’s firefighters have been kitted out with a brand new piece of protective clothing, bought as part of a regional collaboration with neighboring fire and rescue services. The multi-function rescue jackets are worn by firefighters at non-fire rescue incidents like road traffic collisions, as well as small fires in the open. visibility, waterproof jackets The high visibility, waterproof jackets are designed to be as lightweight and breathable as possible, helping fire crews...
Three generations of the same firefighting family attended an extra special ceremony to mark the graduation of the latest recruit to join the ranks at Askern fire station. Ellie Adams, aged 23, has become the third generation of her family to serve at Askern, Doncaster after completing her initial training and ‘passing out’ in front of family and friends at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Sheffield training base. initial training Amongst those watching were Ellie’s...
Inspirational women from across South Yorkshire’s fire service are being celebrated this week, as part of a brand new ‘Women of Fire’ exhibition. Pulled together by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, as part of International Women’s Day, the exhibition features portrait photographs of eight women currently working within the service. #BreakTheBias Organizers say that the exhibition has been designed to support the official women’s day theme – #Brea...
South Yorkshire firefighters will be practicing new procedures for responding to fires in high-rise blocks of flats, as part of work to adopt learning from incidents in tall buildings. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is carrying out multiple training exercises in each of the county’s four districts in the coming months. practical, live training The practical, live training will particularly focus on changes to evacuation procedures when fire compartmentation in tall buildings fails....
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority (SYFRA) has appointed Chris Kirby as the new Chief Fire Officer. selection and interview Barnsley-born Chris joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue as Deputy Chief Fire Officer in 2020 Chris Kirby was appointed following a selection process which included a written application, interview with members of the Fire Authority, and presentation to members of a staff stakeholder panel. Barnsley-born Chris joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue...
All high-rise residential buildings in South Yorkshire have now been inspected by the county’s fire service, as part of a mammoth Government-backed project. The team of inspectors made up of staff from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s business safety department, started their ambitious inspection program in November 2021. Building Risk Review project This came as part of a Government-driven ‘Building Risk Review’ project that sought to significantly increase the pac...
Young people across South Yorkshire are being allowed to change their lives in the New Year, thanks to the county’s police and fire services. South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue will once again be teaming up to deliver the ‘life-changing’ Prince’s Trust Team Program course in January 2022. Prince’s Trust Team Program This is a course for people who are between 16 and 25 years old and not currently in work or full-time education. Lasting 1...
Firefighters across South Yorkshire are urging people to put smoke alarm testing at the top of their Christmas preparation list, as the big day draws closer. The plea comes following several examples in recent weeks, from right across the country, where working smoke alarms have saved lives, pets, and homes from serious harm. With everyone busy buying gifts, putting up decorations, and making plans, officers are hoping people will be able to find 60 seconds to test their alarms. They...
Fire services across Yorkshire are re-iterating their advice to road users on what to do when coming across blue light vehicles, with more cars now on the roads due to lockdown restrictions easing. Stay calm, pull over safely and give as much room as possible is the key message from the four brigades–South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and Humberside. Drivers are also being urged not to perform emergency stops in the middle of a road. This, the services say, can end up slowi...
Fire officers have welcomed the conviction of a man who started a fire outside flats in Rotherham. Alex Teasdale of Meadow Close, Dalton, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and given a 10-year restraining order at Sheffield Crown Court on 5 November, after pleading guilty to committing arson recklessly as to whether life would be endangered at the property in Dalton, Rotherham in September 2019. The fire – which involved household waste – quickly spread to the exterior of t...
A former South Yorkshire firefighter who went on to strike gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games has formally opened a new fire station in Barnsley. Gavin Walker Gavin Walker, aged 38, from Rotherham, was handed the honor of officially opening the station on Broadway, Kingstone which went operational in August following a multi-million-pound demolition and construction project. Gavin claimed gold as part of the GB Wheelchair Rugby team at summer’s games, having taken up the sport foll...
South Yorkshire’s fire service has become the first in the country to test the connectivity from its control room to a new national network which will transform the way emergency services operate. ESN critical communications South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is a pioneer organization for the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) critical communications system and worked with the Home Office on approval for its Systel mobilizing system- the software it uses to send fire engines to emergenc...
South Yorkshire’s fire service has won a national award for its response to a major wildfire, which crews spent 22 days tackling last year. The fire affected a huge area of rare peat moorland, which is a site of special scientific interest and home to several rare species of animals and plants. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue won the Incident Management Award at CIR Magazine’s Business Continuity Awards 2021 for its work in coordinating the response to the incident, which inv...
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is once again calling for people in Askern, Rossington, Stocksbridge, Dearne, Birley, and Cudworth to join their on-call firefighting teams. Despite two hugely successful recruitment campaigns in the last year, there are still some spaces at each of the above stations that the service would like to fill. On-call firefighters play a vital role in crewing fire stations right across the county. Trained to the same high standards as full-time firefighters,...
South Yorkshire’s fire service is up for a major national award celebrating its work with diverse communities. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has been shortlisted in the ‘diverse company’ category at this year’s National Diversity Awards. The service has been shortlisted for its work to train and empower staff, promote inclusive recruitment processes and involve diverse communities in its work. The nomination pitches SYFR up against seven other organizati...
Ballyclare has revealed details of a major new tender win with the latest additions to its XENON range of multi-functional structural firefighting clothing. The contract, which covers PPE for some 3,200 firefighters, has been awarded by three fire and rescue services in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and includes new additions to the XENON range which have been developed to meet the specific demands of this customer. Provide bespoke solutions “With today’s firefighting and re...
South Yorkshire’s firefighters have responded to less deliberate fires so far this summer than in recent years, according to figures released by the county’s fire service. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) says it has attended 997 deliberate fire incidents across May, June, and July this year–a seven percent reduction compared to the 1,073 attended during the same period last year. Against the average for May, June, and July across the last three years–which...
Firefighters have begun responding to 999 calls from South Yorkshire’s newest fire station for the first time. The new two storey, three-bay Barnsley fire station was completed earlier this month and went operational on 17 August. The energy-efficient building on Broadway, Kingstone replaces the 60-year-old fire station on the same site which had reached the end of its operational life. Firefighters had been housed in a temporary facility off-site while the year-long construction of...
Two South Yorkshire firefighters are among a 20-strong team bidding to cycle the length of the UK to raise mental health awareness and thousands for charity. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Mark Peart and Paul Simmonite are joining firefighting colleagues from Suffolk for the 10-day, 1,000-mile ride from Lands End to John O’Groats in September. The team is aiming to raise £50,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity, which supports the mental, physical, and social needs of a...
Firefighters across the Yorkshire and Humber region have revealed new, advanced fire kits following a joint procurement deal. As part of a tri-service agreement, all firefighters in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and the Humberside region will begin wearing new fire tunics and trousers. For crews in South Yorkshire and Humberside, the personal protective equipment (PPE) revamp will also feature a pioneering, multi-function rescue jacket to reflect the changing role of the modern firefighter....
Six young people have successfully graduated from a fire and police development program after youth engagement work got back underway with a bang after long months of lockdown. The group-all aged 16 to 25 years old–took part in a life-enhancing 12-week personal development course known as Prince’s Trust Team Program. Community initiative The South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police-led initiative offers work experience, qualifications, practical skills, communi...
The fire service has marked the lifting of coronavirus restrictions by attending its first public safety event in months. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue firefighters and safety officers were among those who attended a family fun day at Shirecliffe Heliport-with the event doubling up as a charity fundraiser. A fire engine and chip pan display unit- which educates people about the dangers of pouring water onto hot oil – were also there, alongside vehicles and staff from other emerge...
A team at the heart of coordinating fire service volunteers who supported South Yorkshire’s pandemic response has been honored with a special award. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s three-strong ‘volunteers cell’ oversaw the work of 200 fire service staff who volunteered to fulfill multiple requests for support from partner agencies as they strived to keep essential services running during the first stages of the pandemic. Those tasks included making food and pre...
Artificial intelligence is set to supercharge the way safety advice is delivered to the public, following the launch of a new service by fire officers in South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has launched a brand new system that allows local residents to get a virtual fire safety check from the comfort of their own homes. All people have to do is text a number from their mobile phones, or scan a QR code, and they will be asked a series of questions on things such as smoke a...
