Fire Industry News for December 2023

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has been responding to requests for aid from Ukraine since the conflict broke out. They joined firefighters from across the UK when they answered a call for help, sending a convoy of fire engines and other equipment over 2,000 miles across Europe to help those in need. Since then, they've continued to support in any way they can - even helping displaced families find homes. Matthew Hayes, Crew Manager at Killingbeck Station, has even been prov...

Keeping a commercial kitchen fire-safe should be a priority for all chefs and restaurant owners.  Figures show that 70% of fires in public houses, restaurants, and takeaways are caused by an accumulation of dirt and grease inside their extractor or ventilation fan systems. WYFRS recommendations To reduce the likelihood of damage from accidental fire, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) recommends getting the system serviced every three to six months depending on usage and freq...

Fire crews from across West Yorkshire were called to the Canterbury Youth Center on Arum Street around 7.30 am, where they found smoke pouring from the roof before it erupted into flames. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by 11.30 with crews on the scene until nearly 1 pm, and an investigation into the cause of the fire has revealed it to be arson. West Yorkshire Police are now conducting a criminal investigation. The fire damage was so severe the center is now set to...

Fire service staff are showing their commitment to diversity and inclusion with an event to help colleagues understand more about the LGBTQ+ community.  West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month, which focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history. webinar and workshop As part of the month-long celebrations, staff will be taking part in a webinar and workshop, which will focus on the use of pronouns, gender identities, and the history...

Firefighters are backing a national campaign to highlight the everyday accidents that can cause fires in homes across West Yorkshire.  West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is urging people to be extra careful on Valentine’s Day and ensure candles are kept away from flammable objects and are never left unattended. Fire Kills campaign In February, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is running its annual Fire Kills campaign to raise awareness of fire safety in the home....

The combination of working smoke alarms and retro-fitted sprinklers has prevented a potentially fatal fire in a Doncaster flat. Firefighters were mobilized to Shaftesbury House, Doncaster, at 1.05 am on Thursday 25 August, following a call from a resident. This resident reports leaving their chip pan on the hob before falling asleep. While asleep, the chip pan overheated and set light. Working smoke alarms alerted the residents to the fire, prompting them to call 999 for help. At the...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

Firefighters across South Yorkshire are asking the public to help them crack down on deliberate fires across the county, by reporting incident details to a dedicated new fire line. In response to the 3900 deliberate fire incidents they were called to in last year, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has joined up with an arm of the national charity, Crimestoppers. Report information on Deliberate fire-setting Once reported, the details will be anonymized and used as part of fire and police inve...

South Yorkshire’s firefighters have a new weapon to help them tackle moorland wildfires- off road vehicles. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has added two Polaris vehicles to its fleet, helping crews to respond more effectively to wildfires and other incidents, which might be hard to reach using a traditional fire engine. Polaris vehicles fitted with water pumps Fire crews will spend the next few months being trained in their use The vehicles are to be fitted with water pumps, which c...

The fire service’s governing Fire Authority has decided to increase its portion of Council Tax by 1.99% next year, at its budget setting meeting on Monday. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says the increase will help to support investments its making to its frontline service- including the recruitment of additional firefighters-as well as helping it to prepare for potentially more uncertain times ahead. Annual funding for the fire service Householders in Band D will pay £76.07 pe...

Firefighters are deploying two high-volume pumps to Sykehouse in Doncaster in a bid to aid the removal of surface water which is currently lying on flood plains in the area.  River levels in the area are falling and existing drainage pumping arrangements are working well. Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue However, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has deployed the pumps-one of which is being sent by Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue-to support the speedy removal of the water and to help...

Firefighters are urging people to stop leaving their cooking unattended in a bid to crack down on house fires across the county. New figures, released by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, show that half of all house fires across South Yorkshire last year started in the kitchen. An even deeper look into the issue, fire officers say, shows that the majority of these fires could be prevented and start when people leave pans on the hob or food in the oven. The service is now appealing to people ac...

A national inspection has praised the response of South Yorkshire’s fire service to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue adapted to the pandemic effectively, carried on delivering its core services and provided additional support to the community during the first phase of the pandemic. Inspectors also found that staff well-being was made a clear priority for the service and praised senior pioneers for actively promoting well-being services, in a report published b...

This is a national effort, led by the Government, to make high-rise residential buildings safer, and give a better understanding of high-rise residential buildings across the country. It has come off the back of the tragic Grenfell Tower disaster and is in its second phase. ACM cladding The first phase of the program focused on Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. This saw SYFRS, and other fire services right across the country, work with building owners to identify buildings with ACM...

A team of fire safety inspectors is embarking on an ambitious project to inspect all high-rise residential buildings across South Yorkshire, over 18 meters or with six or more storeys, by the end of next year. This comes as part of a Government-driven ‘Building Risk Review’ program that seeks to ‘significantly increase’ the pace of high-rise residential inspection activity across the country. Made up of staff from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s (SYFR) bus...

The fire service’s recovery from flooding which hit South Yorkshire last autumn has been recognized with a major international award. South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue was awarded ‘Most Effective Recovery’ at the Business Continuity Institute’s Global Awards. The award-presented to the service’s Resilience, Planning, and Contingencies team at a virtual ceremony- recognizes organizations that have effectively managed major incidents. The fire service rescued more th...

A Sheffield building owner has been fined after obstructing the work of fire safety inspectors. Mr. Gunes Ata, trading as Noble Design & Build, was found guilty by Sheffield Magistrates Court of failing, without reasonable excuse, to comply with requirements imposed by an inspector from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue. Mr. Ata did not attend the hearing on Wednesday (18 November) and did not enter a plea, but the court heard the case in his absence. Fire safety laws Court ordered M...

A man from Sheffield, who set himself on fire when using petrol on his seemingly unlit garden fire, is urging people not to follow in his footsteps and make the same mistake. Paul Wyatt, 50, was burning hedge trimmings in his garden earlier this year. He put paper on the bottom and hedge trimmings on top, before adding a match, which didn’t light the fire. He decided to apply a drop of petrol, planning to step back and throw a match on. Unbeknown to him, the original match was still smold...

If users are planning to have a bonfire at any time, but particularly during this firework period, please follow some simple safety guides to help users, their families, pets, and wildlife stay safe. Building bonfire Build bonfires well away from, and clear of, buildings, garden sheds, fences, hedges, and overhanging branches. Keep it to a manageable size and evenly built, so that it collapses inwards as it burns. Do not include plastics, household items, or rubber in the fire. Lighting...

South Yorkshire’s emergency services are urging people to be sensible and stay safe over the coming weeks, during what they say will be a ‘very different’ bonfire period for everyone. Trick or treating is being discouraged, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as are Halloween and bonfire parties that break the current social distancing rules set out by the Government. Operation Dark Nights Meanwhile, firefighters are asking people to take extra care with fireworks and to avoi...

South Yorkshire’s fire service wants people to have their say on its draft Integrated Risk Management Plan 2021-2024. This is a plan that explains how the fire service will keep local people safe over the next few years. Among the issues, SYFRS wants views on their expected response times for different types of incidents, which have been published in the draft plan. Set of response standards The proposed new response time arrangements take into account whether a person’s life...

South Yorkshire’s fire service is taking its one-of-a-kind Black History Month exhibition online in October, in a bid to attract more people from BAME backgrounds to consider a fire and rescue service career. Family, which was put together to pay homage to the diverse heritage of fire service staff, features portrait photographs of 11 employees past and present. portrait exhibition The portraits were exhibited at various locations across Sheffield in October 2019 including the train sta...