West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service - Experts & Thought Leaders

With the upcoming bonfire season, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) wants to ensure celebrations are both fun and safe. In 2019, WYFRS responded to 427 bonfire-related incidents, and they are committed to reducing that number. safety is key While WYFRS encourages celebration, safety is key. Whether users are attending an organized event or having their cozy bonfire at home, listed below are WYFRS' top tips for having a safe bonfire season: Whenever possible, consider attending organized events.  They are coordinated with the support of local authorities and follow strict safety guidelines for a worry-free evening.  do’s and don'ts If users choose to celebrate at home, here are the top dos and don'ts:  Choose a safe location for a bonfire.  Have a plan to control it.  Keep family and friends a safe distance from the flames.  Always have a bucket of water or garden hose nearby.  If using sparklers, keep them away from children under five and handle them carefully.  If users are buying and using fireworks, make sure they are from a reputable retailer and follow the enclosed instructions.   enjoyable bonfire season Toby May, WYFRS' Operational Lead, said, "We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable bonfire season. We’d love to see you at one of the organized events happening around the region; but if you're considering having your bonfire and fireworks at home, make sure to follow our tips to keep you, your family, and your friends safe during this bonfire season. Let's make this time of year a blast but, most importantly, a safe one!"  providing reassurance Bonfire Night is historically one of the busiest nights of the year for the emergency services" Remember, safety is key. Assistant Chief Constable, Osman Khan, Gold Commander for West Yorkshire Police, said, “We want everyone in West Yorkshire to enjoy their bonfire celebrations safely and responsibly and will have an increased visible presence to provide reassurance to our communities over the Bonfire weekend." He adds, “Bonfire Night is historically one of the busiest nights of the year for the emergency services, and people are urged to consider this when calling us. Please use our online options where possible and only use 999 to report emergencies, or where a crime is in progress.”  memorable and safe bonfire season Osman Khan continues, "Together, we can make this a memorable and safe bonfire season." In 2019, 37% of the incidents we responded to involved an injury. Let's work together to make this season injury-free. #bonfireSafe

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is celebrating the hard work of those who answer when users call for help – as part of International Control Room Week. The awareness campaign is running from Monday 23rd October for one week to highlight the amazing work of the staff in control rooms and to raise awareness of the crucial work they do. Control Room The Control Room is the first port of call for anyone who needs assistance from WYFRS. Its Fire Control team deals with hundreds of calls daily through the 999 lines, plus offers advice and assistance on other fire and rescue-related matters to members of the public. Fire Control provides ongoing support and assistance with the continued management of all operational incidents, taking appropriate action to make West Yorkshire safer.  training and experience They use training and experience to gather all the facts and make sure the correct resources are allocated Often handlers must deal with stressful or upsetting calls as they try to obtain accurate information quickly from emergencies. They use training and experience to gather all the facts and make sure the correct resources are allocated to an incident, sometimes while giving out life-saving survival guidance to callers.  Teamwork Watch Manager - Julie Carter has worked in Control for 30 years and is supporting the week of action. She said, “Teamwork is the best part of our job – we work together on a huge variety of issues, all to bring the best possible service to the public we protect." Julie Carter adds, “In my time here, I’ve dealt with dozens of memorable calls, the one that sticks out for me is when I had to give fire survival guidance to a family trapped in a fire, they had a four-week-old baby with them, and the advice I gave them allowed them all to be evacuated safely, I received a commendation for the call.” mobilize resources Although staff must deal with emergency calls as quickly as possible, it is of equal focus to ask the right questions Fire Control deals with approximately 100,000 emergency calls a year and mobilizes to over 25,000 incidents. WYFRS has amongst the top five largest Fire Control Rooms in England, working in partnership with colleagues at a regional and national level. Although staff must deal with emergency calls as quickly as possible, it is of equal focus to ask the right questions and gain the most information possible from callers, to mobilize the appropriate resources. training strategy WYFRS's training strategy is meticulously comprehensive to ensure our staff are trained, qualified, and ready for all possible eventualities. The staff work to the Fire Control Fire Standard, and have National Operational Guidance for Fire Control, along with National Occupational Standards and a Skills for Justice accredited pathway to competence. 

First Direct Arena in Leeds played host to a major multi-agency exercise, when West Yorkshire’s emergency services came together to test their joint plans in responding to a major incident. live-action exercise West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS), West Yorkshire Police, and Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) joined forces with Counter Terrorism Policing North East, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service for a live-action exercise, simulating a Marauding Terrorist Attack. The scenario, set in the city-center arena, took months of planning and was designed to test the emergency response of all agencies, both individually and working together, to ensure the region is as prepared as possible should an incident ever occur. train together, identify any gaps We regularly test our plans through exercises such as this to check what’s on paper would work" Sam Blackburn, National Resilience Support Officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said, “We regularly test our plans through exercises such as this to check what’s on paper would work in a real scenario." He adds, "These are great opportunities for all partners to train together, identify any gaps, and ensure our joint plans are as effective as possible in keeping the public safe.” practice skills Owen Hayward, Head of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) and Special Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said, “Multi-agency live training exercises always provide a safe environment for everyone to practice their skills and simulate partnership working at major incidents." He adds, "The opportunity for emergency service colleagues to come together in this way provides valuable learning that we can all take away and then refine our processes and approaches to the many challenging scenarios we may be faced with.” robust training exercise Over 300 students and staff from the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group and Leeds Beckett University took part Sam Blackburn added, “We would like to thank First Direct Arena for providing the venue and working with us to deliver a robust training exercise, and also the hundreds of volunteers who gave up their time to make the exercise as realistic as possible.” Over 300 students and staff from the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group and Leeds Beckett University took part in the exercise volunteering as concert-goers and casualties to add another level of realism to the scenario. assisting YAS HART REACT Disaster Response, the veterans-based charity, also supplied trained and experienced volunteers to act as specific casualties to assist the YAS Hazardous Awareness Response Team (HART) and WYFRS to exercise their responses realistically. Hannah Rossmorris, Senior lecturer in Events Management at the UK Centre for Event Management at Leeds Beckett University, said, “This exercise provided an exciting and valuable learning opportunity for our final year students taking the ‘Risk Management for Major Events’ module."  Making the exercise realistic It was an experience our students will never forget, and one I’m sure will benefit them immensely" Hannah Rossmorris adds, "We are immensely grateful to First Direct Arena for inviting us to take part, and to all the stakeholders involved who had worked so hard to make the exercise as realistic as possible." She continues, "It was an experience our students will never forget, and one I’m sure will benefit them immensely when they graduate and enter the workplace as events professionals.” debrief and evaluation of the exercise This was just one of several multi-agency training exercises which routinely take place throughout the region. It was not in response to any specific threat or intelligence regarding First Direct Arena or Leeds itself. While the exercise was underway there was no impact on front-line services, which continued as normal. All those involved in the exercise will carry out a full debrief and evaluation of the exercise to ensure any lessons are captured and incorporated into West Yorkshire’s major incident plans.