West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has appointed the new district commander for Leeds.
Group Manager Nick Smith said he is committed to making the city a safe place to live and work.
“It’s a difficult time for all public services, but I am confident that we can maintain an excellent service in Leeds district,” said Nick. “Reaching the most vulnerable people in society is a challenge, but we will continue to work with local communities and partners to reduce risk and improve lives for everyone.”
Nick joined West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) 12 years ago and during his career he has served in Bradford, Halifax and Stanningley. In his most recent role he worked in Operations at WYFRS headquarters in Birkenshaw.
One of the projects Nick is looking forward to building upon includes the current partnership with the Rotary Club. The club linked up with WYFRS last year to train members to carry out home fire safety checks, effectively giving WYFRS a greater reach in the community. This is a model Nick hopes to expand upon, bringing more community organisations on board.
“Members of the club know their area very well and it enables us to target the most vulnerable more effectively. The project also assists us in protecting and preventing fires in some of our outlying areas,” he said. “It’s a good model to follow and we hope to work with more organisations in the future.”
Nick is also keen to praise the excellent work of Leeds Arson Task Force and, in particular, the task force’s collaboration with other agencies such as West Yorkshire Police, Leeds City Council and housing associations as part of the Leeds Anti Social Behaviour Team. The multi-agency team, which is a national pilot, has already had success in tackling nuisance fires in the Halton Moor area and they are confident they will build on this success in 2012.
“Leeds is a fantastic city and making sure the district is a safe place to live and work is my priority,” said Nick. “I will ensure that crews are fully prepared to deal with any major incident or civil emergency. We will train towards the risks and threats that are of most prevalence and work closely with the other key agencies to ensure we have a common approach to dealing with an incident if and when required.”
With the London 2012 Olympic Games just around the corner, and the arrival of a number of training camps in the area, Leeds district is also working with agencies in the city to ensure the event passes as safely as possible.
