//827ec39e6df02130bba00ad73485d1e8edc16128.jpg "District Manager Nick Smith")
The people of Leeds can be assured that we are making the district a safer place to live and work.
We have set out plans to prioritise our services in the community over the coming year and we would encourage you to take a look at these plans in detail.
Leeds Risk Reduction Plan 2013-14 and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Action Plan for 2013-14
Our priorities are:
- to deliver a proactive fire prevention and protection programme. In simple terms, we want to prevent fires occurring in the first place. To date, our actions have been extremely successful in this area and we have saved lives. We intend to work with partner agencies and target those most at risk to continue this programme
- to deliver a professional and resilient emergency response service
- to provide a safe, competent and diverse workforce
- to provide effective and ethical governance and achieve value for money in managing resources.
What's happening in the Leeds District
Do you know:
- You’re four times more likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm that works.
- Every five days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette.
In light of several recent serious fires including fatalities West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service would like to reiterate pertinent fire Safety Points:
- Stub cigarettes out properly and dispose of them carefully. Put them out. Right out!
- Never smoke in bed.
- Use a proper ashtray – never a wastepaper basket.
- Make sure your ashtray can’t tip over and is made of a material that won’t burn.
- Don’t leave a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe lying around. They can easily fall over and start a fire.
- Take extra care if you smoke when you’re tired, taking prescription drugs, or if you’ve been drinking. You might fall asleep and set your bed or sofa on fire.
- Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
- Ensure you have working smoke alarms and test them regularly.
- Be prepared by making a plan of escape in the event of a fire.
- For a free home fire safety check and further advice please contact 0800 587 4536
Leeds Charity Ladder Climb
On the 4th May we will be holding a charity ladder climb, taking place at the Marks & Spencer store, Briggate, Leeds City centre. This will be a non-stop climb performed by over forty firefighters who are attempting to climb the height of The Empire State Building…..twenty times!
All support on the day will be hugely appreciated and proceeds will go to The Firefighters Charity. This charity provides rehabilitation to injured firefighters. Come down and enjoy this fun filled day.
Wide Area Flooding Exercise – Leeds City Centre.
There have recently been two large fire service exercises in Leeds City Centre. On the 7th & 19th of March we undertook a wide area flooding exercise. This was to test the fire services ability to rescue a large number of stranded people in high flood waters.
The exercise took place on the River Aire between Asda House and The Royal Armouries. There were six fire appliances and three support appliances available to fire service officers in their attempts to find a quick resolution to a highly challenging realistic scenario.
Specialist water rescue teams and equipment were utilised for searching a large area. These included a powered boat which has been provided in response to continued flooding around West Yorkshire and the UK. Crews were able to complete difficult recues in a short space of time, dealing with well-rehearsed British Red Cross volunteers in a successful way.
This was a great exercise that allowed us to deal with live casualties and test our procedures.
Working in partnership with The Rotary Club
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are working in partnership with The Rotary Club; fourteen volunteer members of the Calverley Branch of the Rotary Club have received training to carry out home fire safety checks (HFSC’s) in their own area.
Rotarians know their community inside out and their local knowledge is invaluable to us because they are well placed to know who would benefit the most from fire safety advice and interventions in their homes and where to locate these people.
Having visited members of their community, some were found to be at greater risk and were subsequently visited by dedicated Fire Service ‘High Risk Prevention Officers’ who provided further specialist intervention.
The service the Rotarians provide alongside the Fire Service could potentially save the lives of the more vulnerable members of their community and over 150 HFSC’s have been undertaken to date.
Working in partnership with Rotary Club volunteers to reduce risk within their own communities, means that WYFRS is able to target our own resources into those areas of higher risk.
New Young Fire Fighter's Scheme for West Leeds
A proposal for a Young Fire-fighters scheme at Stanningley is on-going. A site meeting had taken place with Darren Todd from the Property Department to identify what resources/funding would be required.
It is felt that the demographics of Stanningley and the surrounding areas makes it an ideal location for the setting up of a YFF’s facility. Local schools will be approached and it is felt that the number of students required to maintain the facility at Stanningley will not be a problem.
There are a number of different course available, including the 2 year BTEC Cert and the 1 year BTEC Award as well as other shorter courses.
Personnel from Stanningley will be trained up as instructors using the experience and knowledge of current instructors working out of Gipton
//088c01d1972771b58ac80a8d4580baf49d731f6e.jpg "Wide view of Leeds Town Hall")
//011369d846e4bd51a2e8b4c1abb26beba9a380ae.jpg "External view of Cookridge fire station")
//c28a09324bb1988698ba4bee52a7ed201883a6e1.jpg "External view of Garforth fire station")
//fe3621bbc45a4910e40f5b533df5fec0bf2c12dc.jpg "External view of Gipton fire station")
//f789f4084df5441659f9ac05c9d422fa3f45ac23.jpg "External view of Hunslet fire station")
//3d0cfea4a131646f77fed79abb6cebd3c1429f7d.jpg "External view of Leeds fire station")
//116045e5cb38f7bd3dbd7fdabc80c9b9b974ac01.jpg "External view of Moortown fire station")
//418a44ec07e8ecc2f49cc78bf5ebcb6ae2dfae19.jpg "External view of Morley fire station")
//288e5c853dd13f5ca75ab0fc9c029a02cbbfe5d3.jpg "External view of Otley fire station")
//e43154c78147cd258bf16f011d31f4e92406ca69.jpg "External view of Rawdon fire station")
//61696a9ada8276ba19c9ac68115df79cdebe8b16.jpg "External view of Rothwell fire station")
//49e6e6129006e807233e93b40689630d6061723c.jpg "External view of Stanks fire station")
//202c1a336ee62ae3435af615977cc9e5aeb346f1.jpg "External view of Stanningley fire station")
//98b02b79227329f95bb1f4649b23a83717d89170.jpg "External view of Wetherby fire station")
