More than 20 long serving firefighters, 999 operators and support staff have been honoured at a special ceremony in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue staged the event at Sheffield City Hall to recognise staff members who have clocked up more than 20 years serving local people.

Chief Fire Officer James Courtney and Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire Andrew Coombe presented the fire service Long Service & Good Conduct Medal to recipients in front of their family and friends. The medal was instituted by Her Majesty the Queen by Royal Warrant in 1954. It is awarded to employees who complete 20 years of meritorious service.

A special award was also presented to communications electrician Francis Delez who, with an incredible 51 years’ service behind him, is the fire service’s longest serving employee.

Group manager Trevor Bernard was given the honour of master of ceremonies, before he retires from the service next month.

Speaking at the event, Chief Fire Officer James Courtney, said: “We aspire to make South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue a great place to work, which includes recognising the efforts and achievements of our staff. As Chief Fire Officer, I therefore feel extremely proud to see so many members of our organisation recognised for the outstanding service they have given over the last twenty years or more.

“The role of a firefighter and the role of fire service has changed considerably in that time. Our responsibilities now go far beyond simply tackling fires. But one thing that will always remain the same is the pride which we all have in doing a job that can make such a positive difference in the communities we serve.”

Firefighters joined forces with Sheffield Hallam University paramedic students for a training simulation on Saturday (19 May).

The exercise saw crews from Central, Rivelin, Parkway and Birley Moor fire stations simulate their response to a multiple car pile up.

Four vehicles were used and nine ‘casualties’, including people and manikins.

DipHE Paramedic Practice & BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science students took part in the exercise, to discover how different emergency services work together at 999 incidents.

South Yorkshire’s fire crews have taken part in a realistic water and rope rescue exercise to test their response in the event of a high-risk emergency.

The training exercise involved the rescue of two ‘casualties’ who had climbed onto a structure and were refusing to come down.

Aston Park, Edlington, Rivelin and Cudworth firefighters all took part in the exercise on the River Rother at Woodhouse Mill Regulator on the junction of Retford Road and Furnace Lane in Woodhouse, Sheffield.

Wayne Sutcliffe, station manager at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, said: “Firefighters respond to a huge range of emergencies, far beyond the house fires and road traffic collisions we are traditionally associated with. Both water rescues and rescues from height can be extremely complex, which is what makes training like this so important. The scenario was successfully completed and generated a great deal of operational learning.”

SYP Alerts is a messaging system developed by South Yorkshire Police, which allows you to receive updates from local neighbourhood police teams.

There are now over 9,000 people signed-up to receive alerts in South Yorkshire and the force is driving an initiative to reach 10k by the end of May.

Being signed-up to SYP Alerts means that you can receive messages by text, email or voice alert about policing matters specifically in your community. You can even choose what type of things you would like to receive messages about by personalising your account once you have signed-up.

If you live in South Yorkshire, you can register quickly and easily at www.sypalerts.co.uk.

A fire station based ‘memory cafe’ which aims to support the growing numbers of people who live with dementia has been launched in Barnsley

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Cudworth fire station hosts the monthly memory cafe, with support from local dementia support services.

The events, which are held on the third Friday of every month, provide an opportunity for people living with dementia and their carers to meet in a safe, managed environment and to take part in activities to promote mental and physical wellbeing, such as chair based exercises.

The group has become the second fire service backed memory cafe to be launched in South Yorkshire, joining Woodlands Memory Cafe which has been operational at Adwick fire station for more than two years.

Officers believe the project will benefit the fire service by providing a vital link with one of its key target groups in terms of vulnerability to fire.

Area Manager Steve Helps, said: “We have already proven in recent years how the fire service is well placed to play a much wider role in terms of tackling some of the big health challenges our country faces in the future. This latest project is the perfect illustration of that aspiration, where fire service resources are helping to improve the lives of one of the most vulnerable groups in society.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is also a member of the Yorkshire & Humber Dementia Alliance, which is committed to tackling the growing issue of dementia within communities.

Hundreds of its staff have also signed up to become Dementia Friends- a Government backed initiative which teaches people a little bit more about what it’s like to live with dementia, and then turns that understanding into action.

The next session of the memory cafe takes place on Friday 18 May from 10.30am to 12.30am at Cudworth fire station, Tumbling Lane, Barnsley, S71 5RZ. It is open to anyone living with dementia and their carers, or any older people feeling isolated and wanting to make new friends.

Bike mad kids in Doncaster can pedal proficiently thanks to fire station hosted cycle safety sessions.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has teamed up with Doncaster Council to deliver the sessions at Thorne fire station, which proved to be a popular venue for the cycling course.

The fire station’s yard provided a safe environment to carry out the cycling lessons, which aim to increase the road safety knowledge of those who attend.

The ‘Bikeability’ course is facilitated by Pedal Ready Cycle Training and is open to individuals of all ages who are looking to either improve their current cycling ability or learn to ride a bike for the very first time. The course focuses on developing observation and manoeuvrability skills and provides an introduction to the Highway Code for young cyclists. Safety is also a main feature of the course and those who attend receive advice on how to be noticeable when riding on the roads as well as the importance of correctly fitting a cycle helmets.

Station Manager Mike Anthony, who has been working on this project, said: “We are looking to expand the involvement of fire crews in local community projects such as Bikeability. By using our stations for projects like this, we are able to improve safety within our communities and we hope that the sessions at Thorne fire station are to be the first of many.”

Andy Maddox, Business Development Officer for Doncaster Council, said: “We are delighted to support this project as we are keen to encourage more people into cycling more often. This scheme helps to facilitate this. The first session was very well attended and we look forward to a summer presence in Thorne.”

Pedal Ready Cycle provides free cycle training across the Doncaster area as well as Sheffield and Rotherham.  If you’d like to find out more, email admin@pedalready.co.uk or phone 0114 241 2775.