Charities and public bodies have hailed the success of a fire service partnership set up to help those on the streets or at risk of being on the streets in Sheffield.

Twenty nine people spent the night at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s headquarters during six of the coldest nights of the year.

The new scheme has proven so successful, agencies including British Red Cross, Framework’s Street Outreach Team and Sheffield City Council’s Housing Solutions service are working with the fire service to formalise the partnership ready for next winter.

Area Manager Tony Carlin, said: “Helping people in need and saving lives is core to our mission as a fire service, so it made perfect sense for us to answer the call for emergency accommodation during the recent cold snaps. This initiative provides comfort, warmth and shelter for rough sleepers and the homeless and is a clear example of public agencies working together to help some of the most vulnerable people in our area. Whilst this was hastily pulled together for this year, it’s something we intend to repeat next winter we continue to do what we can as a fire service to make our communities safer.”

Councillor Jayne Dunn, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety said:  “It’s important to us, particularly with the recent cold weather that we have seen in the last few weeks, that extra care and shelter is provided for those most in need in the city. I’m grateful to all of the partners involved in this initiative who have planned, organised and worked together to make this happen in Sheffield for those who are most vulnerable. We’re hoping that those who have been less likely to come indoors in the past will recognise how much they can benefit from taking us up on our offer of support in the future.”

Joe Tilston, British Red Cross Senior Emergency Response Officer for Yorkshire said: “We responded to the request from Sheffield City Council alongside South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue to support the scheme providing emergency shelter to the homeless in the city. British Red Cross volunteers and staff are provided practical and emotional support, including the provision of hot food and drinks, and signposting service users to longer-term support where needed.”

Under the scheme, British Red Cross volunteers were on hand to welcome people and provide hot drinks and snacks, with Framework’s Street Outreach Team and Sheffield City Council’s Housing Solutions service helping people to access accommodation and support.

During the winter Sheffield City Council activates its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, known locally as Weather Watch, in response to the potential risk to life when the weather is very cold.

Every week early morning outreach sessions take place in Sheffield to identify and support people who are sleeping rough.

As well as support with accommodation, Sheffield has a number of services which offer practical help and advice to rough sleepers.

This includes drop in services offering food, clothing, showers and laundry facilities as well as access to healthcare professionals and recovery support There are also services commissioned by Sheffield City Council, as well as local charities and voluntary organisations providing practical assistance, plus housing advice and support.

For more information about help for rough sleepers visit the Sheffield City Council website. or Help Us Help.

The fire service will be once again be opening its doors to rough sleepers ahead of winter weather this weekend, in a new partnership to help those on the streets or at risk of being on the streets in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s headquarters on Eyre Street will be converted into a place to stay on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night for people at risk of sleeping rough in the cold weather.

British Red Cross volunteers will also be on hand to welcome people and provide hot drinks and snacks, with Framework’s Street Outreach Team and Sheffield City Council’s Housing Solutions service helping people to access accommodation and support.

During the winter, Sheffield City Council activates its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, known locally as Weather Watch, in response to the potential risk to life when the weather is very cold.

Area Manager Tony Carlin, said: “Helping people in need and saving lives is core to our mission as a fire service, so it made perfect sense for us to answer the call for emergency accommodation ahead of winter warnings this weekend.

“This initiative provides comfort, warmth and shelter for rough sleepers and the homeless and is a clear example of public agencies working together to help some of the most vulnerable people in our area.”

“We intend to repeat this next winter and during any other spells of particularly severe weather as we continue to do what we can as a fire service to make our communities safer.”

Councillor Jayne Dunn, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety said: “It’s important to us, particularly with the recent cold temperatures that we have seen over the last week or so, that extra care and shelter is provided for those most in need in the city. I’m grateful to all of the partners involved in this initiative who have planned, organised and worked together to make this happen in Sheffield for those who are most vulnerable.”

“We’re hoping that those who have been less likely to come indoors in the past will recognise how much they can benefit from taking us up on our offer of support in the future.”

Joe Tilston, British Red Cross Senior Emergency Response Officer for Yorkshire said: “We have responded to a request from Sheffield City Council alongside South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue to support at a scheme providing emergency shelter to the homeless in the city this week.

“British Red Cross volunteers and staff are providing practical and emotional support, including the provision of hot food and drinks, and signposting service users to longer-term support where needed.

“We continue to be on standby to provide support to people affected by the weather conditions across the North of England, working alongside local authorities and the emergency services.”

Every week early morning outreach sessions take place in Sheffield to identify and support people who are sleeping rough.

As well as support with accommodation, Sheffield has a number of services which offer practical help and advice to rough sleepers.

This includes drop in services offering food, clothing, showers and laundry facilities as well as access to healthcare professionals and recovery support There are also services commissioned by Sheffield City Council, as well as local charities and voluntary organisations providing practical assistance, plus housing advice and support.

For more information about help for rough sleepers visit the Sheffield City Council website. or Help Us Help.

Fire officers have repeated warnings about the consequences of starting deliberate fires, following the sentencing of a boy who set fire to a bus in Rotherham.

The fire at Rotherham Interchange, Fredrick Street on 15 May 2016 was tackled by four fire engines plus a turntable ladder. It destroyed the bus and damaged the bus station, causing more than £1.8 million in damage.

The convicted youth, aged 17, but who was 15 when the offence was committed, had pleaded guilty to arson with reckless intent to endanger life. He was sentenced to a three year custodial sentence at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday (13 March).

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue fire investigator Simon Rodgers said: “This incident is further proof that people who start fires do get caught and do get convicted. Starting fires is reckless, can cause huge damage and distress to the local community and can cost lives.  We work closely with our police partners to investigate deliberate fires and thank them for their perseverance in bringing about this conviction.”

If you know of someone starting fires in your area, you can report it to South Yorkshire Police 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

The fire service wants help to track down the surviving members of two Sheffield firefighters who lost their lives during the blitz.

Norman Elliot, aged 35, and Fredrick Parkes-Spencer, aged 36 were both firefighters with Sheffield Police Fire Brigade on the night of 12 December 1940.

Codenamed Operation Crucible by the Germans, the raids under on 12, 13 and 15 December 1940 saw hundreds of Heinkel 111, Dornier 17 and Junker 88 bombers drop many thousands of tonnes of ordnance on Sheffield over a period of nine hours.

Dozens of firefighters from across Yorkshire and surrounding cities responded to the raids.

Norman lost his life at Union Street and Fredrick was killed at Charles Street.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue plans to name two new meeting rooms at its Eyre Street headquarters in memory of the firefighters and would like to let their families know.

If you were related to either Norman Elliot or Fredrick Parkes-Spencer, or know someone who was, please email press@syfire.gov.uk

The fire service has opened its doors to rough sleepers, in a new partnership to help those on the streets or at risk of being on the streets in Sheffield

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s headquarters on Eyre Street were converted into a place to stay on Monday night, for people at risk of sleeping rough in the cold weather.

British Red Cross volunteers were on hand to welcome people and provide hot drinks and snacks, with Framework’s Street Outreach Team and Sheffield City Council’s Housing Solutions service helping people to access accommodation and support.

During the winter Sheffield City Council activates its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, known locally as Weather Watch, in response to the potential risk to life when the weather is very cold.

Area Manager Tony Carlin, said: “Helping people in need and saving lives is core to our mission as a fire service, so it made perfect sense for us to answer the call for emergency accommodation during the recent cold weather.

“This initiative provides comfort, warmth and shelter for rough sleepers and the homeless and is a clear example of public agencies working together to help some of the most vulnerable people in our area.”

“Whilst this was initially a one-off, temporary measure, it’s something we intend to repeat next winter and during any other spells of particularly severe weather as we continue to do what we can as a fire service to make our communities safer.”

Councillor Jayne Dunn, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety said: “It’s important to us, particularly with the recent cold temperatures that we have seen over the last week or so, that extra care and shelter is provided for those most in need in the city. I’m grateful to all of the partners involved in this initiative who have planned, organised and worked together to make this happen in Sheffield for those who are most vulnerable.”

“We’re hoping that those who have been less likely to come indoors in the past will recognise how much they can benefit from taking us up on our offer of support in the future.”

Joe Tilston, British Red Cross Senior Emergency Response Officer for Yorkshire said: “We have responded to a request from Sheffield City Council alongside South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue to support at a scheme providing emergency shelter to the homeless in the city this week.

“British Red Cross volunteers and staff are providing practical and emotional support, including the provision of hot food and drinks, and signposting service users to longer-term support where needed.

“We continue to be on standby to provide support to people affected by the weather conditions across the North of England, working alongside local authorities and the emergency services.”

Every week early morning outreach sessions take place in Sheffield to identify and support people who are sleeping rough.

As well as support with accommodation, Sheffield has a number of services which offer practical help and advice to rough sleepers.

This includes drop in services offering food, clothing, showers and laundry facilities as well as access to healthcare professionals and recovery support There are also services commissioned by Sheffield City Council, as well as local charities and voluntary organisations providing practical assistance, plus housing advice and support.

For more information about help for rough sleepers visit the Sheffield City Council website. or Help Us Help.

ENDS

Charities and community groups across South Yorkshire will deliver work to reduce fires, traffic collisions and water deaths, after being awarded funding by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority.

Sixteen projects focussing on issues including loneliness, hoarding and water safety will all benefit from the funding which has been made available under the Authority’s Stronger Safer Communities Reserve.

The schemes being supported range from an older persons befriending initiative and a falls prevention slipper swap project, to help for people with learning disabilities and the production of a virtual reality motorbike safety film.

This is the third time that local organisations have benefitted from the funding. The Fire Authority has also provided money to support the installation of sprinklers in higher-risk residential accommodation.

Last year the fire service published plans which included a commitment to work more closely with community organisations to increase the reach of its safety work.

Fire Authority Chair Cllr Linda Burgess, said: “The Authority believes that charities, community organisations and other local groups can play an important part in supporting the work of the fire service to make our communities safer and stronger. Members look forward to seeing how the money which has been allocated following a rigorous assessment process will deliver real and far-reaching benefits for local people.”

The Stronger Safer Communities Reserve is a Fire Authority scheme which reinvests money into local communities to support the fire service’s work to prevent emergencies. The money has been set aside from the Authority’s reserves.

Research carried out by social return on investment specialists found that projects delivered through both of the fund’s previous bidding rounds produced nearly £5 million worth of benefits to local people.

This time, local partners, charities and community organisations were able to bid for funding ranging from £5,000 to £100,000. There were 48 applications for funding, with the final list of 16 successful projects being decided by an assessment board. The funding allocated totals £639,000.

The full list of funded projects can be found here

The fire service’s governing Fire Authority decided to increase its portion of Council Tax by 2.97% next year, at its budget setting meeting on 19 February.

Current indications are that South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue will lose around £700,000 in its Government funding in 2018/19, when compared with 2017/18.

The decision to increase council tax will raise around £714,000 in annual funding for the fire service- the equivalent of around 20 firefighters.

We have carried out tens of thousands of home safety visits in South Yorkshire over the last decade, including the fitting of hundreds of thousands of free smoke alarms. We believe this work has contributed to big falls in the number of accidental house fires during that time.

However, the majority of the visits we have undertaken have been to homes which are unlikely to ever suffer a serious fire. This is based upon detailed analysis of our historical incident data and the factors which we know are likely to contribute to a person’s likelihood of suffering a fire.

To continue to reduce house fires, deaths and injuries we believe we need to become even more targeted in the way we deliver our prevention work.

To achieve this, we are changing our Home Safety Checks service from 1 March so that safety advice continues to be given to all, but home visits by fire service staff are only offered for free to those most at risk of fire based upon some clearly defined risk criteria.

Those who self-refer themselves to us, but who are deemed to be lower risk based upon these criteria, will be offered the information and advice to carry out a home safety check themselves. You can find out more or request a visit using our online form here

People who are referred to us by our network of more than 130 Safe & Well referral partners will continue to receive a free visit by a member of fire service staff.

The changes we are making were one of the changes we announced in plans which were published in April 2017, following a period of public consultation. You can read our Integrated Risk Management Plan 2017-20  in full here