Eleven young people on a fire service team programme have won a regional award for their community project.

The young people were winners in the Community Impact category at the Yorkshire & Humber Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards 2016 and are now hoping to be shortlisted for the national awards in Spring 2017.

The team were part of the Prince’s Trust Team Programme run by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue.  A 12 week personal development course for unemployed 16 – 25 year olds, offering work experience, qualifications, practical skills, community projects and a residential week.

The community project which helped win them the award involved cleaning up and painting three unloved bridges in the Goldthorpe area with the support of the local people behind them.

SYFR Team Leader Rhian Oxley said, “I am so proud of this group and what they have achieved.  From a small idea proposed by four members of the team into incorporating a whole village into believing they could make a change.  I wish them luck as they progress to the next stage and hope they are shortlisted for the national awards.”

SYFR Area Manager Steve Helps said: “This is a real achievement for these young people.  The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is a fantastic scheme which South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are proud to be associated with and the role we have played in helping these young people aspire to a better future.”

To be part of the next Team Programme please contact John Daley on 07769 887249 or princestrust@syfire.gov.uk

A major UK retailer has become the first business to sign-up to a new fire service partnership scheme in South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) will work with department store chain Boyes as part of the initiative, which will see fire service experts providing the company with safety advice the company can adopt across its sites nationwide.

Partnerships like this, also available to other organisations, are known as Primary Authority Schemes (PAS) and allow the fire service and businesses to come together to improve the quality and consistency of safety and prevention measures.

The schemes also help to cut red tape for larger businesses, by streamlining their compliance with fire safety laws.

SYFR Business Fire Safety Manager Amy Jenkinson, said: “Boyes is a well known local business with strong Yorkshire roots. It has since expanded its operations and now runs 59  department stores throughout the north of England so we are pleased to be working with them to ensure that fire safety compliance is effective and consistent across the company.

“Primary Authority Schemes are a brilliant tool for helping us to work more closely with companies who are proactive about delivering on their fire safety duties and we hope to sign agreements with further businesses to work with them in this way.”

Boyes opened its first shop in Scarborough in 1881 and operates 59 stores across the UK and is due to open its 60th store at the end of November at Firth Park in Sheffield.

Boyes Safety Manager, Vivienne Sheader said: “The safety of our customers and staff is very important to us. We are delighted to have established this relationship which was first suggested to us following a successful routine fire audit that was carried out by SYFR in our Doncaster store.

“Our business is growing every year and to have a single point of reference that is recognised by every local fire authority enables us to apply consistent fire safety standards across all of our buildings.”

Primary Authority Schemes are statutory schemes, established by the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 (the RES Act). It allows an eligible business to form a legally recognised partnership with a single local authority in relation to regulatory compliance. This local authority is then known as its ‘primary authority’.

Primary authorities play a valuable role in leading and shaping the regulation of businesses that partner with them. In doing so, they deliver benefits for the regulatory system as a whole, for the businesses they partner with, and for those that the regulations are designed to protect – consumers, workers and the environment. Primary authorities, including fire and rescue services, are able to charge for this service on a cost recovery basis.

For more information contact tfs.cs@syfire.gov.uk or visit https://www.syfire.gov.uk/business-advice

Barnsley firefighters have helped a brave Sheffield boy battling cancer realise his dreams of being a firefighter for a day.

Kasabian Newton-Smith, aged eight, from Parson Cross, has been fighting cancer since he was two years old. Part of his ‘bucket list’ is to be a firefighter, and so a family friend decided to make it happen.

He visited Barnsley fire station, where white watch welcomed him on to the team for the day.

After getting to grips with the fire engine, Kasabian received a simulated call out to his first incident, when he hopped on to the fire engine and whizzed around the yard.

He also watched the crew demonstrate the cutting gear used at road traffic collisions and issued instructions to the firefighters, led by watch manager Nick Brown.

Kasabian’s dad, Simon Newton-Smith said “Kasabian had a fantastic day – white watch were brilliant hosts and made sure it was action packed from start to finish.”

Station Manager Damian Henderson said “Kasabian started off very shy at the beginning of the day, but once he’d had his first call out and had a go in the engine, he was giving me my orders! I think I speak on behalf of everybody at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue when I say what a pleasure it was to have Kasabian on station, and I feel privileged to have been a part of his big day.”

A joint fire and police team set up to reduce demand on 999 responders in Sheffield has already visited hundreds of homes in the city, three months after it first launched.

The Local Intervention and Falls Episodes (LIFE) team, also supported by Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, is half way through a six month pilot which sees staff visit homes to reduce fire risk in properties, improve security and help people who have fallen.

So far the team has carried out 101 crime prevention checks and 191 home safety visits, which include the fitting of free smoke alarms.

The team also responds to help people at high volume, lower priority incidents, including helping 26 people who have had a fall, are not seriously injured, but are unable to get up on their own.

The team has also helped find two missing people and visited vulnerable people who have either been victims of crime or are at risk of anti-social behaviour.

Some of this work traditionally takes police officers and paramedics off the road for many hours.

SYFR Head of Prevention and Protection Steve Helps, said: “This is a very encouraging start for a brand new team, which proves emergency services are working together locally to help make people safer and healthier.

“We know that there are huge links between the people who need the help of the police and health services, and those who are at risk of fire. So collaborative working such as this undoubtedly benefits our public safety work.”

Chief Inspector Jenny Lax from South Yorkshire Police, said: “The team have made a promising start and are working really well together to reduce the vulnerability of people in our communities and improve their quality of life”

The team operates using two specialist vehicles and consists of four staff – two South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue employees and two South Yorkshire Police community support officers (PCSOs).

The scheme has been funded by South Yorkshire Fire Authority for six months and researchers from the University of Huddersfield have been commissioned to evaluate its effectiveness. If successful, it could be extended and taken to other parts of South Yorkshire.

Last year the Government announced new proposals to transform the way the police, fire and rescue and ambulance services work together. It wants to encourage collaboration by introducing a new statutory duty on all three emergency services to look at opportunities to work with one another better to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

In South Yorkshire, fire crews already attend hundreds of ‘medical break-ins’ every year, where they gain access to properties where people are thought to be in need of urgent medical attention, but where ambulance service paramedics cannot get to them. This work used to be carried out by the police.

Work has also now started on a joint police and fire station in Maltby, whilst five ambulance stand-by points will also be created at five other fire service premises across the county.

The fire service is repeating its annual safety call as thousands of people in South Yorkshire prepare to mark bonfire night.

Though the fireworks period is traditionally one of South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s busiest, call outs to small, deliberate fires on November 5 are now down to a quarter of what they were ten years ago.

Fire service managers hope that by continuing to work with partners to educate youngsters and reduce call outs the public will remain safe.

In the run up to bonfire night, fire service staff have been issuing safety advice and leaflets to residents about firework safety, as well as reminding retailers not to sell fireworks to under 18s.

Officers have also been assisting with the removal of waste which could be used to light illegal bonfires and have been working closely with local trading standards to cut out illegal fireworks sales.

Our Community Safety teams have been visiting schools across the county talking to children about the dangers of fireworks and the consequences of anti social behaviour.

Steve Helps, head of prevention and protection, said: “The best way to enjoy bonfire night is to attend an organised display. The bonfires are bigger, the fireworks are better and they are a lot safer.

“If you are intent on holding your own display, the advice is simple. Only buy British Standard marked fireworks, follow the instructions on the box and site any bonfires well away from buildings.”

The fire service’s top three tips for staying safe this bonfire night are:

1. Attend organised displays – they’re much safer than holding your own
2. Only buy fireworks from reputable retailers and never from people on the street
3. Light bonfires well away from sheds, fences, bushes and trees

Young people taking part in a major local youth development programme have unveiled their transformation of a local boxing club in Cudworth.

The Prince’s Trust Team Programme which is being delivered by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police from Barnsley fire station is the first scheme of its kind to be jointly run by the police and fire services anywhere in the UK.

Team Programme is a 12 week personal course for unemployed 16 to 25 year olds, offering work experience, qualifications, practical training and a residential development week.

The programme asks the young people to nominate their own community project, with those on the current scheme choosing to renovate the boxing club, which has been run for the last 40 years by local man Fred Gummerson.

The makeover of the club has included cleaning the grounds, removing the overgrown vegetation and painting the railings. While inside the team have been busy painting the training area and adding a mural to the wall.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Team Leader Rhian Oxley said; “Our Team Programme is about giving hope and confidence to the young people and an opportunity to improve their chances of gaining further education or employment.

“Hopefully their efforts here will inspire members of the local community to continue using the facility, securing this resource for future generations.”

A second Team Programme is also running currently from Dearne fire station.

A shocking new video has been released in a bid to prompt people to do more to prevent dozens of house fires every year which are caused by alcohol dependency.

The film, titled ‘To Save A Life’, calls on family members, carers, loved ones and neighbours to look out for people who are at risk of fire due to a range of contributory factors, including substance misuse.

Developed by Doncaster Council Public Health in partnership with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR), the film tells the story of a man who drinks heavily and puts the chip pan on, starting a house fire which leads to his death.

Several people missed opportunities to help the man in a story which fire officers say is regularly repeated across the country every year.

Head of prevention and protection Steve Helps, said: “Cooking related incidents make up half of all the house blazes we attend, but often there is much more behind these fires than someone simply letting something overheat or getting distracted in the kitchen.

“We know that alcohol makes you much more likely to suffer a fire in your home. It makes you uncoordinated and more likely to fall asleep. That’s why we need people living in our communities to be much more aware of alcohol dependency and its associated consequences, referring people for the necessary help where possible, so that we can prevent incidents like the one shown in this video from occurring in the first place.”

Dr. Rupert Suckling, Doncaster Council’s Director of Public Health, said: “We all know the long term health risks associated with excessive drinking, but there are immediate risks too including accidents outside and inside the home. It’s important that people take care of themselves especially during the festive period when many people will be out celebrating.

“The purpose of this film, though, is to also encourage people to look after each other and watch out for the warning signs of alcohol dependency and any potential risks to themselves and others. Report any concerns you have to relevant services like Aspire drug and alcohol Service, the Fire Service or your GP.”

The video forms part of the fire service’s latest effort to curb kitchen blazes, which kicked off earlier this month. SYFR says it has attended 216 house fires caused by cooking in Doncaster since 2013, resulting in 51 injuries and one death.

Most of the blazes are caused by cooking that’s been left unattended, chip pans that overheat or dirty ovens that ignite due to a build up of fat and grease. But factors contributing to the fires also include alcohol, drugs and mental health issues.

The film, created by up and coming South Yorkshire director James Lockey, will now be shared at GP surgeries across Doncaster and online countywide as part of an initiative which won £15,000 in Fire Authority funding last year.

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

Two rounds of successful projects have been funded through the scheme, benefiting more than 40 projects with charities and community groups able to bid for sums ranging from £5,000 to £150,000.

To view the film and for more information on preventing fires visit www.tosavealife.uk