South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
  • In emergencies call 999
  • General enquiries 0114 272 7202

Crews issue safety warning following battery blaze

Firefighters are warning the public about the potential dangers posed by purchasing unbranded electrical goods on the internet after an incident in which a battery bought online caught fire.

Crews from Elm Lane, Rotherham and Parkway green watch recently attended the incident in Kimberworth, Rotherham. Upon arrival crews found that the battery, which was for a head torch, had set alight whilst on charge and the fire had quickly spread to the kitchen units. This had caused a large amount of smoke logging in the property, damaging the hallway and stairway.

Luckily, the property had two new working smoke alarms which had been fitted by the fire service and they successfully alerted the occupier, who was sat in the rear garden at the time, to the fire.

Firefighters used a hose reel and breathing apparatus to extinguish the flames and also ventilated the property.

Upon leaving, crews ensured the two smoke alarms that had sounded were replaced with new alarms.

There are some simple things you can do to prevent electrical fires. For example:

  • Don’t buy cheap, unbranded chargers and make sure chargers or other electrical items are compatible to the device you are using
  • Don’t leave things to charge overnight or beyond the recommended charging time. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions
  • Keep electrical items away from flammable materials when charging
  • Don’t overload sockets– long, strip adaptors are safest, but can only take a total of 13 amps

Praise for firefighters and public safety plea as hot dry weather continues

Fire officers have praised crews for their work in tackling a higher than average number of incidents- and called on the public help prevent blazes.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s control room handled 336 emergency calls in the last 24 hours (8am Monday 23 July to 8am Tuesday 24 July), with crews being mobilised to 87 incidents across the county, including some which took several hours to tackle.

Many of the incidents the fire service has dealt with have been grass and rubbish fires, or in some cases bonfires which have spread to sheds, shrubs and trees.

Head of Emergency Response Tony Carlin, said: “Our crews are providing a fantastic service in what are clearly very hot, difficult firefighting conditions. We are proud of each and every one of our firefighters and control operators and they are rightly receiving praise from the public during what is a busier than usual period for us.

“But with the forecast set to remain warm and dry for several weeks, we really need people to help us, help them by taking some basic precautions to prevent fires. For example, take rubbish with you if you are out and about in the countryside as glass bottles and cigarette ends can easily start fires.

“We’d much rather people put off having garden bonfires until the hot, dry weather has subsided, but if you do insist on having a fire make sure it is sited well away from sheds, buildings and trees and don’t leave it unattended.

“And with around three quarters of all the fires we attend being arson, report people starting fires in your area to police 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.”

For more information on preventing fires visit www.syfire.gov.uk

South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue sign joint collaboration agreement

Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police Stephen Watson, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive Jamie Courtney, Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings and Chair of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor Chris Lamb, have today signed the joint collaboration agreement to outline the terms and vision of the collaborative work between the organisations.

The strategic agreement formalises the roles, responsibilities, aims and objectives of the partnership to build on the existing and effective collaborations achieved so far.

The successful collaboration programme between South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue was launched to build on and develop existing and future activities undertaken in collaboration between both organisations.

This programme, which began in early 2017, has already led to the creation of a Joint Police and Fire Station in Maltby, Rotherham, the development of a Joint Community Safety Department and the appointment of a Head of Joint Vehicle Fleet Management and Head of Joint Estates and Facilities Management.

This collaborative work continues to grow and develop and will see the organisations co-operating together to carry out joint public service functions, identify solutions and enable sharing of best practice.

South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable, Stephen Watson said: “This collaboration between South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue will ensure that we can give the best possible service to the public, in a cost effective way. We have successfully worked in collaboration with the fire service for a number of years and this agreement now formalises that activity. “

Fire Authority Chair Cllr Chris Lamb, said: “The Fire Authority and its members fully support the provision of a strong fire and rescue service, including the pursuit of close working with other emergency services where there is a clear benefit to local people. We hope that the signing of this agreement will help to continue our strong progress in this area.”

Chief Fire Officer James Courtney, said: “Whilst there is now a legal duty on all emergency services to work more closely together, for us the real benefits of collaboration with the police, ambulance and other fire services are to the communities we serve. Whilst we still believe each of the emergency services should retain their own unique skills, brand and specialisms, we want to show local people that we are serious about providing them with the most efficient and most effective services possible. The signing of this agreement helps to demonstrate our commitment to that goal.”

Dr Alan Billings South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I very much welcome this Collaboration Agreement as a first step in greater working together.

“The motivation is to make for more effective working together; but it will also enable savings to be made, as in the case of some joint appointments.

“I am sure the public will support bringing these two vital public services together to make South Yorkshire a safer place.”

Young people’s inspiration for Goldthorpe wildlife haven

A project to transform a rubbish strewn former railway embankment into a wildlife haven was got underway, having been kick started by young people on a fire and police led development course two years ago.

Young people on South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police’s Prince’s Trust Team Programme cleaned and painted three unloved bridges in Goldthorpe, Barnsley in 2016 as part of an award-winning community project.

The initiative helped to renew interest in the space, which had become blighted with flytipping.

Now work is underway to turn an area of disused railway embankments beneath the bridges into a new outdoor destination for residents and nature, after the Dearne Area Council Team established ‘The Railway Embankment Group’ in response to the frustrations of local residents.

During the initial stage of the project, architecture students from Sheffield University worked with residents to create a vision for the area.  The Railway Embankment Group and local volunteers meet regularly, and carried out litter picks and campaigns to clean up the area ready for the work to begin.  Pupils from Goldthorpe Primary School have made bird boxes and a hedgehog hotel for the scheme to encourage wildlife to the area, which will be placed at the site once the access route is complete.

The scheme is due to complete in 2019 and once finished the embankment will feature an orchard and wildflower area, with a new access route to allow people to get into the site. The site will be used for local environmental and wildlife sessions for all of the community to benefit. Interpretation boards designed by the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership will be installed to provide visitors with the history and facts about the site.

Princes Trust Team Leader John Daley, said: “This project is evidence of the lasting impact that young people completing our courses can have. I am proud of the legacy we left in this area, contributing to a renewed interest in an unloved community space.

“The mix of modern ideas for conservation combined with Goldthorpe’s industrial heritage are a breath of fresh air for this former unofficial tip and far from the original ideas which would have seen them disappear completely leaving nothing for the young people in the area to remember their proud heritage with.  The embankment team have worked tirelessly with other agencies to see this massive project take root and fired the imagination of everyone involved.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police teamed up with the Prince’s Trust to deliver the Team Programme more than two years ago. During that time around 200 young people have benefited from the 12 week personal development course for unemployed 16 –to25 year olds, offering work experience, qualifications, practical skills, community projects and a residential week.

The courses are based at fire stations and are the only programmes of their type in the country to be jointly delivered by fire and police services. For more information or to sign-up, email princestrust@syfire.gov.uk

Grass fire warning during hot weather

Fire crews are warning the public to take extra care during this period of hot weather to avoid any accidental grass fires.

During hot and dry weather the risk of grass fires increases, but following a few simple steps can greatly reduce the chance of a fire starting.

Fire officers are asking people to help prevent grass fires by:

• Not using open fires in the countryside

• Making sure any barbecue or disposable barbecue is only used in a suitable location and is extinguished properly after use

• Extinguishing cigarettes completely and not throwing cigarette ends on the ground

• Not leaving bottles or glass in woodland – sunlight shining through glass can start fires

Fire crews want their resources available to protect the communities of South Yorkshire, incidents involving accidental grass fires can use up a lot of these vital resources.

Man found drowned in Doncaster

A man has been found dead after entering water near to Straight Lane, Skelbrooke, Doncaster.

Firefighters joined police and ambulance crews in searching for and recovering the casualty, who is believed to be a 19 year old man.

The fire service attended the incident around 8.35pm last night, mobilising four fire engines including specialist water rescue crews.

Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the man who died.

South Yorkshire students targeted with latest road safety package

The fire service is launching a new road safety package geared towards educating Year 10 students across South Yorkshire about how to keep safe on the roads. 

The ‘H16HWAY’ package has been developed by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, with support from the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership, and aims to provide young people with the tools and advice they need to keep safe on the roads as pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders and passengers.  

Head of prevention and protection Steve Helps, said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy, but it is even more keenly felt when it is a young person who loses their life. Young people are over represented in our casualty statistics when it comes to road traffic collisions, therefore it’s important they receive reminders about the safe use of our roads to prevent them from becoming victims.”  

Joanne Wehrle, Safer Roads Manager at South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership, said: “Unfortunately, there have been a total of 1522 children and young people between the ages 10 to 16 reported as injured over the last 5 years (2013-2017) on South Yorkshire roads. Of this number, 275 of them, tragically, were either killed or seriously injured as a pedestrian, passenger in a car or as the rider of a motorcycle. 

“We support packages like H16HWAY in helping us to deliver key road safety information and advice to young people in a bid to encourage safer behaviours.” 

The new package is to be delivered by Fire Community Safety Officers and will involve film clips and group discussions. Each session will last for approximately one hour and the package is free of charge.  

The service is looking to deliver the first sessions in schools around South Yorkshire from September 2018. 

As one of the single biggest killers of young people, ‘H16HWAY’ will focus on a number of road safety topics: 

•         Pedestrians – Distractions, risky behaviour and finding safe places to cross the road

•         Cyclists – Undertaking long vehicles, blind spots, hi-vis items and bike maintenance

•         Scooter riders – Wearing the appropriate gear and minimising the risk of road rash

•         Passengers – Wearing seatbelts, the risks of driver distractions and what to do if you feel unsafe in a vehicle

•         What to do in an emergency situation 

Any schools requiring further information about the “H16HWAY” package or to book a session, please contact South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue education advocate Julie Claytor on 07990 951643 / jclaytor@syfire.gov.uk or Community Safety Co-ordinator Claire Walsh 0776841802 cwalsh@syfire.gov.uk.

South Yorkshire fire crews join Saddleworth Moor effort

Two fire engines and a high volume pump from South Yorkshire have joined the huge firefighting efforts on Saddleworth Moor.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) crews have been tackling blazes near Saddleworth Moor, Tameside, since 24 June.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue mobilised crews to the area over the weekend- joining other crews from across England.

High Volume Pumps are capable of moving huge volumes of water, and South Yorkshire’s is capable of pumping 8,000 litres of water a minute. It is being used as part of a water relay system in an effort to surround the blaze to stop if from spreading.

Water safety warning as heat wave continues

Firefighters are urging the public not to swim in lakes and reservoirs, with the current hot weather in South Yorkshire set to continue.

Safety officers say people should avoid open water- like rivers and lakes- because such areas are not designed for swimming as the water is often deeper, colder and faster than expected.

Around 400 people needlessly drown in the UK every year and thousands more suffer injury, some life changing, through near-drowning experiences. People should enjoy water safely in swimming pools or safer, specialist facilities instead.

Head of Community Safety Simon Dunker, said: “We often receive 999 calls during the summer months about people getting into difficulty in water. It’s only a matter of time before someone’s safety is really put at risk unless people listen to our advice.

“We understand it can be tempting to cool off when the weather in South Yorkshire is so hot, but stick to a swimming pool. Rivers, lakes or flooded quarries are completely unsuitable for swimming as they hide a number of hidden dangers.”

The dangers of open water are:

  • The water can be much deeper than you expect
  • Rivers, lakes, canals and reservoirs are much colder than you think, rarely reaching temperatures above 15 degrees Celsius in the UK
  • Open water can carry water borne diseases, like Weils disease
  • Cold water dramatically affects your ability to swim
  • There may be hidden currents, which can pull you under the water
  • You don’t know what lies beneath, like pieces of rubbish or reeds which can trap or injure you

Collaboration expansion for South Yorkshire Police and Fire

South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has expanded its already successful collaboration programme, after appointing a Head of Joint Vehicle Fleet Management to maximise efficiency and effectiveness of both organisation’s fleet operations.

Sarah Gilding was appointed in to the role on 4 June 2018, after working for South Yorkshire Police for over 25 years. Her appointment marks a huge step forward towards the organisations’ objective of integrating fleet services under a single management and support structure, and exploring opportunities for further collaboration.

As part of her new role, Sarah will lead and develop a cost effective, efficient and resilient fleet management service for both South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. She will also provide strategic oversight and management of all aspect of both organisations’ fleet services to help progress the objectives of both services.

Sarah said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as the Head of the Joint Vehicle Fleet Management Department for both South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police.  Both organisations’ Fleet departments provide an invaluable support service to ensure our key resources are available to meet demand and I am proud to have been chosen to lead such a service.”

Prior to Sarah’s appointment, both organisations were operating separate fleet departments with similar administrative and management roles, which were identified to be best managed through a joint centralised team.

The successful collaborative programme between South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue was launched in early 2017, to build on existing activities undertaken in collaboration between both organisations. The programme has already led to the creation of a Joint Police and Fire Station in Maltby, Rotherham, the development of a Joint Community Safety Department and the appointment of a Head of Joint Estates and Facilities Management.