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Home 2024 August

Month: August 2024

Sheffield firefighters prepare for charity challenge

Posted on by Alfie Robinson

A team of eleven firefighters are embarking on South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s latest charity challenge in support of Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS and Charity.

Lowedges Watch Manager (WM) Tom Robjohns (pictured with son Alfie) will be leading the team six miles across Sheffield as they carry a 10.5 ladder from Lowedges Fire Station to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

WM Robjohns son, Alfie, was born in 2019 and at three weeks old contracted viral meningitis. He was rushed to the Emergency Department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where the nurses and doctors cared for him around the clock, ultimately saving his life.

Now five years old, Alfie has made a full recovery and is none the wiser of the ordeal his parents went through back in 2019.

It is the incredible work and care that the nurses and doctors showed Alfie that has led to WM Robjohns wanting to organise this epic ladder carry across Sheffield as part of the service’s wider fundraising for Sheffield Children’s.

Setting off from Lowedges Fire Station at 10:30am on Saturday 31 August, WM Robjohns and team will pass by:

  • 11:15 – St James retail park where a Lowedges Blue Watch with their fire engine
    will be giving fire safety advice and taking donations.
  • 12:00 – Through Woodseats
  • 13:00 – On to London Road and up St Mary’s gate.
  • 14:45 – On to Western Bank on the final stretch up to Sheffield Children’s Hospital led in convoy by a Fire Appliance from our Central Station.

(All times are approximate)

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Area Manager, John Billings, said: “Since April of this year, I’ve asked my teams across Sheffield to raise as much money as we can for Sheffield Children’s. So far we have walked to every Sheffield fire station wearing breathing apparatus and climbed the equivalent of the Yorkshire three peaks using our 32m turntable.

“This is another huge challenge set by Lowedges and I couldn’t be prouder of the team.”

The Children’s Hospital Charity’s Community Fundraising Officer, Emma Maskrey, said: ‘We are so grateful to each and every member of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for their support.

“The stations across the Sheffield District have shown such commitment and generosity in their campaign to fundraise for us this year. They’ve taken on some incredible challenges, with the ladder-carry at Lowedges being no exception. We’re so proud to have such a vital part of the Sheffield community supporting our charity.

“The Children’s Hospital Charity supports Sheffield Children’s to provide life changing care for children from the UK and beyond, and that is only possible thanks to the fundraising and support of organisations like South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

“Our team will be cheering them on and we hope that supporters from across Sheffield and beyond, can get behind their campaign and donate.”

You can donate towards this challenge here or meet WM Robjohns and team across the route outlined above on Saturday 31 August.

Top armed forces award for fire service’s gold standard support

Posted on by Jayne Sanderson

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has been given the top award by the Ministry of Defence for demonstrating its commitment to the armed forces community.

SYFR has been named a Gold award-winning organisation under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), delivered locally by the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association for Yorkshire & Humber.

The ERS consists of three award levels – bronze, silver, gold. Each level indicates an organisation’s commitment and involvement to offer support programmes that align with the scheme’s framework.

The main objective of the scheme is for employers to endorse their employees who are military personnel (current, former and associated) and enable development opportunities that support their current or past duty to the forces with their civilian employment. The scheme also encourages overall support of the general armed forces community.

To win gold, employers must provide extra leave for reservists and have supportive HR policies in place for reservists, veterans, cadet volunteers and spouses and partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue also now has a well-established Armed Forces staff network, organises social events for the armed forces community and runs ‘have a go days’ for veterans considering a career in the fire and rescue service.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Station Manager Gary Devonport, said: “We’ve worked really hard to achieve gold status. At South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue we recognise the invaluable contribution members of the Armed Forces Community make.

As a service we want to promote the fact we are a Armed Forces friendly organisation and being awarded the Gold award further celebrates all of the positive action we are taking in support of the Armed Forces community.”

Sheffield firms fined £4,000 for breaching fire safety regulations

Posted on by Gregory Mattock-Evans

Two Sheffield businesses have been ordered to pay £4,000 after each failing to provide documents and information to business fire safety inspectors.

Brightside Motors LTD and Brightside Motors Repair Centre LTD received the fine at a hearing at Sheffield Magistrates Court on Wednesday 31 July after the firms, both based on 90 Holywell Road, Sheffield, failed to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The Court ordered they pay a fine of £2,500, cover prosecution costs of £569 and pay a victim’s surcharge of £1,000, totalling £4,069 each.

The case was proved in absence as no representatives from either company attended the hearing.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Business Fire Safety Inspecting Officers visited the company after a fire on the premises on 21 April 2023.

An enforcement notice was put in place after it was determined that the business had not been complying with a previously agreed fire safety plan.

The enforcement notice was also not followed which triggered an additional investigation and request for information and documentation about who is the responsible person at the property.

No documentation or information was received, resulting in court summons.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Andy Strelczenie, said: “Fire Safety is a core function of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, our aim is always to work with businesses to ensure they can keep people safe, but it needs to be a two-way process.

“In this case, we have had little to no engagement from the company involved, despite multiple requests to improve and share information with us. This has ultimately resulted in this fine being issued.”