South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is celebrating a new partnership with dementia charity Lost Chord that will see fire safety messages incorporated into music making sessions.

The national charity, which supports over 10,000 people annually across the UK and has roots in South Yorkshire, has been transforming the lives of people with dementia and other neurological conditions through the power of interactive music for 25 years.

Its regular Tea and Tunes sessions at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre became a vital lifeline for many living with dementia and their carers, along with isolated people from across the city, creating a place where they could feel connected, supported, and alive through the universal language of music.

In the face of venue and refreshment costs, however, Lost Chord UK was forced to make the difficult decision to relocate Tea and Tunes.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue offered the use of its Handsworth-based training and development centre in Sheffield free of charge, ensuring the sessions will continue in a safe, accessible environment.

But the partnership goes beyond just providing a venue because Lost Chord UK and SYFR have now developed the idea of a Community Chorus, an initiative that will use music not only to engage but to educate.

By incorporating important fire safety messages into the sessions, the aim is to engage attendees in a fun and interactive way that could ultimately save lives.

Jean Collingwood, CEO of Lost Chord said: “We believe this truly exciting collaboration is the first of its kind in the UK.

“By partnering with SYFR, we can combine our expertise in music with their community safety goals, creating a truly innovative project that serves both the hearts and minds of Sheffield’s residents.”

Toni Tranter, partnership manager at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to partner with Lost Chord on this pioneering project and it’s a real pleasure to be able to host the Community Chorus at our Training and Development Centre in Handsworth.

“We know that people living with dementia are at a greater risk of suffering a fire due to their condition so to be able to share important safety messages through the power of music is a fantastic opportunity for us and aligns with our mission to create safer and stronger communities.”

The Community Chorus sessions, which are free, dementia-friendly and open to everyone begin on Monday October 28, with two further sessions planned for Friday November 15 and Monday December 9, all from 1 to 2pm at the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Training and Development Centre, Beaver Hill Road, Handsworth, Sheffield, S13 9QA.

Lost Chord UK’s talented musicians, supported by the Lost Chord UK volunteers, will lead the sessions, working alongside SYFR to incorporate essential fire safety messaging into the music-making.

“Our musicians are already doing what they do best, improvising and collaborating with local people to create opportunities for them to shine,” said Jean.

“This has been a true team effort and I couldn’t be prouder of our volunteers and musicians for their tenacity and to our partners at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for making this partnership possible.

“For the people of Sheffield, this new initiative represents an exciting opportunity to socialise, connect with others, learn new skills, and engage with their community in a way that is both fun and potentially life-saving.”

For more details, visit the Lost Chord UK online community diary at the charity’s website www.lost-chord.org.uk

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 About Lost Chord UK 

• Lost Chord UK is a charity that uses the transformative power of interactive music to improve the health and well-being of people living with dementia and other neurological conditions.
• Based in South Yorkshire and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Lost Chord UK reaches over 10,000 people nationally each year through its innovative music sessions in care homes, nursing homes, and the wider community. Released on behalf of Lost Chord UK by John Highfield PR. For further information call 07776 180911 or email: info@johnhighfieldpr.co.uk

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.”

A South Yorkshire firefighter is taking on a 40 mile charity hike in memory of a footballer friend who died by suicide four years ago.

Paul Wood, a Station Manager at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, will join others on the High Peak 40 Mile Challenge in September to mark what would have been friend Stuart Lumbert’s 40th birthday.

Paul hopes to inspire others to take on the mammoth walking challenge, which will raise money for Blythe House Hospice and Help For Heroes.

Paul said: “I was born in Sheffield, but moved to Buxton in 1994. When I first came to Buxton I played football with Stuart and his brother Andrew for a local football team in the Hope Valley League.

“Stuart would have been 40 this year and his brother, Andrew Lumbert, has got a group of friends and family together to complete the High Peak 40 Mile Challenge. The challenge itself had been going for a number of years but stopped after the 2016 event and has not gone ahead since then.

“Someone has taken over the organising of the event and it is happening again this year. I know mental health is a big issue – both for firefighters and the wider community- and something that many people are affected by directly and indirectly. We hope to raise awareness of this through our fundraising efforts, whilst raising lots of money for two really important causes at the same time.”

For more information about the event on Saturday 14 September visit highpeak40.co.uk or to sponsor Paul and his friends, visit their fundraising page here

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Caption: Paul Wood (left) in training with Andrew Lumbert, Stuart’s brother

A Sheffield man has been sentenced to six months in prison- suspended for 18 months- and 250 hours community service after admitting to violating fire safety laws.

Mr Zahir Ahmed, of Bannerdale Road, Sheffield appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on the 6 June 2024, having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing on 9 May 2024 at Sheffield Magistrates Court to six charges of failing to comply with articles under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Eleven people were trapped inside the building on Brookhill Road, Sheffield when fire broke at around 3.25am on 25 February 2022.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus located the people, staying with them until the blaze was extinguished and the property could be ventilated.

The single stair case in the property also collapsed during the incident, causing a firefighter to fall through the stairs.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Business Fire Safety Inspecting Officers found no fire alarm or emergency lighting, poor standard of fire doors and no stair case ventilation, following a post-incident investigation.

His Honour Judge Robinson concluded there must be a custodial given the seriousness of the offences, the fact they relate to two premises, to multiple breaches of the regulations and that there was a real risk of serious harm to people.

Mr Ahmed was sentenced to six months in prison on each of the offences to run concurrently. This sentence is suspended for 18 months. He will be required to complete 250 hours of unpaid work for the benefit of the community. He is ordered to pay £10,000 of prosecution costs at £1000 per month.

Handing down the sentence, His Honour Judge Robinson, said: “Mr Ahmed was wilfully not caring about the safety of individuals. There had been a dreadful fire, which resulted in a firefighter falling through the stairs. It could have been catastrophic and was in my view, a near fatal fire.”

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andy Strelczenie, said: “Landlords and other responsible persons are responsible for preventing fires in the first instance. Should a fire then occur in a building they are responsible for, other protection measures become absolutely critical.

This fire could have had a catastrophic outcome had it not been for the highly skilled professionalism of our firefighters. Due to the lack of fire safety systems and management within this premises, it was extremely fortuitous in this instance that people did not die.”

“This sentence is a reminder to all responsible persons that we can and will prosecute people when they fail to adhere to the laws which are there to keep people safe.”

In flats of this type, a suitable fire risk assessment is expected to have been carried out which would identify the necessary fire safety measures such as fire alarms, emergency lighting, evacuation strategy and appropriate protected escape routes, which should be managed by a responsible person. SYFR works closely with businesses and landlords to ensure they comply with fire safety regulations and inspectors are available to offer practical advice and assistance in this area.

For more information on the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and keeping premises safe from fire visit the Business Safety section of the fire service website www.syfire.gov.uk

Emergency service bosses have hailed a new partnership which sees trainee paramedics train alongside firefighters.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue regularly welcomes Sheffield Hallam University paramedic students to training drills in a bid to expose students to realistic scenarios and build understanding between 999 responders.

Larger scale training exercises have also been set up at fire stations across South Yorkshire to help rehearse responses to incidents where firefighters and paramedics are likely to be present- including road traffic collisions, rescues from height and water incidents.

Station Manager Justin Robertson, said: “Since establishing this partnership two years ago we’ve held dozens of exercises and the learning for both firefighters and paramedics has been incredible. There’s already a great deal of respect between all the emergency services, but anything we can do to help build a better understanding of our respective roles at incidents will ultimately lead to better outcomes for the public we are here to help.”

Paramedic Senior Lecturer James Stubley, said: “The partnership with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has allowed our students to be exposed to a greater level of reality, extending our simulation scenarios. Collaboration with emergency service colleagues has allowed our students to gain valuable experience prior to graduating and pursuing their paramedic careers, being better informed of scene safety and capabilities of other services at these more complex incidents. This joint working at the early stage of their careers can only lead to more successful joint working and ultimately improved prehospital patient care.”

The Policing & Crime Act 2016 placed 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, the fire and police services share a Joint Community Safety Department, shared fleet management and vehicle workshops and have a joint fire and police station in Maltby. The ambulance service also has access to welfare facilities at several fire stations across the country.

All three emergency services also work together on dozens of other opportunities for joint working throughout the year- from training to staff network events.

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Fire and health staff in South Yorkshire now share the same building following a major new collaboration agreement.

Staff from NHS South Yorkshire moved into South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s headquarters on Eyre Street, Sheffield earlier this month.

Both organisations say the move is further evidence of public services working together to save money and deliver better outcomes for local people.

Chief Fire Officer Chris Kirby, said: “We’re really pleased to welcome our health partners into our service headquarters and look forward to the opportunities this may generate in the future.

“The use of our HQ had changed post-pandemic and as we looked to realign our office space to meet the changing needs of our corporate teams, it made sense to look for an appropriate partner to share our building with.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has occupied its current headquarters on Eyre Street since 2008, having previously been based at sites on Wellington Street and Division Street in the city. Part of the HQ building is already let to Age UK Sheffield.

Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive of NHS South Yorkshire, said: “It’s really exciting to be partnering with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and bringing public services together. We work closely with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue through the local resilience forum and we share many of the same aims in improving the lives and wellbeing for our communities.

“The move will also allow us to better connect with Age UK Sheffield and other partners in Sheffield, such as Sheffield City Council, and we’ll soon be making similar moves in Barnsley and Rotherham that will bring similar benefits.”