Firefighters at Stocksbridge station have responded to more than 50 medical emergencies, two months after the launch of South Yorkshire’s first Emergency First Responder (EFR) scheme.

The scheme is a joint initiative between South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) and Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) which sees firefighters called out to certain life-threatening incidents at the same time as an ambulance.

Medical emergencies attended since the scheme went live on 1 November 2015 include several cardiac arrests and incidents stating chest pains and breathing difficulties. At other incidents, firefighters have provided support and made the patient comfortable until the ambulance service arrived on scene.

Training for firefighters taking part in the pilot included basic life support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and oxygen therapy. They are equipped with a kit which includes oxygen and an automated external defibrillator to help patients in a medical emergency such as a heart attack, collapse or breathing difficulties.

An EFR is despatched at the same time as an ambulance and does not replace the usual emergency medical response from YAS. However, their location within the local community could mean they are nearer to the scene in those first critical minutes of a medical emergency, delivering life-saving care until an ambulance arrives.

They also support and complement other volunteer community first responder schemes within South Yorkshire, ensuring the level of medical provision to local communities is supplemented.

Emergency First Responders are only available for dispatch when staffing levels at their fire station allow and the scheme does not impact fire cover.

On-call firefighters at Rossington and Dearne fire stations have become the latest in South Yorkshire to attend EFR calls.

Head of Emergency Response at SYFR Phil Shillito said: “Two months after this scheme went live, our firefighters are already showing the incredible value they can add to their communities and the role we can play as a fire service in enhancing the work of our emergency service partners and volunteer community first responders.

“Our role as a fire service will always be to protect our communities and reach and save those who are in danger as quickly as possible. So I think it’s only natural for us to look for other ways to extend our skills and support the work of other local bodies, like the ambulance service.”

YAS Head of Community Resilience Paul Stevens said: “The demand placed upon blue light emergency services increases every year and our approaches to providing the best response and best patient outcomes are continually evolving. This is an innovative and alternative way of working with our partners which will lead to more lives being saved.”

South Yorkshire firefighters have been asked to take part in the flood relief in Lancashire.

A group of 13 firefighters are travelling to the flood hit area, taking the High Volume Pump (HVP) to assist emergency services battling the flooding.

HVPs are capable of moving huge volumes of water, and South Yorkshire’s is capable of pumping 8,000 litres of water a minute. Once they arrive in Lancashire they will then be deployed to where they are needed most.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s firefighters, most of whom are normally based at Aston Park  and Tankersley fire stations, are expected to remain in Lancashire for several days.

Head of Emergency Response Phil Shillito, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer practical and strategic support to our colleagues in Lancashire.”

“The High Volume Pump is an extremely powerful piece of kit and is ideally suited to helping to deal with the quantities of water we are talking about in Lancashire right now.

“To be part of such a massive relief effort is extremely rewarding for those involved and I would like to thank them on behalf of the people that they are assisting.”

Senior officers agreed to make their resources available following a request from the National Co-ordinating Centre, after ensuring they were satisfied with the fire and rescue provision which remains available for local people in South Yorkshire.

The fire service’s tradition of sharing national assets benefited communities in Doncaster in 2007, when more than 30 HVPs from all over the country helped to pump out flooded areas around Bentley and Toll Bar.

A fire service emergency planning manager has delivered a major speech on business continuity to a global audience.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) business continuity manager Russ Parramore delivered a speech at the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) World Conference and Exhibition in London, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from over 100 countries.

The presentation detailed how the fire service has developed its risk, resilience and business continuity arrangements throughout history.

In particular, Russ focussed on the introduction of the Fire and Rescue Service Act [2004] and the Civil Contingencies Act [2004, which created a new requirement for the fire service to have business continuity plans in place.

As a result of these laws, the presentation detailed how SYFR has developed its plans over the last decade to become of the world’s leading public service authorities on business continuity.

Russ Parramore said: “Business continuity is a hot topic for many large organisations, both public and private, as they seek to work out how they can limit the disruption to their staff and the people they serve after a catastrophic event, which could range from a simple power outage to severe staff shortages.

“The fire service has always been at the forefront of this sort of work and risk and resilience has been at the heart of what we do for hundreds of years.

“It’s a coup for South Yorkshire and for the fire sector as a whole that I was able to share my experiences with a global audience and to explain how business continuity has gone from being seen as a statutory duty that must be done, to something that is truly embedded across an entire organisation.”

For more information on business continuity, visit https://www.syfire.gov.uk/business-advice/business-continuity

Community Achievement Awards winners announced

Rotherham salutes volunteer and community groups at moving ceremony

The wide-reaching impact of Rotherham’s Voluntary and Community Sector was recognised at Friday’s twelfth annual Community Achievement Awards, where individual and group winners in three categories were announced in an emotional ceremony compered by Michael Kilby-Scott from Rother FM.

Julia Bodorova collected the award for Young Volunteer, sponsored by Morthyng Group Ltd and open to under 25’s. Julia volunteers for RMAARI and has been instrumental in the development of the girls’ football team as well as volunteering for youth club sessions, Ministry of Food cooking lessons and interpreting and translating for participants. Other Young Volunteer finalists were Toni Paxford who volunteers for Rotherham Youth Cabinet, dedicating her time to campaigns such as mental health, Votes at 16 and the Living Wage. The third finalist was Emily Taylor who is a Community First Responder, attending life threatening emergencies in her local area. Carole Haywood, Manager of the Rotherham Partnership and Chris MacCormac, Chief Executive, Morthyng Group Ltd presented the awards.

The 2015 Volunteer award, which was sponsored by Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, was scooped by Phil Bowers, a Community Safety Volunteer with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue carrying out home safety checks and fitting fire alarms in Rotherham. Other volunteers shortlisted for the final nominations included Brian Button the Chair of Active Independence who provides support to disabled people, older people, their carers and families. Cath McCartan was the other finalist. Cath is a volunteer and steering group member for the Big Local in Thurcroft, a partnership of local residents making Thurcroft a better place to live. The awards were presented by Andrew Mosley, Editor at Rotherham Advertiser and Paul Jagger, President at Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.

In the Project category, sponsored by Irwin Mitchell, the winner was Tassibee, which provides support to isolated and socially excluded Asian women. Other finalists in the category were Environmentalist Litter Pickers who are a group of children keeping the Abbey Reach estate in Maltby litter free and Rotherham Dementia Action Alliance who aim to create dementia friendly work and public space. The awards were presented by Carole Haywood, Manager of the Rotherham Partnership and Alison Gregory and Katy Bailey from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors.

This year a Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Age UK Rotherham, was also presented to Edna Bateman who volunteers at Rotherham Hospice Charity shop. At 99 years young Edna has volunteered for the last 18 years, liking to keep busy and active. The award was presented by the Mayor, Cllr Maggi Clark and Lesley Dabell, Chief Executive at Age UK Rotherham.

The evening was rounded off with a selection of songs from the Rotherham Teachers’ Student Academy. The talented youngsters entertaining the audience were Charlotte Hucknall, Isabel Canning and Matt Roddis.

Organised by Voluntary Action Rotherham on behalf of Rotherham Partnership, the Community Achievement Awards were staged at the Carlton Park Hotel.

Notes

Voluntary Action Rotherham is a registered Charity and provides advice and support services to voluntary and community sector groups and organisations across Rotherham.

The Community Achievement Awards are held annually to celebrate the work of individuals and projects in the voluntary and community sector that have made a significant difference to the communities of Rotherham.

Organised by Voluntary Action Rotherham on behalf of the Rotherham Partnership, the Awards first took place in 2003 and have celebrated the achievements of Rotherhams Voluntary and community sector.

Youngsters in the Manor area of Sheffield are fighting fit thanks to fire service funding for their local boxing club.

De Hood boxing club has been awarded funding for equipment and a boxing ring, which will enable the club to expand and take on more young members.

The boxing club began in 2013 with the aim of reducing antisocial behaviour in the area and to give the youngsters a purpose. Within only a few weeks of opening the antisocial behaviour figures had been halved.

With 100 current members, the club is wanting to expand and to increase its numbers to 150.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are to hold regular fire and road safety sessions for the youngsters at the club and will be seen as a role model by many of them.

The project won £7,700 which will provide this well needed equipment which De Hood needs to progress.

The funding comes from the South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority’s funding scheme, the Stronger Safer Communities Reserve.

The fund saw dozens of registered charities, community organisations and partner agencies come forward and apply for grants from the £2 million fund, which had been set aside from the Authority’s reserves.

Station Manager Steve Wood, at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said, “This new and exciting project will give the young people on the Manor an opportunity to let off steam in this very popular sport. We look forward to visiting the club and offering advice and encouragement, which in turn will benefit the whole community and help to reduce antisocial behaviour in the area.”

De Hood Boxing Club organiser Mark Wilkinson said, “We are really pleased that our project has won this funding. Our aim is to become one of the main community hubs for children and young people in the Manor area of Sheffield. The project will work in partnership with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police to bring down antisocial behaviour, and for the youngsters something to be proud of in their local community.”