A fire service funded project in South Yorkshire is helping to prevent trips and falls in older people in their homes.

The Edlington Community Organisation, in partnership with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has been inviting older people (50+) to bring along their old slippers and exchange them for a new safer slip-resistant pair for free.

The two year slipper swap project aims to be used in conjunction with information events to encourage the elderly and vulnerable into community venues to access other support focusing on fall prevention, Safe and Well checks and dementia awareness.

Since the start of slipper swap over 1,000 pairs of slippers have been given out along with 200 fire safety kits and 70 Safe & Well referrals.

Donations of all old slippers are re-donated to local Lions Clubs and community clothing banks who pass them on to other groups most in need within England or third world countries

The Edlington Community Organisation were awarded £39,000 for the project under the South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority’s funding scheme, Stronger Safer Communities Reserve.

SYFR Head of Prevention & Protection Steve Helps said; “The project so far has been really successful with a large number of Safe & Well referrals generated which has strengthened our knowledge and referral scheme through collaborative working with our partner agencies.

“It has also made it possible for older people in the community to live safer and be more prepared for living in their own homes in the future.”

Samantha Siddall at Edlington Community Organisation said; “A pair of slip resistant, fitted slippers not only stops you from falling but also reduces the pressure on emergency services and ensures older people remain independent and active. The free slippers are also a great way to get people into other services and accessing a variety of information and advice within their community.”

A number of fire stations across South Yorkshire will be holding a family fun day during the summer.  The full list of stations are below:

Thorne station – Monday 20 August – 10am-3pm
Union Road, Thorne, Doncaster DN8 5EL

Lowedges station – Saturday 25 August – 10am-3:30pm
Lowedges Road, Sheffield S8 7JN

Rotherham station – Sunday 26 August – 10am-4pm
Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood, Rotherham S65 1ST

Barnsley station – Saturday 8 September – 10am-2pm
Broadway, Barnsley S70 6RA

There will be a range of activities for all the family at each open day including:

• Fire engines to look round
• Demonstrations
• Fire cadets
  And much more

South Yorkshire fire cadets have been honored at a ceremony in Sheffield to mark their achievements.

More than 20 cadets, aged 13 to 17, were recognised in front of friends and family at the event at the fire service’s Handsworth training base, for successfully completing their Level 1 and Level 2 BTEC in Teamwork and Personal skills in a Uniform Organisation.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue runs seven cadet schemes- at Birley Moor, Cudworth, Edlington, Elm Lane, Dearne, Rotherham and Stocksbridge fire stations.

Cadets train at their respective stations once a week, learning firefighting skills and techniques from specially qualified instructors. They also play a key role at community events and take part in team-building days throughout the year.

Cadets enrol on to the CVQO education package, which covers the employability skills needed to work within the health and emergency services. The young people had 12months to work towards a recognised qualification, with certificates for successful completion of the programme handed out at last week’s event.

Station manager Matt Gillatt, said: “Our fire cadets scheme has a long and proud history. Over the years the scheme has evolved to provide a much more rounded mixture of skills and training, including community work and exercises to build personal confidence and employment skills.

“South Yorkshire has one of the most successful fire cadet schemes in the country, so it is right that we recognise the achievements of our youngsters in this way.”

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s latest group of new recruits has successfully graduated following 13 weeks of intensive training.

The group of eleven full-time firefighters have completed their training with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and will now join crews at their respective fire stations around the county.

A passing out parade at the service’s Training & Development Centre was attended by family, friends and local dignitaries. It included demonstrations from the recruits who showcased the skills that they have learnt over the last three months. There was also a special performance from the City of Sheffield Pipe Band.

The course included an intensive period of safety critical learning which covered skills such as ladder and hose reel drills, road traffic collision extrication and breathing apparatus training.

The much anticipated award for Top Recruit went to Firefighter Ian Hibberd who was presented with the silver axe.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Martin Blunden, said: “Well done to our newest firefighters who have beaten off competition from hundreds of other applicants, they really are the best of the best and are a credit to both themselves and their loved ones.

“The intensive course they have been on will prepare them for a challenging yet rewarding career with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service. The training they’ve received covers the wide and varied role of a modern firefighter, with our work to keep people safe and prevent emergencies every bit as important as the work we are most associated with- responding to 999 calls.”

For more information on a career as a South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue firefighter, visit www.syfrrecruitment.com

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 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.

A former apprentice turned fire service employee has hailed the strength of the organisation’s apprenticeship scheme after it helped build her skills and experience to land a full time role.

In April 2016, Ellie Bolton became an apprentice in the Business Fire Safety department at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR), assisting and supporting Fire Safety Inspecting Officers, Ellie soon became a valued member of the team.  It was here that she gained the skills and experience required to further her career in the Fire Service.

Two years later as the apprenticeship was coming to an end, a full time vacancy became available in the Data Management section and her drive and determination spurred her on to apply for the post of Data Administrator.  Ellie was successful and became a member of staff in March 2018.

Ellie said; “Without the apprenticeship I would not have developed the skills and confidence that secured me this role. The apprenticeship has changed my life and has benefited me in many ways and I would recommend it to anyone.”

Amy Jenkinson, Business Fire Safety Manager at SYFR said; “Ellie is a fantastic example of how apprenticeships can help individuals further their careers. Ellie has gone from strength to strength and the knowledge and skills she acquired during her time as an apprentice was a large factor in her gaining employment within the service.  We are all really proud of her and wish her all the best in her future career.”

Any future apprenticeship opportunities will be advertised on the jobs page of our website.

South Yorkshire’s fire crews have taken part in a realistic training exercise to test their response in the event of a major incident.

The exercise took place at the Fly DSA Arena in Sheffield with 10 fire crews from Parkway, Elm Lane, Central, Rotherham, Birley Moor, Tankersley and Thorne fire stations last week.  It tested South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s operational response to a chemical incident.

The scenario involved a number of people being exposed to a chemical. The exercise included around 40 volunteers from the fire and police service’s Prince’s Trust Team Programme and students from the public services course at Barnsley College who all acted as casualties.

Station Manager Nicholas Abbott, said: “Our firefighters are ready to respond to a huge number of different incident types, from fires to road traffic collisions. We issue lots of guidance to our crews about the different sorts of scenarios they might come across in the line of duty, but really the best way of preparing our response is to test it out for real.

“We’re extremely grateful to Fly DSA Arena for making the exercise as realistic as possible and providing some vital technical input on the day.

This recent exercise formed part of an ongoing aim at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue to continually improve emergency response procedures to incidents that aren’t just fires.

The fire service has issued a fire safety warning of the dangers of over-heating wheat bags, following an inquest into the death of a man in his 70’s at his home in Rotherham.

Firefighters from Doncaster and Maltby were called to the incident on Glaisdale Close at 12:01pm on Sunday 12 November. Upon arrival at this incident, it was apparent that there had been a slow burning fire which was already extinguished when fire crews arrived. Firefighters gained access to the property via the front door and discovered the body in the front room of the bungalow.

Fire investigators found a wheat bag that had been overheated to have been the cause of the fire.

The coroner, Louise Slater recorded a verdict of accidental death at yesterday’s inquest.

Station Manager Simon Rodgers, who investigated the cause of the fire, said: “No one deserves to die in these circumstances and ultimately any house fire death is preventable, regardless of any other factors which may have contributed to that person’s death.

“To ensure that microwavable heat bags are used safely, users should always ensure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, as these bags can become too hot if heated for longer than recommended.

“We want to again call on our partners in the health, housing and social care sectors to do more to help us identify those who are most at risk of fire, so that we can put extra measures in place to help prevent fatal fires.”

Safety advice for preventing fires caused by wheat bags includes:

• Only purchase a wheat bag that comes with clear manufacturer instructions
• Always follow manufacturer’s instructions and never heat the bag for longer than recommended
• If you know an elderly person who uses a wheat bag, explain the manufacturer’s instructions to them
• Leave wheat bags to cool in a safe area and don’t use one in a confined space such as under bedding