Fire officers have welcomed a judgement upholding its decision to revoke an explosives storage licence in South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue inspecting officers revoked the licence of a Mr John Hebdon in 2022, following concerns about the licensee’s ability to safely store fireworks at a site in Barnsley.

The decision to revoke the licence was upheld at an appeal hearing earlier this year at Sheffield Coroner’s Court, following two days of witness evidence provided by Business Fire Safety inspecting officers.

The court heard that Mr Hebdon routinely failed to store fireworks in accordance with the Explosives Regulations over a prolonged period of time and obstructed officers from carrying out their lawful duties on multiple occasions.

Now fire chiefs are reiterating their commitment to upholding fire safety legislation and protecting the work of their business fire safety inspection teams.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andy Strelczenie, said: “We will not stand for people obstructing the work of our inspecting officers, who play such an important role in keeping local people safe. Unsafe sites also put our firefighters at risk, should an emergency occur.

“Explosives licence regulations, like all fire safety laws, are there to protect the public and prevent emergencies. Whilst we’ll always try to work with licence holders, we are not afraid to use our powers to take appropriate enforcement action and revoke licensees when the safety of firefighters and the public is placed at risk.”

With certain exceptions, an authorisation is required for the acquisition, keeping, transfer, storage and/or manufacture of explosives- including fireworks.

More information is available on the fire service website here.

South Yorkshire’s fire service wants people to feedback on its objectives for the next three years, after draft plans were considered by councillors today.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says it wants to remove inefficiency, boost performance and embed an inclusive workplace culture as it strives to become one of the country’s leading fire and rescue services.

A change to how it responds to 999 calls would see a vehicle which is used to respond to small incidents like grass and bin fires move from Cudworth to Dearne fire station. The fire service says this would be a better location for the vehicle based on incident data- analysed as part of a full review of all its fire stations and fire engines.

The proposals are set out in the service’s draft Community Risk Management Plan 2025-2028.  Every fire service publishes plans like these to tell local people the steps they will take to make them safer and address risks in their local area.

You can view South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s draft Community Risk Management Plan 2025 to 2028 here.

You can feedback on the plans using the survey here.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Simon Dunker, said: “Responding to emergencies efficiently and effectively remains our number one priority as a fire and rescue service. But we also deliver other important work to make local people safer and our Community Risk Management Plan is a way we demonstrate how we combine all our resources to address risks in South Yorkshire. Now we want local people to feedback on those plans- as well as our other objectives for the next four years.”

The draft plans were considered by the service’s governing Fire & Rescue Authority on Monday 25 November, who approved the service begin consulting with its staff and the public on the proposals. The Fire Authority is made up of 12 members from across South Yorkshire’s four councils.

The consultation will close on 7 February 2025.

South Yorkshire’s fire service has set out its objectives for the next three years, in draft plans to be considered by local councillors.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says it wants to remove inefficiency, boost performance and embed an inclusive workplace culture as it strives to become one of the country’s leading fire and rescue services.

The only change to how it responds to 999 calls would see a vehicle which is used to respond to small incidents like grass and bin fires move from Cudworth to Dearne fire station. The fire service says this would be a better location for the vehicle based on incident data- analysed as part of a full review of all its fire stations and fire engines.

The proposals are set out in the service’s draft Community Risk Management Plan 2025-2028.  Every fire service publishes plans like these to tell local people the steps they will take to make them safer and address risks in their local area.

The draft plans will be considered by the service’s governing Fire & Rescue Authority on Monday 25 November. The Fire Authority is made up of 12 members from across South Yorkshire’s four councils.

If approved for consultation, the service will then consult with the public and its own staff on the proposals.

For more information visit the Fire Authority website here

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