Our latest Prince’s Trust programme is running in Dearne, and the recruits on Team Valiant are really taking the bull by the horns.

They were recently invited by the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion in the Yorkshire Regiment to visit Catterick Garrison and meet the regiment.

It was an early start for the team, travelling to North Yorkshire to take up the invite. On arrival, following introductions, they were treated to a display by the Drums Platoon before moving on to different stances which included vehicle recovery, command tasks, physical training and finally finishing with a weapons and equipment display.

The Commanding Officer commended the group for their participation and enthusiasm, stating how impressed he was with their efforts on the day. The youngsters really demonstrated what a fantastic team they are, winning medals from the Commanding Officer for being the quickest team to complete the command tasks.

On behalf of Team Valiant, we would like to pass on thanks to the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment and The Prince’s Trust for providing this unique opportunity.

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

In 2013, Ben Williamson became an Assistant Fire Cadet Instructor after being a Fire Cadet for a number of years. Wanting to work further with the fire service he became a Fire Support Volunteer within the Community Safety department, assisting and supporting the fire service safety teams by helping out at events, carrying out Home Safety Checks and fitting smoke alarms for members of the public.

Ben soon became a valued member of the team, and it was here that he gained the skills and experience required to further his career within the fire service.

A full time vacancy became available and his drive and determination spurred him on to apply for the permanent post of Maintenance Operative Driver. Ben was successful and became a paid member of staff in September 2016.

Ben said; “Without volunteering I would never have developed the skills and confidence that secured me this role. Volunteering has changed my life and has benefited me in many ways and I would recommend it to anyone.”

Sue Butler, Volunteering Co-Ordinator at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue said; “Ben is a shining example of how volunteering helps out the local community and the individual themselves. Ben has gone from strength to strength and the knowledge and skills he acquired during his time as a volunteer was a large factor in his gaining full time employment within the service. We are all really proud of him and wish him all the best in his career.”

If you are interested in volunteering for South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue call 0114 253 2413.

Fire officers are urging farmers to take steps to protect their livelihoods, after a large number of farm blazes in the last three months.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has attended 39 fires since June, either on farm sites or involving crops in fields.

Many of those fires were started deliberately, with most farms’ isolated locations, open boundaries and easily ignitable materials like hay and straw making them particularly vulnerable to arson.

More than 1,600 farm buildings are lost to fire each year in the UK, costing farmers thousands of pounds in lost machinery, crops and livestock.

Head of prevention and protection Steve Helps, said: “We get called to dozens of field and farm fires each year in South Yorkshire, with many of these fires occurring around harvesting time.

“Not only do fires like this put lives at risk by potentially diverting fire engines away from other, life threatening incidents, they also cost farmers thousands of pounds in damage.

“The maximum sentence for arson is life in prison. People do get caught and do get prosecuted, so we urge people to report arsonists to the police”.

To help prevent fires, farmers are being asked to:

Remove hay and straw as soon as possible after harvesting
Store fuels, fertilisers and pesticides securely – preferably under lock and key
Check unoccupied and remote areas of the farm to make sure they are safe and secure

Anyone with information about people starting fires in their area should call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Electrical blazes in South Yorkshire have dropped by a quarter, thanks to a fire service safety campaign.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue says it attended 33 electrical related house fires between May and July- 27 per cent fewer than the same months over the last three years.

The fall in incidents comes after a major safety campaign was launched by fire officers to warn the public about the dangers of everything from e-cigs to tumble dryers.

The campaign saw advertising vans carry safety messages to areas of South Yorkshire known to experience high numbers of house fires and radio advertisements warn people about the most common causes of electrical blazes.

Officers also encourage visitors to check the safety of their home electrics by completing a short, online checklist.

Head of community safety Trevor Bernard, said: “We’d like to thank the public for listening to our safety messages, but we’d urge people not to become complacent when it comes to house fires.

“The simple truth is that homes have more small electrical devices in them than probably any time in our history- from tablets and mobile phones, to e-cigarettes and games consoles. Unfortunately, we can’t get round everyone’s home to check the safety of their electrics for them. But by raising awareness of the biggest safety issues. we hope we can give people the knowledge to check their own electrics and hopefully prevent a serious fire.”

Electricity is involved in about two thirds of all accidental house fires, with household appliances the most common culprits.

Sometimes fires are caused by faulty goods, which could be small items like mobile chargers, or big things like washing machines and dryers.

Fires are also caused by people misusing electrical appliances, for example by leaving them plugged in for too long or covering them up allowing them to overheat.

The fire service has issued the following advice to stop electrical fires:

• Don’t buy cheap, unbranded chargers and make sure chargers are compatible to the device you are using
• Don’t leave things to charge overnight or beyond the recommended charging time. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions
• Keep electrical items away from flammable materials when charging
• Don’t overload sockets– long, strip adaptors are safest, but can only take a total of 13 amps
• People can still check the safety of their home electrics by visiting 13orbust.co.uk

Fire and police in South Yorkshire are teaming up to deliver the UK’s first ever Princes Trust course to be jointly run by the two 999 services.

The two emergency services are calling on young people to sign up for the Princes Trust Team Programme, with two courses running in the county this autumn.

Team Programme is a 12 week personal development course for unemployed 16 to 25 year olds, offering work experience, qualifications, practical skills, community projects and a residential week.

Individuals will gain new skills and qualifications, mix with new people and make new friends, get help with job-hunting and CV writing and most importantly a big boost to their confidence and a real sense of achievement.

This year the Princes Trust celebrates 40 years and we are proud to be continuing to support this work through the Team Programme.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Team Leader John Daley said; “The fire service has previously held Team Programmes which have been huge successes, but this will be our first joint Programme with the police. We are really excited by the prospect of the joint course and what we will now be able to deliver to the young people taking part. The course will include team building exercises, work placements, CV writing and loads more, which will give them a real sense of purpose and achievement.”

South Yorkshire Police Deputy Team Leader Paul Hamshaw said; “We are really excited to be working on this programme jointly with the fire service. It’s a fantastic opportunity for young people who are out of education or employment to come and learn new skills, meet new friends, take part in an action packed residential trip and gain work experience, all completely free.

“This is a unique programme, during which you can gain an insight into the police and fire services. If you’re not completely sure if this is for you, give us a call and we can talk to you about what is expected – you won’t be disappointed with the programme.”

Devon Hazeldine, member of a previous SYFR Team Programme  and now working  as a volunteer and mentor on the Prince’s Trust Programme said; “This course has enabled me to build my confidence and gain new experiences. I have really enjoyed my time and would say to anybody who wants to learn about themselves, their community and get ahead in life the Prince’s Trust Team programme is worth getting on.”

To be part of the Team Programme or for further details contact John Daley on 07769 887249 or princestrust@syfire.gov.uk.

The fire service will be delivering falls, crime and healthy aging advice to older people in Doncaster, when a new programme of ‘safe and well’ visits is launched this month.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has visited tens of thousands of homes across the borough to fit smoke alarms and advise residents on preventing fires for more than a decade.

But now it has teamed up with partners including Doncaster Council, Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group and South Yorkshire Police to deliver enhanced ‘safe and well’ visits to extend the range of advice that’s given to the most vulnerable people.

The new visits will be targeted at people aged 65 or over and will include general health and wellbeing advice, falls risk assessments and crime prevention tips. People will then be referred to other agencies for specialist interventions and advice if needed.

Dozens of firefighters and community safety staff have been trained to deliver the new checks, achieving a qualification in health improvement from the Royal Society of Public Health.

Head of prevention and protection, Steve Helps, said: “Our established programme of home safety visits has contributed to a big drop in fires across South Yorkshire over the last decade. But we believe we can use the contact we have with some of the most vulnerable people in society to achieve far more than simply reducing fires.

“We know that there are huge links between the people who need the help of the health services, and those who are at risk of fire. So strengthening our knowledge and referral mechanisms through collaborative working such as this must surely benefit our public safety objectives, as well as those of partner agencies.”

Dr Rupert Suckling, Director Public Health, said: “Safe and Well checks could save lives and help stop people needing to go into hospital by providing health and wellbeing advice.

“Many fire hazards are similar to health issues, for example fall risks, and in some cases the problem can be seen and sorted out there and then. This is a great example of partners working together to help keep older people safe and well at home.”

Nationally, fire and rescue services, NHS England, Public Health England, the Local Government Association and other partners, including Age UK, have been working together to explore how they can encourage and deliver local action to reduce demand on health and social care systems and improve the quality of life of vulnerable people.

In South Yorkshire, the fire service already hosts a monthly memory café for people living with dementia and their carers at Adwick fire station.

More than 5,000 people have been offered sight loss assessments, after fire service staff were trained in delivering a simple, five minute sight screening tool as part of the ‘Optimeyes’ scheme set up with Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Fire crews also attend hundreds of ‘medical break-ins’ every year, where they gain access to properties where people are thought to be in need of urgent medical attention, but where ambulance service paramedics cannot get to them.