Firefighters across South Yorkshire are urging people to be more careful with electrical goods, as part of a new safety campaign intent on reducing local house fires.

The county’s fire service says that it has attended over 300 house fires in the last three years, where electrics have been to blame, making it one of the leading causes of accidental dwelling fire in the county.

And with the use of things like e-scooters and e-cigarettes on the rise, and the increased availability of cheaper, imitation electrical goods online, officers are concerned that they could see more such fires going forward.

They say that whilst house fires generally are continuing to drop, electrical fires – caused by things such as white goods, phone chargers and dodgy wiring – are still not going away.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve done over the last decade to massively reduce house fires across South Yorkshire, but our figures suggest electrical fires are still a big issue for us,” said Area Manager Matt Gillatt, head of the joint fire and police community safety team.

“As well as being a leading cause of house fire generally, we are very conscious that thousands of electrical items are sold each day to people across the county. Be it washing machines or tumble dryers, e-cigs or e-scooters, phone chargers or computer tablets, electrical goods are everywhere.

“We are also conscious that people are busier than ever, and as the cost of living continues to rise, people’s priorities may change when it comes to fire safety. That’s why we’ve launched this latest campaign – we want people to try and take a little bit extra care when it comes to electrics.”

The service is asking people to do some specific things in order to reduce their risk of having an electrical fire.

Firstly, firefighters are asking that people ensure their white goods – such as washing machines, fridges and tumble dryers – are registered. This ensures that they will be notified if there are any potential issues or recalls with that product.

Secondly, people are being asked to avoid leaving washers and dryers on at night or when they are out. Lots of incidents attended by fire crews across South Yorkshire have started when an appliance has malfunctioned with nobody there to turn it off prior to a fire starting.

Residents are also urged not to buy fake electrical goods, however cheap they might be, and not to overload plug sockets and extension leads – most of which can only take 13 amps which is the equivalent of one kettle.

“It’s really important to stress that we don’t just want people to be safe so that we can reduce our incident numbers,” added Matt.

“House fires, regardless of the cause, can be absolutely devastating from a financial perspective – and they can really disrupt your life.

Even at the incidents where nobody is harmed, generally people end up displaced as they either can’t use, access or safely live in their damaged home anymore.”

For more information on home and electrical fire safety, and to book a home safety check from local crews, visit www.syfire.gov.uk.

Tony Carlin has been named South Yorkshire’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, following a competitive selection process.

Tony, who is currently the service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, was promoted following multiple recruitment stages and an interview by the Fire Authority’s appointments committee.

Tony joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 2000, having begun his career as a firefighter in North Yorkshire in 1992.

He’s built up a broad range of experience within the fire and rescue service- overseeing areas including community and business fire safety, workforce development, training and data and performance. He’s also acted as a workplace mentor to other leaders within the fire and rescue service.

Fire Authority chair Cllr Tony Damms, said: “The selection process was both competitive and thorough, so for Tony to come out on top is testament to his exceptional ability and experience. The qualities he demonstrated to the appointments committee will be important as the service looks to continue its improvement journey.”

Tony Carlin, said: “It’s an incredible honour to be appointed to this position, having served the people of South Yorkshire for more than 20 years. I very much look forward to using my skills and experience to further improve the service and its culture and to help develop the next generation of leaders within a fire and rescue service which I love.”

Tony will take up his new role in May, when the current Deputy Chief Fire Officer steps into the Chief Fire Officer role after current chief Alex Johnson QFSM retires.

South Yorkshire’s firefighters have been kitted out with a brand new piece of protective clothing, bought as part of a regional collaboration with neighbouring fire and rescue services.

The multi-function rescue jackets are worn by firefighters at non-fire rescue incidents like road traffic collisions, as well as small fires in the open.

The high visibility, waterproof jackets are designed to be as lightweight and breathable as possible, helping fire crews to maneuver more easily and comfortably at incidents where traditional fire kit is not required.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has bought the jackets in a joint venture with the services in North Yorkshire and Humberside.

South Yorkshire’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer Tony Carlin, said: “This is a completely new piece of kit for South Yorkshire and signals our commitment to providing our firefighters with the very best clothing and equipment with which they carry out their life saving work.

“We are dedicated to working with our neighbouring services and this is another clear example of a collaboration project that not only enhances the safety of our firefighters, but ensures best value to the people we serve.”

Steve Topham, Director of Service Support Delivery, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The new jackets have been really well received by crews who now have a wider choice of clothing appropriate for non-fire incidents. The regional collaboration has been a real success and ensures that we deliver on our objective of getting the best value for money where possible when purchasing vehicles, equipment and clothing.”

Dave Winspear, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Director of Capabilities said: “We work really hard to make sure that our firefighters are provided with the most appropriate kit for the job in hand and earlier this month we went live with our new multi-function rescue jacket. It meets all the requirements of a high-vis jacket and you’ll see our firefighters wearing then when attending non-structural incidents like road traffic collisions.”

UK fire and rescue services have been encouraged to work together to drive down the amount spent on essential goods such as frontline equipment and workwear.

The Policing & Crime Act 2017 placed a new statutory duty on emergency services to look at opportunities to work collaboratively.

Would you like to try your hand at being a firefighter?

We’re running a series of have a go and have a chat sessions that will give you a chance to meet our staff, answer any questions, learn about the recruitment process and, ultimately, try your hand at some of our practical tests.

The dates are below and you need to book your place by emailing positiveaction@syfire.gov.uk – please note that we can only accept applications from people living within South Yorkshire.

WEEK ONE – The role of a firefighter – Zoom
Tuesday 22 March – 10am OR Wednesday 23 March – 6.30pm

WEEK TWO – The recruitment and selection process – Zoom
Tuesday 29 March – 10am OR Wednesday 30 March – 6.30pm

WEEK THREE – The practical tests – Zoom
Tuesday 5 April – 10am OR Wednesday 13 April – 6.30pm

WEEK FOUR – Firefighter fitness – Zoom
Tuesday 12 April – 10am OR Wednesday 13 April – 6.30pm

HAVE A GO DAY – Face to face
Sunday 3 April OR Sunday 22 May

Inspirational women from across South Yorkshire’s fire service are being celebrated this week, as part of a brand new ‘Women of Fire’ exhibition.

Pulled together by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, as part of International Women’s Day, the exhibition features portrait photographs of eight women currently working within the service.

Organisers say that the exhibition has been designed to support this year’s official women’s day theme – #BreakTheBias – by celebrating the huge contributions of women to the fire service.

Chief Fire Officer, Alex Johnson, features alongside firefighters, senior leaders, corporate staff and control room operators.

She says that the exhibition has been designed to support this year’s official women’s day theme – #BreakTheBias – by celebrating the huge contributions of women to the fire service.

“We’re starting to see a really positive change in the perceptions around women in the fire service, which has been great, but we can’t stop now,” she said.

“Right across the country we have amazing women doing a vital role in the UK fire and rescue sector, as they have been for years, and International Women’s Day provides us with the perfect platform to celebrate this.

“This exhibition has been designed to show that you can be a woman, and a firefighter, both at the same time. The staff featured in the portraits are living examples of that.

“So if you’re a woman who has long considered applying for a career in the fire service, but you’ve never made the leap, we want you to check out our exhibition.

“Every woman in those photos has done it, and so can you.”

The physical ‘Women of Fire’ exhibition will be showcased at the Winter Gardens, Sheffield, between Wednesday 9 March and Monday 14 March.

Each of the staff involved in the exhibition has had two photos taken to capture two sides of their character – one reflecting their life at work and one reflecting their life outside of it.

The service has also developed a website dedicated to the exhibition – this can be viewed at Women of Fire (women-of-fire.co.uk) – and includes details of all those featured in the photographs.

The photographs for the exhibition were captured by Orestes S Rix, a portrait photographer who previously worked on the service’s FAMILY exhibition for Black History Month.

The service would also like to thank North Notts College who provided media make-up students who supported the exhibition.

South Yorkshire firefighters will be practicing new procedures for responding to fires in high-rise blocks of flats, as part of work to adopt learning from incidents in tall buildings.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is carrying out multiple training exercises in each of the county’s four districts in the coming months.

The practical, live training will particularly focus on changes to evacuation procedures when fire compartmentation in tall buildings fails.

It will also help firefighters to further familiarise themselves with the lay outs and different risks presented by fires in tall buildings.

College students will perform the role of residents, to make the training as realistic as possible.

Area Manager Cath Toovey, said: “There have been some significant changes in guidance to the way all fire and rescue services respond to fires in tall buildings following national reviews and particularly as a result of the ongoing Grenfell Tower inquiry. It’s really important that we reflect on these changes as a service as ensure our frontline crews are aware of them.”

The exercises will take place at Albion, Buckley and Brittania Houses in Barnsley, Shaftesbury House in Doncaster, Beeversleigh in Rotherham and Keating Block, Leverton Gardens in Sheffield. The buildings have been chosen because of their suitability for the training- not because they are at any greater risk of fire.

Residents in the flats where the training is taking place have already been told the training is taking place.

“Whilst classroom and online training can be effective at explaining theoretical changes to our firefighters and incident commanders, there’s really no replacement for carrying out live, practical exercises like these. We’re particularly grateful to the residents in the buildings for their patience as we plan and deliver these exercises, and to the colleges, local authorities and housing associations for working with us the make the training as realistic and effective as possible. Community safety staff will also be on hand to give home fire safety advice to residents I requested”, said Cath.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has established a dedicated team to implement actions from the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The service announced last year that its Business Fire Safety inspectors had completed a Government-backed project to carry out safety reviews of all high-rise residential buildings in the county.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority (SYFRA) has appointed a new Chief Fire Officer.

Chris Kirby was appointed following a selection process which included a written application, interview with members of the Fire Authority and presentation to members of a staff stakeholder panel.

Barnsley-born Chris joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue as Deputy Chief Fire Officer in 2020. He’d previously served with West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue for more than two decades, having joined as a firefighter in 1998.

Fire Authority Chair Cllr Tony Damms, said: “The Fire Authority’s appointments panel was greatly impressed by Chris’ obvious passion for improving the service for all those it serves and employs. His people centred approach, vision for change and determination to get things done all make him an outstanding candidate to lead South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in the future.”

Chris will take over the role in May, when the current Chief Fire Officer Alex Johnson QFSM retires. Alex joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 2017 and has been Chief Fire Officer since 2020.

“Fire Authority members would like to thank Alex for the leadership she has shown in the role of Chief Fire Officer- particularly in leading the organisation through the pandemic and all of the challenges which that has brought and for her leadership during the 2019 floods. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours,” said Tony.

Chris Kirby said: “I am extremely proud to be offered the role of Chief Fire Officer in South Yorkshire. It is an honour to provide a first class service to the local community and to work alongside so many fantastic people.”

All high-rise residential buildings in South Yorkshire have now been inspected by the county’s fire service, as part of a mammoth Government-backed project.

The team of inspectors, made up of staff from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s business safety department, started their ambitious inspection programme last November.

This came as part of a Government-driven ‘Building Risk Review’ project that sought to significantly increase the pace of high-rise inspection activity across the country.

In scope for the inspectors were all high-rise residential buildings, across South Yorkshire, that were over 18 metres in height.

Their aim was to have inspected all of these buildings by the end of 2021 – a target that, much to the delight of the team and senior officers across the service, has been met.

“When the team set out on this project, we all knew that the timescales were very ambitious, and a lot of hard work and dedication would be needed to meet them,” said Area Manager Simon Dunker, the service’s head of prevention and protection at the time this project began.

“What they have done is remarkable and they should all be really proud – for our service to have inspected all our high-rise residential buildings in just over a year is fantastic.

“And this isn’t just good news for us, either. Its good news for residents right across the county who can sleep that little bit easier, now, knowing that these checks have been done.”

Celebrations aside, inspectors are keen to stress that their work around high-rise buildings will still carry on throughout 2022 and beyond.

The inspection team will continue to work with building management and owners to ensure the project’s findings are implemented.

They will also join back up with other business fire safety officers who have been continuing to inspect all buildings, regardless of height, over the last 12 months.

More information about the now completed Building Risk Review project, and your fire safety responsibilities as a building owner, can be found at www.syfire.gov.uk/business-advice.

Young people across South Yorkshire are being given the opportunity to change their lives in the New Year, thanks to the county’s police and fire services.

South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue will once again be teaming up to deliver the ‘life-changing’ Prince’s Trust Team Programme course in January.

This is a course for people who are between 16 and 25-years-old and not currently in work or full-time education.

Lasting 12 weeks in total, the programme gives young people the chance to meet new friends, gain personal confidence and develop a wide range of life-skills.

Importantly, it involves work placements that give the youngsters valuable experience and contacts – with lots of previous participants landing meaningful work afterwards.

Former Royal Marine, John Daley, who is currently team leader for the South Yorkshire Prince’s Trust Programme, believes this really is a ‘New Year, New You’ opportunity.

“Over the years I’ve watched on proudly as these courses have changed hundreds of young lives, they really do make a huge impact,” he said.

“In most cases, participants come away after 12 weeks with us feeling like a totally new person. Over the course of the programme they meet new friends, gain qualifications, work experience and a range of life skills.

“We also spend time looking at things such as drug awareness, good nutrition, mental health and general healthy living.

“If you know someone that is between 16 and 25-years-old, who is currently not in work or full-time education and, ultimately, needs a bit of a boost – please get in touch with us as this programme could really change their lives.”

There will be two courses commencing in January with 12 places on each. Anyone interested should email princestrust@syfire.gov.uk.

The first course will be based at Parkway Fire Station in Sheffield, and begins on Monday 17 January. The second will be based at Dearne Fire Station in Rotherham, and begins on Monday 24 September.