A major event will explore the opportunities for the fire and rescue service to support health provision in South Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is hosting the inaugural Fire & Health Conference South Yorkshire on Tuesday (16 February) at our training and development centre in Handsworth.
It will bring together decision makers from across the health, social care, community and voluntary sectors locally to highlight the opportunities to use the FRS as an effective asset in supporting prevention work and enhance health and wellbeing provision for the communities we serve.
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 our collective organisations can encourage and deliver local action to reduce demand on health and social care systems and improve the quality of life of vulnerable people.
Head of prevention and protection Steve Helps, said: “The role of this conference will be to determine what this means for local authorities, health bodies and the third sector in our region.
“Current collaborations in South Yorkshire include a range of health related programmes and projects, from co-responding with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, through to several preventative activities with third sector organisations, like Alzheimer’s Society and RNIB.
“At a time when our budget continues to be squeezed and fires and other emergency incidents are falling, it will also seek to highlight the value the fire service can add beyond our traditional duties.”