April 2011 Keeping Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Personnel Informed Emotional mission heshire members of the Turn to the centre pages for more International Search and pictures of the team’s mission. CRescue (ISAR) team are back safely from an emotional and Bryn in Japan challenging rescue mission to a New As we were going to press Bryn, the Zealand city left devastated by an Service’s Search and Rescue dog and earthquake. his handler Steve Buckley had just On Tuesday, February 22, Mark returned from yet another difficult UK Coleman, Stuart Devereux, Andy Hurst, ISAR mission. Gareth Scott, Mark Bushell, Daryl This time the pair had been sent to Codling, and Paul Bickerton got the call Japan following the devastating that they were needed to help with the earthquake and tsunami. search and rescue mission in Christchurch. Read the full story in the next edition Scale proved especially challenging for of the Alert. The seven, who are all members of the team. the UK ISAR team went on to spend 15- Sadly the team found no survivors in days in the city during which they the building. However, they did recover searched and cleared three complete STATE OF THE ART 13 bodies, which helped give closure to city blocks and also carried out the families of the victims. searches on specific buildings. TRAINING CENTRE The tremendous efforts of the team This included a major operation have been appreciated by the New around the collapsed Pyne Gould Zealand authorities and the people of Corporation office block which had seen Christchurch. multiple rescues in the early stages. Mark concluded: “I don’t think there Mark, who was the Operational was a single member of the UK team Commander of the UK Team, explained: who did not at some time shed a tear. “We carried out a 150-hour search and I think what touched us most was the rescue operation on the site. This encouragement, support and gratitude involved a demanding and technical shown to us by the New Zealand operation to deconstruct and search people. Personally I will never forget the whole building ensuring that any either this mission or the people we casualties could be recovered.” met and I am really glad that we were A number of aftershocks, some able to make a difference and help Turn to page 8 for full story. measuring as high as 5 on the Richter them recover from this terrible event.” I PLUS N highest ranking S for I website D - p16 Road safety Dream come The Spotlight Rain or shine E events - p5 true - p9 - p12 - p13 alert 2 april • 2010 Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service raises £11,000 for hearing dogs for deaf people heshire Fire and Rescue Service and the former Mayor of Cheshire East Council has presented a Cwhopping £11,000 to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and the former Mayor of Cheshire East Council has presented a whopping £11,000 to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Fire and Rescue Service staff and Fire Authority Member and former Mayor Cllr Margaret Simon spent the past year raising money for the cause and were able to provide two people with working dogs. The grand total was presented to the charity after n Fundraisers from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service with Cllr numerous activities including a Fire Cadet unit from Crewe Margaret Simon and Annie one of the hearing dogs holding a bag packing day in a local supermarket. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Cashin said, “We were safety and the seed was sown for us to help. “I believe the really pleased to be able to help this charity. The hearing two dogs are settled in their new homes and working dogs that have been trained by the Charity will make a big brilliantly for their handlers, which makes us extremely difference to the lives of their handlers. “There was a core proud.” section of staff who worked tirelessly to raise this money after Cllr Simon said, “Having a dog is a wonderful way of a talk to our work placed Women’s Institute. A handler giving somebody with hearing problems the confidence to spoke of an incident when her hearing dog alerted her to a live a fairly normal life. The bond between a dog and its smoke alarm sounding in her home and then led her to owner is very precious.” Fairtrade fun Runcorn’s Green Watch was ‘baking for success’ during a Fairtrade Fortnight event at Astmoor County Primary. As part of the crew’s Phoenix Project, which runs in conjunction with the school, firefighters were only too pleased to get stuck into making finger licking chocolate brownies and fruit smoothies all made with Fairtrade ingredients. The purpose of the enjoyable event was to raise awareness of the work of the Fairtrade Foundation. The organisation that works to ensure that producers from poorer countries get a fair deal for the products they produce. All the baked goods were sold to raise some much needed money for an environmental initiative that aims to help the nation’s bee population. n Watch Manager Tim Robinson and an Astmoor Teacher “Show off their Label” and Crew Manager Steve Sweeting and some of the pupils proudly display some Fairtrade chocolate. april • 2010 3 alert in my view. The organisation’s budget for 2011/12 and for all firefighters. As well as a new Incident the IRMP 8 has now been agreed by our Command Suite and training facility in Fire Authority. Macclesfield. I am delighted that despite the fact we, like These investments are only possible many other public services, are facing some because of the £2 million in efficiencies and hard times we are still able to invest in both savings we have managed to find.I know that the safety of our operational crews and the there are some who would wish us to stay the public. same and keep responding in the same way we always have. What I will say to them is that Key safety projects planned over the next – it just isn’t possible. 12 months include: However, what I will also say is that I am • Buying two new standard fire engines and a proud of our organisation, its people and what specialist midi appliance with four-wheel it achieves. By working together and drive embracing the Service’s new values and • An annual programme to replace thermal behaviours, I am confident that we can image cameras on every appliance ul continue to make the right decisions to ensure Pa • New technology to improve how staff can a professional first class service. what it k identify and support at risk households. Hancoc achieves. By working together I am certain These projects follow a near £1 million that we can continue to make the right investment over the last 12 months which has decisions to ensure a first class service is seen PBI Gold fire kit and breathing apparatus maintained. South Cheshire College students get hands on wenty students from South carry out the cutting to remove the Cheshire College attended roof. Crewe Community Fire Station T The students were then given as part of the Public Service course. instruction on how we remove the The group of 16 to 18 year olds are casualty from the vehicle using a long completing a BTEC Level 2 Diploma in board. A student volunteered to play Public Services which aims to provide our casualty and his fellow students well informed and well presented worked together to remove him from recruits for a wide variety of uniformed the driving seat on the Long Board. and public services. On hand was The event organisers Firefighters Blue Watch to give the group a Leigh Bowen and Ryan Younger were practical demonstration on how pleased the morning was a great Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service deal success. with Road Traffic Collisions. The group watched Blue Watch firefighters deal with a scenario of a vehicle still on all four wheels involved in a road traffic collision with two casualties trapped inside. The casualties were played by two of the attending students. Following the demo and under strict supervision of the instructors and firefighters the students were given the opportunity to get hands on with the equipment in cutting up a second vehicle. They were shown how to stabilise and carry out glass management on the vehicle then to alert 4 april • 2010 Hannah meets the challenge annah Lloyd from Cheshire West and Chester’s Community Safety Department has successfully Hengaged with the staff and pupils at a number of schools containing pupils that have specialist needs. Hannah used her skills to make some pretend rockets and sparklers which were a big hit with the children and enabled her to demonstrate visually how to use sparklers safely. Hannah also used the Key Stage 2 package to a variety of age ranges and the feedback from pupils and staff alike has been very positive and they are looking forward to next year. Collision in Church Minshull he emergency services while other crew members set up and received a call from a lady who got to work in stabilising the vehicle. had stopped at the scene of a T A Fast Response Paramedic road traffic collision on a country arrived on scene and assessed the road between Crewe and Winsford. man’s injures. Two Crewe fire appliances were The Incident Commander, Watch mobilised and proceeded to Earnswick Manager Jami Jennings, requested the Lane at Church Minshull. On arrival fire attendance of the Haz Mat Unit from crews were met with one saloon car Crewe to attend to utilise the lighting that had left the road and come to rest mast on the vehicle due to the remote on its side, the roof against a tree, with location of the incident.