Fire crews search for practice sites
 |
| Shipley firew crews rehearse their rescue routines in a scrapyard |
Fire crews are looking for "dark and complex" locations where they can practice rescue operations.
They have made an appeal to any businesses in the Bradford area that can offer them somewhere to hone their skills.
Blue Watch at Shipley fire station have already struck up a partnership with Crossley-Evans recycling yard, off Canal Road, to rehearse their life-saving emergency techniques.
With the help of workers at the yard, which recycles metal and other materials including plastics, crews are let loose on cars with their cutting gear.
Blue Watch manager Andy Wooler, who first got in touch with Crossley-Evans, said: "The scrapyard has been brilliant for us. They use their crane to flip cars over for us and then we get to work on them. They've even loaned us one of their staff to get into the wreckage and act as a live casualty for us."
Mr Wooler said the majority of the fire service's call-outs were now crashes so rescue techniques were a big part of their work. He said: "It's the same nationally. The majority of call-outs we get are to crash scenes so it's essential we keep up with all our training."
Shipley fire crews have also used the town's tax office near the canal as a training site but are now on the look-out for new places to go.
Mr Wooler said: "The plus point for firms is that if we go and practise there we're obviously going to get to know the layout of the place, which could be invaluable at some point in the future if an emergency ever breaks out.
"We're looking for places that have areas which are completely dark and somewhere which maybe has a complex layout. We don't want to go anywhere that has too many breakables though.
"We wouldn't be spraying water everywhere of course, a lot of it would just be simulation."
Matthew Evans, of Crossley- Evans, said the family-run business was keen to help the emergency services.
Mr Evans said the yard was able to use its large hydraulic handling machines to drop cars into crashed positions to make the exercise more realistic for fire crews.
"We're always pleased to try and help support any activities that provide benefit to the local community," he said.
Anyone interested in helping should call Shipley Fire Station on (01274) 582629.
e-mail: kathie.griffiths
@bradford.newsquest.co.uk
4:00pm Monday 1st May 2006
Print 
Email this
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
