Friday 4
July
10.00
hrs
Firefighters in
Bath are employing pedal power in a bid to engage with local people
and reduce the number of nuisance fires in the city.
From this week,
off-duty firefighters from Bath Fire Station will be taking to new
mountain bikes, visiting local neighbourhoods to develop
relationships between the fire service and the local community.
They will also provide a visible presence, offering fire safety
advice and working to reduce arson and anti-social behaviour
towards firefighters.
The bikes have
been funded by David Medlock who was the High Sheriff of Somerset
between 2007 and 2008. Having visited Bath Fire Station earlier
this year, the former High Sheriff was very impressed with the work
firefighters are doing in the community and offered to fund this
new scheme.
While out on their
bikes firefighters will be putting their expert knowledge to use by
alerting the relevant agencies if they come across piles of
rubbish, grass cuttings or vulnerable buildings and vehicles - all
of which are potential targets for arsonists.
The launch of this
scheme follows the success of similar projects in Bristol in
Hartcliffe and Southmead.
Officers from Avon
Fire & Rescue Service hope that this will make a significant
contribution towards its own and its partners’ work concerning
arson and anti-social behaviour. It is hoped that the multi-agency
approach, to remove arson targets from streets and public places,
will lead to a reduction in the number of deliberately started
fires.
AF&RS Group
Manager for Bath and North East Somerset, Kevin Keeler said: “We
are very grateful to the former High Sheriff for his generous
contribution, which has helped bring this project to fruition.
“The aim of the
scheme is to help the service and our partners to tackle deliberate
fire setting as well as anti-social behaviour in our area. The key
to its success is the firefighters from Bath Fire Station and it is
very reassuring that so many are committed to reducing risks in
their community.
“Deliberately set
fires represent a significant drain on our resources and pose a
real threat to life and property, whilst anti-social behaviour is a
particular issue for our public sector partners. Unfortunately it’s
all too easy for a fire started in rubbish or a derelict building
to spread and put people’s lives in danger.
“Anything we can
do to stop these fires happening in the first place is obviously
good news, both in terms of public safety and the positive impact
it will have on these communities.”
The project will
run throughout school holidays when most nuisance fires occur.