Wednesday
26 March
00.01
The shoreline of
Weston-super-Mare is set to gain extra protection following the
unveiling of Avon Fire & Rescue Service’s (AF&RS) new
hovercraft.
Chair of Avon Fire
Authority Councillor Terry Walker and Avon Fire & Rescue
Service Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive Kevin Pearson, will be
joined by senior fire officers, councillors and local dignitaries
for the event on Wednesday 26 March at Weston-super-Mare Fire
Station at 11am.
The hovercraft,
which will cover an area of the shoreline from Brean Down to Sand
Bay, is equipped to deal with a range of incidents including
rescuing people who have became trapped in the mud and providing
support to the area during times of inland flooding.
Watch Manager at
Weston-super-Mare Fire Station Pete Coombs has been leading the
project to bring a hovercraft to the area and is currently involved
in training crews to use the vessel. This should be completed by
the end of June, when the hovercraft is expected to be in full
operation, in time for the busy summer season.
Avon Fire &
Rescue Service’s hovercraft will be used to complement the services
already provided by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI)
and HMS Coastguard.
AF&RS Chief
Fire Officer/Chief Executive, Kevin Pearson, described the
hovercraft as a major asset to the service.
He said: “The
hovercraft will increase the flexibility of Avon Fire & Rescue
Service’s rescue capacity. As well as assisting us with incidents
along the shoreline, we will be able to use the vehicle in more
remote locations, where fire appliances may not be able to
reach.
“Not only will it
mean we can reach trapped casualties in just a few minutes, but it
will also ensure the safety of our firefighters, who until now have
had to walk out onto the mud and risk becoming stuck
themselves.”
“Clearly with the
flooding we saw last summer a hovercraft would have been a huge
asset on inland waterways, but we also believe the hovercraft could
be used to ferry equipment and staff to incidents such as animal
rescues on soft ground or road traffic collisions that may involve
a beach. “