Tuesday 12 August
10.30am
Over the next few years an extra 30,000 new homes are expected
to be developed in the South Gloucestershire area, many of these in
Yate and the surrounding area.
In order to ensure greater protection for the communities living
in these areas Avon Fire & Rescue Service is delighted to
announce it is expanding its fire cover by crewing Yate Fire
Station 24 hours a day.
Currently firefighters work out of the station between 8am and
5pm, with Retained Duty System firefighters covering the night
shifts. Retained Duty System firefighters respond to 999 calls from
their homes or places of work via a pager.
From Thursday 1 January Yate Fire Station will be crewed 24
hours a day, seven days a week by a Wholetime Duty System,
supported during peak times by the Retained Duty colleagues.
Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive for Avon Fire & Rescue
Service, Kevin Pearson said: "Avon Fire & Rescue Service is
committed to protecting the community and with the ever-expanding
housing developments in the town and surrounding areas it is vital
we expand our fire cover. We already have two fire stations, Bath
and Weston-super-Mare, operating very well under this system, with
Wholetime and Retained Duty firefighters working together to
protect the community."
Yate Fire Station Manager Steve Kendrick said: "I am delighted
that Avon Fire & Rescue Service is expanding its resources at
Yate Fire Station. We are hoping the new arrangements will mean we
can spend more time working with community groups and members of
the public to highlight fire safety messages. The changes will also
mean we can be more flexible when offering free Home Fire Safety
Visits, booking appointments at a more convenient time for members
of the public.
"Obviously this means local groups can now use the Community
Safety Centre in the evenings, which has a free meeting room and
Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities. There will
also be facilities for the local Police Community Support Officers
so that they can use the fire station as a
base."