Tuesday 10 May at 14:00hrs
Birstall Fire and Rescue Station 1 Birstall Meadow Road, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 3BS
On Tuesday 10 May Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service will be officially launching two new very exciting road safety initiatives at Birstall Fire and Rescue Station, from 14:00. During this event we will be hoping to raise awareness about road safety to young people and motorcyclists.
The new FireBike, which, despite its elaborate livery, is not a response vehicle, will be unveiled as part of the launch of our free BikerDown! training programme, aimed at motorcyclists. The bike itself is an engagement tool and will visit biker clubs, cafés, meets, rides etc across the country raising awareness of the FREE three-hour training course, which focuses on accident scene management, first aid for motorcyclists and the science of being seen, with the BikerDown! team fully kitted out in the latest helmets and kit kindly donated by Triumph.
Alongside this we will also be launching the next exciting stage of our Fatal Four road safety package, aimed at young drivers – the VF4 360 (Virtual Fatal Four 360 Degrees). Used as part of an immersive package with the VF4 Car, the VF4 360 uses a specially commissioned film captured with 360-degree cameras. The film gives young drivers a totally realistic experience of a real road traffic collision from the passenger’s perspective, by using the latest virtual reality technology and viewing headsets generously provided for this initiative by Samsung UK.
Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Richard Chandler, himself a keen motorcyclist, said “We are delighted to be able to continue developing our important preventative work by addressing road safety for both young drivers and motorcyclists, working collaboratively with local and national organisations. The Firebike and BikerDown! initiative is an exciting new
project for the Service and I am keen to see what impact we can make within the large local biker community.
Our Fatal Four initiative, which has had a major impact in schools and colleges across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland continues with the launch of the next phase, VF4360. I am proud and excited that we are able to be national pioneers in using cutting edge VR technology to engage with young drivers.”
We are looking to both local and national media to raise the profile of this event on Tuesday 10 May and would encourage you to attend.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Senior Management, Road Safety Team members and BikerDown! staff will be available for media work.
Photo opportunities will be available throughout the event.
If you are unable to attend, photos of the launch will be available on request after the event.
About the Service
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response, prevention and protection services from 20 stations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Its headquarters is based in Birstall, Leicester.
The Service’s prevention, education, enforcement and inspection programmes have resulted in significant reductions in the number of incidents. In the last five years, fire related incidents have reduced by 32.6 percent.
During 2014/15, the Service attended 619 road traffic collisions, of which 155 were extrications freeing 194 people trapped inside their vehicles and completed 4316 home fire safety checks, fitting almost 4339 smoke alarms. Staff organised or supported almost 1590 events aimed at promoting fire and road safety and arson prevention, whilst also visiting 314 schools to deliver fire and road safety education to pupils.
Contact:
Dominic Halliday
Communications and Digital Media Administrator
0116 2292178
dominic.halliday@lfrs.org
