Issued on: Tuesday 24 July 2018
MELTON FIREFIGHTERS USE BIKES TO REDUCE ARSON
On-Call Firefighters from Melton Mowbray Fire Station are taking to the streets on a FireBeat mission; to reduce the amount of deliberate fires by engaging with young people.
Riding on push bikes, the FireBeat team will visit local arson hotspots, with the aim to educate those who may be tempted to set fires deliberately. The team will predominantly aim to engage with young people, the most likely demographic to commit arson. However, they will also carry home fire safety leaflets, offer advice, and be able to refer members of the wider community for further support should it be required.
The initiative is being trialled over the next few weeks to assess its effectiveness before future funding is secured. The FireBeat team will consist of two On-Call firefighters, so the availability of the Wholetime crew at Melton Mowbray Fire Station is not affected.
This proactive movement by our On-Call firefighters demonstrates the evolving role of a firefighter, for which community engagement work is becoming increasingly important.
You can follow the team’s journey by following them on Twitter @MeltonFire and Facebook @LFRSSTN21, or on the Service’s main channels @LeicsFireRescue.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Interviews can be arranged through Corporate Communications on the details below.
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 ten years, fire-related incidents have reduced by 43 percent.
During 2016/17, the Service attended 694 road traffic collisions, of which 148 were extrications from vehicles, in addition to 2,259 fires. 272 schools were visited as part of the Service’s schools programme, delivering fire and road safety education to pupils. Staff organised or took part in 1,613 community safety events, promoting fire and road safety and arson prevention, and 145 Virtual Fatal Four (VF4) events as part of the Service’s young drivers’ road safety project.
Contact:
Libby Wales
Media and Communications Officer
Direct: 0116 229 2195
corporate.communications@lfrs.org
