Wanted: More Women Firefighters

More women are wanted as “on call” county firefighters in a continuing campaign being run by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

With just six per cent of female firefighters, the service wants to encourage more women to join with the latest of a series of “taster” days being held at Market Drayton Fire Station on Saturday, September 16 from 9.30am to 12.30.

Watch Manager Mark Smith says: “Once the fire kit is worn, the public don’t know which are men and women, except many tend to assume they are all males, which is wrong.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Thu, 07/09/2017 - 11:25

Child Victims of Chernobyl in Shropshire

Shrewsbury firefighters have been praised for their kindness in helping the “innocent child victims” of Chernobyl who visit Shropshire each year for respite.

They stepped in to pay for an extra flight ticket for Angelina, a 16-year-old girl who desperately wanted to come on the trip of a lifetime after missing out six years earlier because she had cancer.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Sun, 03/09/2017 - 11:20

Wellington Fire Station Open Day Fun

It was a fun day out for all the family at Wellington Fire Station’s annual open day.

Children got the chance to check out the fire hoses and climb aboard a number of fire engines.

They also learned potentially lifesaving skills of how to escape from a house fire with a walk through a “smoke house,” a specially built tent used to educate them about what to do in case of a house fire.

Firefighters were on hand to give out fire prevention advice, including the necessity for every home to have one smoke alarm on each floor of the house.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Sun, 20/08/2017 - 16:32

Want To Be A Firefighter? Go To An Open Day

People with an ambition to be an on call firefighter should go to an open day at Wellington Fire Station on August 19 and talk to firefighters.

The annual event gives everyone the chance to see what their local fire crews do and is popular as a family day out.

Firefighters will showcase their skills with a simulated car rescue and a shocking ferocious fire to show the dangers of using an old fashioned open chip pan which people still have in their kitchens.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Fri, 11/08/2017 - 10:34

Partnership Approach is the Key

The managing director of a long-established county firm has praised the professionalism of firefighters who fought a fire at his company HQ.

Tudor Griffiths, whose family founded the Tudor Griffiths Group over 140 years ago, said the consequences for the firm would have been more severe without the “swift containment” and management of the situation.

“I want to express my thanks and gratitude for the response and thoroughly professional way in which all members of the service performed when the incident at Wood Lane arose,” said Mr Griffiths.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Mon, 07/08/2017 - 11:43

ALP Call from Shrewsbury Fire Station Open Day

Visitors to Shrewsbury fire station for the annual open day got to see how quickly firefighters react when an emergency happens.

They were watching a demonstration of the Aerial Ladder Platform when it was called to a house fire near Much Wenlock. The ALP was quickly mobilised to the scene for firefighters to help tackle a serious roof fire at a detached house at Bourton, which involved five fire appliances.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Sun, 06/08/2017 - 17:55

Shrewsbury Fire Station Open Day

Shrewsbury Fire Station’s open day on Saturday August 5 promises to be “the best ever” with a long line-up of eye catching activities for all the family.

Visitors to Shrewsbury Fire HQ will get the chance to watch the speed in which a chip pan is engulfed in flames, see how firefighters carry out car crash rescues and how they save trapped animals.

A series of demonstrations, drills and displays involving the wide range of fire appliances, including the aerial ladder platform, will also be on offer at the Saturday event which runs from 10am to 4pm.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Thu, 03/08/2017 - 08:57

Shropshire Countryside Fire Warning

Fire officers are warning people to take care in the countryside as more than 50 fires have been reported so far this month.

Hedgerows, trees, fields of straw, farm machinery, a hay barn, gorse and grassland have gone up in flames in numerous incidents across the county.

Some fires have been caused deliberately while the “tinder dry” countryside caused by the hot, dry summer has led to fires breaking out in Ellesmere, Oswestry, Market Drayton, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Church Stretton, Cleobury Mortimer and Telford.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Fri, 21/07/2017 - 12:06

Oswestry Watch Manager Retires After 33 Years

Oswestry firefighter John Davies has retired after a 33 year career with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

John (61), who is Watch Manager in charge at Oswestry Fire Station, hung up his helmet at his final Wednesday night drill night this week. (July 19th)

His long service as an on call firefighter covering the Oswestry region means he has attended around 1,700 weekly drill nights where firefighters practice their skills ready to deal with any emergency which comes their way.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Thu, 20/07/2017 - 10:50

A Blaze of Colour

A Shropshire fire station has found a novel way to recycle old fire helmets by turning them into hanging baskets.

A bit of compost and a few blooms with holes drilled into the bottom of the bright yellow helmets has created an eye catching floral display to brighten up the outside of Market Drayton fire station.

The idea came from Watch Manager Mark Smith, who has a family tradition as an “on call” firefighter to look after the rural fire station. Both his father and uncle were also watch managers at the station and his brother is a firefighter too.

Submitted by Elaine.Adams on Tue, 18/07/2017 - 11:24

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