April Monthly Report
Currently we get very little feed back from those persons reading the blog. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please use the facility below to contact us.
Training
Acting C.M. Martin Harris attended and passed an EFAD (Blue Light) driving Requalifier on the 12th of April.
F.F. Aaron Worth attended and passed a three day Maritime Fire Fighting Course on the 30th of April – 2nd of May.
Station
F.F. Martin Harris is currently Acting up to the rank C.M. while C.M. Steve Thornton is off long term sick.
We attended two chimney fires in April, one of which required a turntable ladder to fully extinguish the fire. As the weather warms chimney fires will become less prominent, Don’t forget to get your chimney swept before you re-light it in the autumn!
Yelverton crew also supported the charity “ Childrens Hospice South West” on the 30th of April when we cut a guest casualty from a car during an RTC drill who had purchased the opportunity at a charity auction in aid of Childrens Hospice S.W.
The Marquee was successfully lent to a local family on the occasion of their sons marriage, and a donation was received to the station fund toward the chosen charity for 2012. I have had a request from a local group staging an event for ”Help for Heroes” to borrow the Marquee which the station has agreed to support at no cost.
At a station meeting in early April the personnel at Yelverton elected to donate £500.00 to last years chosen charity, “make a wish” . They then had an opportunity to make a short presentation on their nomination for this years chosen charity. The crew had a secret ballot which has resulted in the local charity “Yelvercare”, brought to the process by F.F. Alan Brown, succeeding “Make a wish” as this years chosen charity.
The station has recently acquired a Marquee 6m by 12m which for a donation to our chosen charity and the fire service benevolent fund we are prepared to lend out. We are still finalizing the plan but the intention is, we will put it up and take it down provided it is used in the Yelverton Fire Station core area. If you are interested in “borrowing” the Marquee please use this Blog to make enquiries.
The law has changed regarding the use of Council Recycling Centre’s. In future anyone using the facilities will be charged to dump rubbish. This may have a knock on effect resulting in rubbish fly tipped on the moor and set fire to. If you see any fly tipping, you can report it by following either link:-
http://www.southhams.gov.uk/enviss-flytippinglittering.htm
http://www.westdevon.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=15420&cat=3027
Or if you prefer contact the Police at
Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111
Or on line by following the following links:-
Community Fire Safety
If you are holding an event locally and would like the Yelverton Fire Engine to attend please use the blog to make a request.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue no longer provide home fire safety visits in the same way they did previously. As a result of the Government cuts to address the Nation debt, DSFRS now prioritises funds and services to those in the community that are most vulnerable. Most of our referrals will, in future, come from other services such as the Health Service, Social Services and organisations such as Age Concern. The service will still visit homes to give advice and fit free smoke alarms but in a more targeted way.
It’s interesting to know what goes on at a retained station, Yelverton is the only station that I can find in Devon with such a blog site or what ever you call it!!
Totnes and Newton Abbot have a web site but they don’t have an up date of shouts on it.
1) Quick question do multi purpose appliances at different stations carry different equipment ? 2 pumps at Tavi and you had to go with ventilation equipment.
Keep up the good work.
By: Mark on December 11, 2011
at 3:37 pm
Hi Mark
Thanks for your comment.
In answer to you question. Yes. Although every appliance carries roughly the same equipment they all are tailored to the location they are station at and, sometimes due to stowage like the PPV fans, stations have a resource local to them that carries the required equipment. In our area excluding the wholetime in Plymouth, Bere Alston and Yelverton currently carry PPV fans.
By: yelvertonfirestation on December 11, 2011
at 6:10 pm
Hello Mark
Its great that you find interest on the goings on, events and incidents at retained fire stations.
At Wincanton Fire Station in Somerset we have our own Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/wincanton.fire.station which is one of two stations throughout Devon and Somerset Fire Rescue Service officially authorised to have one as a trial, it is the intention for the future every station having one sometime soon.
By: Paul Chown on March 21, 2012
at 1:23 pm
great website very interesting like the pictures of the pumps old and new. have you got any pictures and did you attend the fire at denham bridge in the long hot summer 1976 i know bere alston were there look forward to your reply
By: steve freeman on March 21, 2010
at 12:22 am
Steve, Thanks for your comments. Yelverton did go to the big fire at Denham Bridge, I’ve asked Peter Brown, the former Sub Officer at Yelverton if he has any pictures of the fire, and I’ve Emailed Colin Shaw at Bere Alston who we think has a photo. I’ll print the picture on the blog if we find one. There was a rumour that the wind changed and the fire engines pumping water up the hill had to pull out quickly. The legend goes, one of the pumps forgot to diconnect and pulled the pump out the back of the fire engine!! sounds a bit far fetched to me but you never know.
By: yelvertonfirestation on March 21, 2010
at 12:49 pm
Steve
Colin Shaw from Bere Alston has come up trumps and has lent us some photos of the incident, I’ve had them scanned in and put them in the correspondence page.
Thanks again.
Fred
By: yelvertonfirestation on April 20, 2010
at 10:36 am
fred and guys love the blog really good will be keeping an eye on it, so keep it up
all the best lakey
By: alan lake on July 14, 2009
at 10:26 pm