UPDATED at 17:10Hrs 9th May 2008
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JY57 VDX Cleckheaton Appliance (6201)
South Elmsall, Cleckheaton and Cookridge Stations are now running there new Appliances 




A FIRE chief has praised the actions of a 999 operator who gave a family survival advice as a fire swept through their home.Donna Green and her three young sons, Joe, Jake and Kian, were rescued from their Sowerby Bridge home after a kitchen blaze.
Ten-year-old
Joe dialled 999 for Donna while she put an escape plan into action. She
got her children into an upstairs bedroom and used bedding to stop
smoke billowing into the room under the door. A control room
operator at fire HQ in Birkenshaw gave survival guidance while crews
from Halifax and Elland went to the blaze in Orion Place.
Click here to read a transcription and listen to Audio of the CallSmoke detectors, fitted during a safety campaign in 2004, alerted the family to the fire at 2am on Tuesday. Area
manager Brian Robson said: "Without a smoke alarm and the calm
professionalism of our control staff we could have been talking about a
needless tragedy. I can't emphasise too strongly the importance of
simple fire precautions. "Last year, Joe's class at school received a talk from the service so he knew exactly how to behave." Donna and her family were rescued by firefighters through a bedroom window. She
said: "I would like to pay tribute to the control operator who gave me
vital information and reassurance while the rescue team arrived. "I probably owe her our lives." Anyone can have a home fire safety check by calling 0800 5874536.
CALDERDALE FIRE MANAGER RETIRES
David Gardiner, who led the day-to-day running of fire services in
Calderdale, left West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service on Friday and
has taken up a new non-operational role in fire safety at Wakefield. David was appointed as Calderdale District Manager in January 2007 but has completed 30 years as a firefighter. He served at various fire stations in Huddersfield, Leeds and Wakefield before becoming a station commander at Shipley, Ilkley and Elland. He has also worked in the fire investigation and community fire safety units and in training/career development. Group Manager Gardiner, who lives in Springfield Park, Mirfield, is a graduate of the Institution of Fire Engineers and holds a diploma in management studies. “The fire and rescue service is changing. We no longer just deal with fires, road accidents and cats stuck up trees. Alongside a swift and effective operational response we have to ensure we try to prevent incidents happening in the first place and that means working much more closely with a range of groups and individuals to drive down unnecessary risks,” he said. “No two communities are exactly alike and the introduction of district management has given stations the freedom to be confident and innovative to try and find local solutions to local problems.”

Fire at Heartbeat Studios Leeds 25/04/08

Fire crews prevented a major fire after entering the smoke logged building to locate the seat of fire. Excellent work undertaken by fire crews prevented a major incident. The fire was located between the 1st and 2nd floors of the building and 2 Hosereel jets, 8 Breathing apparatus and Positive Pressure Ventilation fans were used.


Leeds Derelict Pub Explosion.......5 injured all walking wounded...
See WYF & R Incident news for reportVideo report to Follow

More Images here
Appliances to Arrive
2 Volvo Multistar Appliances as above are on order for later this year
Possibly going to Halifax and Wakefield stations
Image courtesy of www.bebo.com
Firefighter Tony Bingham has retired after 29 years dedicated to the service.
Tony Bingham, 50, left Fairweather Green fire station as it welcomed
its latest recruit straight out of training, 20-year-old John Furbisher. Crew manager Ronnie Goldwater said Mr Bingham, who retires on Saturday, May 10, will be greatly missed. He said: "Tony is very conscientious - he is a first rate
firefighter of the old school. He is a great role model for any young
firefighter."Mr Bingham was involved in some of the largest fire service
operations seen in Bradford, including the Renwicks freight yard fire
on the site of where Grattan now stands, as well as the Bradford riots
in July, 2001.As well as Fairweather Green, he has worked from stations in Idle, Moortown and Odsal.

Queen's Fire Service Medal
Nigel Charlston, a key member of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been awarded with the Queen's Fire Service Medal. Senior fire services manager, received the award in recognition of his 33 years with the service. Members of the Fire Authority have congratulated Mr Charlston on the
award, which they described as a fitting tribute to his achievements,
particularly his work regarding fire safety.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescues spectacular Summer Gala will be held on Saturday, 12 July, at the Brigade's Birkenshaw HQ.
New Firefighters Posted to Stations
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has announced the postings of its 187th trainee course. The new recruits have just completed a 13-week intensive training programme at the brigade's International Training Centre in Birkenshaw.

Large Incident Reports
A new report outlines the cause and scale of the district's biggest fires over the last 12 months.In that period, the biggest blaze in West Yorkshire, in terms of the
number of firefighters who attended, came at Illingworth Mill, in
Hollings Road, Manningham.The fire, on June 15, 2007, was tackled by 117 firefighters, using 22 pumps and seven special appliances.The report, prepared by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, indicated that the blaze was caused by a heating appliance.The second largest blaze in the district in the last year came at
Monoplas Industries, in Badger Lane, Hipperholme, where 105
firefighters tackled an intense blaze.The cause of the fire, on September 5, has been recorded as
accidental, although another large blaze at the premises, on October
10, was listed as being deliberate.The report, which details all blazes attended by six pumps or more, suggests that several other large fires in the district were started on purpose. Fires listed as being started deliberately include a blaze at a
derelict building in Fulton Street, Bradford, on August 31, 2007, and a
fire at a mill in Carroll Street, Bradford, on December 12, 2007. The cause of a blaze in Carnegie Drive, Windhill, Shipley, on May 28, 2007, has also been recorded as deliberate.

TOP APPOINTMENT FOR
HUDDERSFIELD FIRE OFFICER
Martyn Redfearn has been appointed as the new Director of Human Resources for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Martyn, who is 46 and lives in Fixby, is promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief Fire Officer. ACO Redfearn joined the fire service in 1983 and was initially posted to Dewsbury. He subsequently served in Slaithwaite, South Elmsall, at the brigade’s Birkenshaw training centre and in Bradford before becoming Divisional Officer (Fire Safety), Area Manager (Personnel and Training) and latterly Area Manager responsible for Operations Policy and Planning. He is a former pupil of Almondbury High School and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers. Martyn is married with a daughter and in his spare time is a member of Brighouse and Halifax Model Engineers. “I am delighted to announce Martyn’s appointment. He has a breadth of experience across West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and has already proved himself capable of operating at the highest level,” said Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase.

West Yorkshire fire kit set for Ukraine
West Yorkshire Fire and Re
scue Service is donating a range of used fire kit and equipment to firefighters in the Ukraine. Protective clothing such as tunics, trousers, boots, helmets, a
selection of tools and 270 smoke alarms provided by Fire Angel will be
sent to the Ukraine this month courtesy of Take Hope (Yorkshire)
– a charity which for more than 13 years has made a big
difference to the lives of people in the former Yugoslavian states, in
Romania, and now in Transcarpathia, Ukraine.

Fire Safety Campaign Launches In WetherbySpecialist fire officers from all over Leeds will be joining forces in
Wetherby over the next few months to complete a massive community safety
project prior to the local fire station changing shift systems later this year. Teams of trained officers will call on residents offering free home fire
safety checks, which only take a few minutes but which can save lives. As part
of this visit, where necessary, officers will fit free smoke detectors. Where staff call to a house but find nobody in they will leave a leaflet
offering the check via a special 24-hour freephone number: 0800 587 4536. A mutually convenient time for a visit can
then be arranged.“This campaign builds on the excellent safety work carried out by local
fire crews over the years and gives us an opportunity to reach vulnerable
people and those normally hard to reach about the danger of fire and what can
be done to protect their homes and families,” explained project leader Adrian
Cornelissen.“The officers will target specific areas as the campaign progresses but
if anyone wishes to book a safety check at any time they can either use the
0800 number or call/phone at the station.“All fire officers wear uniform and carry fire service identity cards. I
would encourage all occupiers to check the identity of any caller prior to
allowing them on their premises.”
· Wetherby has a whole time
fire station but is classed as a low risk area. It is intended to introduce a
day-crewing system there which will mean the full-timers being on call from
their homes rather than the station during the night. Wetherby’s daily staffing
level will however increase from four to five firefighters.

Click Below for more images

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue is launching a hard-hitting road safety campaign in a bid to cut the number of deaths and injuries on the county’s roads. MRU and USAR crews used.
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They assessed and prioritised the incidents and then used cutting
equipment to extricate the survivors. This incident was simulated on this occasion - but are similar to the scenes met by crews every day across the district. Watch manager Mick Brennan, of the Road Traffic Collision Department, cast his expertise over officers' progress at the services
headquarters in Birkenshaw. He said: "We try to ensure all the emergency agencies that attend
road traffic collisions know exactly what to do in the correct
sequence, this is called the saver system."We regularly hold events where we invite paramedics, medical teams
and highways agencies to attend multi-discipline training sessions. The
day involved having a number of casualties in varying degrees of
entrapment and the teams needed to identify the injuries they have
sustained, identify how long extraction will take and extricate the
casualties in a very controlled, methodical manner."We then evaluate to ensure any learning points are picked up and we
address that in further training courses. As part of the Road Traffic
Action Reduction Group, we are trying to make people aware of their
actions when they are on the road. It is very important to carry out
these exercises. We are hoping that we make people aware of driving
conditions and things that could happen if they behave incorrectly
while they are on the road." Ten-year-old actress Verity Pearson, who has appeared in Casualty
and The Royal, took centre stage as a car crash victim. The youngster
was rescued after 20 minutes, but she was in extra safe care as her
firefighter father, crew manager Tony Pearson, was on hand. She said: "It was really good, it was really realistic. When they
lifted you up, they were so careful and really nice. They kept talking
to you, they did everything to make you feel better. The make-up looked
ace. Being in the car was a really good experience."

Fleet News!!!
1st of New Pumps will hopefully be on the run in 3 weeks time with Cookridge.
Both Urban appliances have now been supplied to the Young Firefighters Programme with
YJ06 WNF at Rothwell and YB06
UZO at Castleford.
Full new fleetlist to be issued on dispatch of New 57 Pumps
Cutting Gear to be changed this year to

Click here or above link for web site with images

How to avoid a recipe for Disaster

Press Release
Written by former London fireman Ray Chilton, Underfire is an extraordinary true account of the friendship, humour, danger and heartache that firefighters face each day. Soho Fire Station is in the centre of London’sWest End, and is one of the world’s busiest and most exciting Fire Stations


'Danny' retires after 31 Years at Bradford Click above for full story 
Operational Support UnitsAs
of the 1st January 2008 all OSU's in the brigade have been withdrawn.
They are all at workshops awaiting re-deployment, all except for one
05 registered vehicle, which has been fitted with water rescue /
Flooding type equipment and is based at Headquarters and will turn out
from there if required at an incident 



New for 2008 Older Incident Images Page and Image site



NIGEL HONOURED WITH QFSM
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is delighted to announce that Nigel Charlston has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal (QFSM). The announcement was posted on the Queen's New Year’s Honours List and is the highest award for a serving fire officer. Nigel joined the fire & rescue service in 1975 and has served in Surrey, South and West Yorkshire. His present position is Senior Fire Safety Manager, responsible for legislative fire safety throughout the whole of West Yorkshire. He also acts as a fire safety advisor to the Chief Fire Officer's Association. On hearing about the award Nigel said: "I am delighted to be receiving the Queen's Fire Service Medal. This award is recognition not just for me, but for all the people I work with as we continue to provide an excellent fire & rescue service that works in partnership with others to reduce death, injury and economic loss due to fire and other emergencies."The Queen’s Fire Service Medal was introduced in May 1954 and can be given for either meritorious service or bravery. "I am delighted that Nigel has been awarded the Queen`s Fire Service Medal in the New Year Honours. I cannot think of anyone more deserving. Nigel has spent his whole career making our communities safer both locally and nationally and this accolade recognises his true professionalism," said West Yorkshire's chief fire officer, Phil Toase.

Voting has now closed but you can still view the nominees for Young Heroes below
West Yorkshire firefighters demonstrated their rope rescue skills in spectacular style as they abseiled down the front of The Queens Hotel in Leeds on Wednesday, January 16 to launch the brigade’s first ever awards. The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Awards 2008 will celebrate the bravery, dedication and excellence of firefighters, control room operators, fire and rescue staff and members of the public. The awards ceremony on May 23, to take place at The Queens Hotel, will also raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Fire Services’ National Benevolent Fund. There are 11 awards in total five of which the public is invited to nominate for They are: Hero of the Year, which is for members of the pubic who have shown heroism or courage; Young Hero of the Year, for members of the public aged under 16; Wholetime and Retained Fire Stations of the Year for stations who have made a significant impact on their community; and Outstanding Contribution for firefighters and control room staff who have carried out an act of bravery or courage to save someone’s life or prevent damage.
You can view videos, produced by ITV's Calendar, about each of the short-listed Young Heroes by clicking here
Fire checks 'saving lives'
"West Yorkshire started offering home safety checks and fitting smoke alarms in 1996 and now complete over 4,500 every month," said Assistant Chief Fire Officer Craig McIntosh. "I have no doubt that this initiative is largely responsible for the dramatic recent fall in fire deaths and injuries."


Andrew Robinson joins the West Yorkshire firefighters in BradfordFootage shot in Bradford's Grattan Road in April follows and is proof
that training has saved lives. Videoed by Bradford man Graham Tyler,
who has his own website (www.firewestyorkshire. com) – the
"unofficial enthusiasts' site" – the footage shows a Backdraught
incident that could easily have killed someone.
Click for full story

Range of 57 Pumps at FSHQ driver training under way
BBC On this Day


Attacks on fire crews have doubled

Keith Robinson, Bradford district manager for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
Figures reveal that Bradford was the second worst area in West Yorkshire during April 07 for incidents involving attacks on firefighters, just behind Hunslet, in Leeds. One of the incidents in Bradford involved a weapon being brandished, and the city's firefighters were also pelted with stones twice during the month.Meanwhile, firefighters from Idle said a five-year-old boy hurled eggs at their fire appliance as they attended an emergency incident at the junction of Thackley Road and Ravenscliffe Avenue in April. They had already been pelted with eggs from a bridge by another young boy a month earlier.Keighley firefighters reported one stoning' incident, while Cleckheaton and Illingworth firefighters experienced aggressive behaviour from members of the public.The trend may indicate a general rise in violence towards West Yorkshire fire service personnel or may simply reflect the combination of unseasonal good weather and the school holidays over Easter, according to the fire service's latest Performance Management and Activity Report.
Keith Robinson, Bradford district manager for the fire service, said: "We are recording everything that happens now so we have got a true picture of what my guys are facing on the streets of Bradford.


FACT
In 2006 there were 1,642 malicious calls to the Fire Service in West Yorkshire.
More than 170 House Fires were caused by smoking materials in West Yorkshire in 2006.
The blazes led to Five deaths and Fifty injuries.
In the ten months before January 07, Bradford crews suffered 25 attacks - more than one every two weeks - from verbal abuse to stoning's.
Staff at Fairweather Green were next worst, suffering 13 attacks, followed by Odsal with ten. Attacks in West Yorkshire have fallen from 127 to 107, but across the country they have more than doubled with 1,528 incidents reported.

Bradford's New Fire Station


Visit Brigade Control Page for New RCC for West Yorkshire


Firebuy is all about national procurement of major items such as vehicles, clothing and equipment for the Fire & Rescue Services.
Angloco, which has been in Batley West Yorkshire for about 30 years, has been contracted to supply light vehicles, weighing up to 7.5 tonnes, carrying two to four firefighters and equipped to deal with moorland or hard-to-reach fires.


Low Moor Munitions Explosion 1916

Shelvoke Remembered

CWY 160Y S&D Based at Rawdon

PNW 625W S&D Turntable Ladder Based at Halifax

VWR 813X seen here while based at Mirfield


Recent Visit to Ciba Specialist Chemicals Bradford Images


Taking Photo's today...What's the Weather ?

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Ex West Yorks Machine lives on in the TV Industry

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