Flood risks At all times they will act safely, as well as
follow the police and fire service guidance and the procedures set out in their community plan. They do not place themselves at risk or attempt to operate or repair flood defence structures or equipment. Within Somerset, free flood warden training has been provided by DSFRS alongside the EA. The courses are free and support communities in preparing for responding and recovering from flood events. The training encourages having a flood plan with a strong emphasis on acting safely while carrying out actions within their plans. This training also offers the opportunity for
volunteers to network and learn from others’ experience. Cheddar Parish Council has a flood plan as part of its emergency plan, and a flood emergency equipment store based at Cheddar Fire Station. This flood emergency equipment store
houses a range of shovels, signage for flooding and road closures, sand bags, sand bag fill in devices, as well as the sand itself in ton bags.
Some statistics
During the period from 1 January until 14 March 2014 (the date when the response to recovery phase handover certificate was signed by all agencies), in the Somerset area there were: •
96 incidents – this total includes one incident number that was assigned to the Somerset Levels which ran from 29/1/14 until 12/02/14, and will have included many mobilisations
• 436 attending fire service vehicles • 1,132 fire service personnel in attendance, supplemented by national assets including equipment and personnel supplied by 24 other fire and rescue services – assets
•
included high volume pumps, enhanced logistical support crews, boats, hovercraft and two Unimog all terrain vehicles DSFRS activity during the floods on the Somerset Levels included: •
visiting every home by boat to promote safety and for medical assessments
• working with village agents to provide communities with information and guidance
•
crewing a water ‘taxi’ boat so that residents could carry on with their lives
• assessing water depths on key roads to ensure they opened as soon as possible
•
delivering food and fuel to homes cut off by flooding
• coordinating the national high volume pump capability
•
forward deploying equipment to deal with other emergencies
• using fire stations as a base for joint emergency response
•
crewing boats to help other emergency services attend incidents such as medical emergencies, provide reassurance and reduce the fear of crime
crewing 4x4 vehicles and other specialist vehicles, such as Unimogs and Pinzgauers
During this period, DSFRS was also being called to other spate flooding incidents across the service’s area, and assisted the rail operator for a prolonged period at Dawlish when the rail line was left dangling in the open air, cutting off rail links into the South West
Paul Slaven is public relations officer at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. For more information, view page 5
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
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