Spate of gorse fires prompts safety warning

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service are urging people to stop and think about the consequences of gorse and grass fires following seven gorse fires in the Catherton Common and Clee Hill areas in the last two weeks.

Recent dry weather has increased the risk of rural fires and some of these incidents are believed to have been ignited deliberately or have involved uncontrolled burning by landowners leaving fires unattended.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Wed, 16/03/2011 - 10:08

Toxic smoke warning to Telford residents

Get a smoke alarm and test it weekly – that is the stark advice to Shropshire residents from county firefighters to avoid dying from toxic smoke in a house fire.

Just two to three breaths of toxic smoke and “you're unconscious,” warned community fire safety officers at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

“Toxic smoke affects your ability to breathe. It is a sensation similar to drowning,” said John Das Gupta, Head of Fire Prevention.

Last year a 21-year-old Shropshire student was critically injured after suffering toxic smoke inhalation.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Fri, 11/03/2011 - 12:05

Chemical leak training for Shropshire firefighters

Shropshire firefighters donned special air tight chemical protection suits to tackle a reported ammonia leak during a large scale training exercise at a major food storage and distribution depot.

The planned exercise was at Grocontinental’s compound in Whitchurch Business Park – one of the largest freezer stores in Europe and a major Shropshire employer with 300 staff.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Fri, 11/03/2011 - 11:59

Police appeal following possible arson, Donnington

Police in Telford are appealing for witnesses following a suspicious fire in Donnington. The incident occurred on St Matthews Road on Tuesday 1 March.

At just after 2am police received reports that three individuals had been seen walking down the road carrying a petrol can. On attending St Matthews Road, police discovered that a blue MG ZR car was on fire and the fire service was called immediately.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Wed, 02/03/2011 - 12:44

Shropshire Fire Service urges people to lend a helping hand

In six week’s time (6th April, 2011) switchover to digital television reaches north Shropshire and south Cheshire and the ‘Helping Hand’ campaign urges everyone to make sure older and disabled people in their area know about the help they can get from the Help Scheme to switch to digital TV.

Helping Hand is all about the local community checking friends, relatives and neighbours have taken the appropriate steps to make sure their TVs are ‘switchover-ready’, as on the 6th April BBC 2 will be switched off, with all analogue channels going 14 days later (20th April).

Submitted by web-services-officer on Thu, 24/02/2011 - 10:32

Tax freeze

The cost of running the county's fire and rescue service will remain the same at £1.61 a week for the average Shropshire householder as the fire authority announces a tax freeze for 2011/12.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is one of the best performing services in England but receives one of the lowest Government grants per head of population out of all the fire and rescue services in the country.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Thu, 24/02/2011 - 10:05

Suspicious fire in Boningale

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were called out to The Lea Manor Hotel, Boningale near Albrighton at 06.53 on Sunday 13^th February.

Six appliances attended the scene, the ground floor of the unoccupied former Hotel was severely damaged.

The fire is being investigated by Fire Investigators and West Mercia Police. Anyone who has any information about the fire should contact West Mercia Police on 0300 333 3000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Mon, 21/02/2011 - 12:13

GP’s help fire safety scheme in Ludlow

An innovative fire prevention scheme to encourage those "most in need" to have a free home safety check has been launched by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service in Ludlow.

Community Fire Safety Officers have linked up with Ludlow's largest medical practice in a pilot scheme to urge elderly and vulnerable people to have a home fire safety visit from Ludlow retained firefighters.

Doctors at the Station Drive surgery said they were pleased to be asociated with a scheme that further improves the health and wellbeing of their patients.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Tue, 04/01/2011 - 11:00

Teenager charged with arson on Shrewsbury estate

Detectives investigating a series of suspected arson attacks on a Shrewsbury estate have charged a man with arson at one of the properties.

The 18-year-old was arrested this morning (23 December) at an address in Shrewsbury.
He has been interviewed and was this evening charged with arson at a house in Reedham Road, on the Herongate Estate, at about 11pm on Wednesday 1 December.

He will be remanded in custody overnight and is due to appear before Shrewsbury Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning (24 December).

Submitted by web-services-officer on Fri, 24/12/2010 - 11:44

Article in Shrewsbury Chronicle, 23 December 2010

Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority wish to reassure the community and staff from the Service that the recent article in the Shrewsbury Chronicle (Thursday, 23 December 2010) entitled ‘Town Fire Station HQ Project is Scrapped’ together with the supporting paragraph, is wholly inaccurate. The remainder of the article relates the cancellation of the national fire control project (which is correct).

It would appear that the two articles have been merged, one fact based, one extremely misleading and confusing to both the public and our staff.

Submitted by web-services-officer on Fri, 24/12/2010 - 11:36

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