West Yorkshire firefighters help flood victims

Crews from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s training centre in Birkenshaw have spent another day and night supporting communities in the flood-hit south of England.
Firefighters from the training centre at Birkenshaw help with the flood relief effort in southern England.Firefighters from the training centre at Birkenshaw help with the flood relief effort in southern England.
Firefighters from the training centre at Birkenshaw help with the flood relief effort in southern England.

The firefighters are taking part in what what has been described as “arguably the largest deployment of fire and rescue service resources since the war”, helping the victims in Somerset, Berkshire and Surrey.

Their tasks have included pumping massive amounts of water in Somerset, through to assisting in rescues and sandbagging properties in the Home Counties.

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Station Manager Peter Lau, who is responsible for the crews working in Berkshire, said many members of the community had expressed surprise that crews had travelled from as far as West Yorkshire to help them and one couple said they would “never forget that West Yorkshire came to assist in their moments of need”.

Crews are being provided with accommodation and meals by Fire and Rescue Services that have requested support.

Fire chiefs say while the volunteers are helping out in the south of England, emergency cover back in West Yorkshire is unaffected.

Assistant Chief Officer Dave Walton said: “We are being provided with regular updates by both the national flood co-ordination team and our staff who are deployed on the ground.

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“To be part of such a massive relief effort is very rewarding for those involved and I would like to thank them on behalf of the people that they are assisting.

“We should also recognise that the rest of West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is working in support of this deployment.”