News & events

Updates from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has had a busy year leading and contributing to a range of national and international wildfire projects.  Here we share some of these success stories:

1. Landowners prepared for wildfire risk
Farmers and landowners in Northumberland are better prepared to deal with the risk of wildfire incidents after an information session hosted by Northumberland Fire Group in October 2016.
The session, organised by Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) on behalf of Northumberland Fire Group (NFG), offered advice to farmers, land managers, landowners, and gamekeepers about keeping land and businesses safe from wildfires.
Paul Hedley, chief fire officer at Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, said: “In rural areas like Northumberland, wildfires are a potential risk and they can have devastating effects.
“Events like these are vital to reduce the risk of wildfires but also to better prepare landowners and businesses for potential incidents and reduce the impact these may have on local communities, businesses and the natural environment.”
See NFRS press release and copy of the day’s agenda (PDF 325KB) for more details

2. Simulation training for firefighters
Fire officers from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) are learning how to use simulation technology to train for large and destructive wildfires.
NFRS staff have attended a special EU-funded training workshop in the South of France to learn more about simulation how to train using virtual reality. They will be helping to improve and develop this training over the next 18 months.
The new training package, a product of the IGNIS project (Initiative for Global Management of big fire through Simulation), is a simulation tool which will be used by emergency services across Europe to train officers in how to safely and effectively control and extinguish large wildfires.
For more info see NFRS press release

3. Development of free e-learning materials on natural disasters

Residents can now get online to learn all about how to protect themselves in the event of a natural disaster.
A free e-learning resource, developed by Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service and five partners from across Europe, has been launched online.
The ‘e-PPR’ project includes four different packages, one for primary school children, one for secondary school students, one for adults, and another for emergency response teams.
Each package provides tailored content to teach the four different audiences about the prevention, preparedness and response and recovery to four types of natural disasters; floods, storms, heat waves and wildfires.
For more info Northumberland Fire and Rescue Services have been adding updates to their website over the past year – see March, May, July and November for more details of the project.
The e-PPR project is co-funded by the European Commission within the framework of the ‘Erasmus +’ programme. For more information about the e-PPR project visit www.e-ppr.eu