Fire and Rescue Service set to ask what matters to its communities across South Wales
With a potential budget deficit of between £8m and £20m by 2020, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) has launched a new campaign ‘We are… SWFRS’ which aims to promote the diversity of duties and services it delivers to its communities across South Wales, as well as to gauge the opinions of those communities on what matters most to them.
Over the last 10 years, SWFRS has reduced fires across South Wales by 54%; with prevention and protection a focal point of its activities in the community, ranging from home fire safety checks to working with businesses to ensure regulatory compliance. However, with time and budget challenges, the Service recognises that it must improve the services it provides and develop new innovative ways to deliver these services.
While attendance at fires and road traffic collisions are a common sight for people in South Wales, SWFRS also delivers services which are non-statutory and not funded, which means they could be lost due to the continuing financial pressures. This includes responding to incidents such as water rescues, line rescues, rescues from machinery and lifts, as well as responding to major flooding, chemical spills and decontamination, structural collapse and animal rescues.
Huw Jakeway, Chief Fire Officer for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said, “As a Fire and Rescue Service our mission is all about making South Wales a safer place through raising awareness and reducing the risks in our communities.
“The ‘We Are…’ campaign is all about our continued engagement with those communities and to discover what matters most to them and provide them with an opportunity to shape the future of the services that we deliver. We cannot standstill as a Service and we must address the challenges ahead, so we hope that our communities will lend us their voices and be part of SWFRS’ journey.”
In the last year (2014/15), SWFRS has attended over 17,500 incidents and hopes to reduce deliberate fires by 41% over the next five years.
To complete the ‘We Are… SWFRS’ survey and to be in with a chance of winning a tablet, visit http://bit.ly/swfrshaveyoursay
For more information about South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, visit www.southwales-fire.gov.uk
