Sims Metal offered a section of their Aldershot site and have provided scrap vehicles to HIWFRS firefighters, allowing them to recreate the conditions they would find themselves in when called to road traffic incidents.
To show their thanks a certificate of appreciation was presented to Sims Metal on behalf of Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin.
Crews from Rushmoor and Basingstoke fire stations have already made use of Sims Metals facilities and the feedback from all the teams has been hugely positive.
Basingstoke Station Manager Rich Oram said:
“These training opportunities allow our crews to practice a variety of techniques with various vehicles in different orientations, it has also provided a fantastic teaching environment for newer colleagues to develop their skills with the tools they will use to rescue people following road collisions.
“The team at Sims Metal have really gone out of their way to help, changing the way they operate to support our training.
“They couldn’t have been more accommodating, providing the vehicles and space to help our firefighters develop their skills which are used out on the roads to keep people safe.
“It is an honour to be able to present Sims Metal with this certificate of appreciation on behalf of the organisation.”
Vehicle extrication skills are an important part of being a modern-day firefighter, with HIWFRS crews called out to incidents on the road every day.
The HIWFRS Extrication team recently competed on the national stage in the UK Rescue Organisation challenge, where their car-cutting, casualty rescue and medical care techniques were put to the test. The team took home third-place, which see’s them qualify for next year’s World Rescue Challenge.
As we head into winter and it starts to get dark earlier, make sure you know how to stay safe whilst out on the roads with our top tips.
