CCTV for Greater Manchester’s appliances
CCTV cameras are now to be fitted to fire engines in Greater Manchester to help reduce attacks on firefighters, following a successful pilot which led to a number of convictions. Most fire appliances will now be fitted with four cameras giving comprehensive coverage around the appliance. Tony Hunter said local funding had been obtained from each borough and that installation work would begin shortly. “We want to assure firefighters that they can go out and do their job without having their own lives put at risk by members of the public.”
So far this year there has been 134 reported incidents of firefighters being attacked, following 260 reported incidents last year.

Fire response to ferrychemical spill
Merseyside firefighters cleaned up after a recent chemical spill at a ferry terminal. Nine crews and three specialist units were called to 12 Quays terminal in Birkenhead, Merseyside, after a road tanker began leaking phosphoric acid.
Firefighters had to use full protective suits and controlled the leak by placing a boom around the tanker to keep the terminal open. No-one was injured in the incident and fire crews worked with the Environment Agency to clear the acid. The tanker was situated in a fenced-off area away from the main dock which has helped to reduce the impact of the leak. The leak was believed to have been caused by a faulty valve on the tanker and the 2,500 litres of acid contained in it was subsequently siphoned into another vehicle.

Malicious calls at record low in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue Service has reported a record low in the number of malicious emergency calls, having dropped 60 per cent in the past five years from 89 in 2001 to 35 in 2006.
Area Manager Norman Davies said the message is getting through to young people: “We are engaging with children at school. We explain to them that even if they make a hoax call with a mobile phone it can be traced. And we can make a request to service providers of mobile phones to disable the SIM cards and disable the mobile phones.” He said that Dumfries and Galloway are aiming for a further five per cent cut annually for the next three years, adding that it was not just young people who presented a problem and they had taken action against adults in the past. “We will continue to seek prosecution of these people,” Mr Davies assured.

Bedfordshire’s b-lief web messages
Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service has linked up with a pioneering internet web site aimed at school students – b-live - to get key fire safety messages across to young audiences.
CFO Paul Fuller explained: “Our community fire safety teams spend a great deal of time visiting schools and getting our front line firefighters involved in projects like the Prince’s Trust or football tournaments involving youngsters. But b-live means we can communicate directly with thousands of youngsters via the internet. The medium and messages are specifically aimed at teenagers who are open to new ideas.”
The first range of headlines and stories revolved around the national fire safety campaign Push the Button - Not Your Luck which is aimed a making people fit and check their smoke alarms. “Only recently in Bedfordshire a 17-year-old girl was saved from a domestic fire because of a smoke alarm – that really helps to bring the message home,” added CFO Fuller.