South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Fire Crime Unit has launched its bilingual I phone application, the first of its kind to be developed by a fire and rescue service in the UK.

Chairman, South Wales Fire and Rescue Fire Authority, Cllr Anthony Ernest and Andy Marles, Chief Fire Officer, South Wales Fire and Rescue, said: "We are extremely proud that SWFRS is the first fire and rescue service to develop this completely unique and one-of-a-kind bilingual Fire and Rescue Service I Phone application. This provides our communities with another innovative way of accessing help and information and is another example of the service continuing to meet the demands of a 21st century audience,"

Every year, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service attend nearly 9,566 deliberate incidents of arson costing the taxpayer £52,804.32 pounds a year. The SWFRS Fire Crime Unit is responsible for dealing with all matters relating to the deliberate setting of fires and understanding why it happens, finding out the causes of arson, finding out where these fires may happen, and assisting the police in the arrest of those responsible.

In addition to this, it has become increasingly apparent that there is a distinct link between arson attacks and domestic violence.   

The Fire Crime Unit (FCU) is therefore also heavily involved with helping victims of domestic violence and reducing the number of these incidents in South Wales. The FCU works closely with partnership agencies targeting specific vulnerable groups (Victims of Domestic Violence and Hate crime) at risk from both deliberate and accidental fires to make victims feel safe in their own home. 

By developing the Fire Crime Unit I phone application, persons with concerns and issues surrounding arson and domestic violence now have an easy to get to way of accessing relevant information and reporting potential perpetrators of arson or domestic violence anonymously.

Mick Flanagan, Group Manager, Fire Crime and Fire Investigation, South Wales Fire and Rescue said: "This is a completely unique and one of a kind bilingual Fire and Rescue Service I Phone application. Anyone with concerns and issues surrounding arson and domestic violence, in the whole of South Wales can download this application completely free of charge and have an easy to get to way of accessing information and reporting potential perpetrators of arson or domestic violence anonymously."

 

Posted September 7th, 2011 at 1005 by Andrew. Comment by emailing: andrew.lynch@pavpub.com