brandonlewisFire Minister Brandon Lewis has made a special visit to Larkfield Fire Station to thank fire crews who worked around-the-clock over the Christmas period, during the worst flooding the county has seen in decades.

After his visit to the station in New Hythe Lane, last week [17 Jan] Mr Lewis said: “It’s great to meet and thank the team, particularly some of the crews who put in blood, sweat and tears, going above and beyond the call of duty. This is exactly what’s great about the fire service. They are a credit to the service and the community.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s attended over 300 incidents, including helping helping rescue stranded homeowners and motorists during the storms this past month. These included a family with a baby trapped in their car by floodwater on Christmas Eve and residents who had to be evacuated by boat from their flooded homes.

Nick Chard, Chairman of the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “We are grateful that Mr Lewis has taken time out of his busy schedule to thank the control operators and firefighters. Our top priority was to get people to safety and then to work with our partner agencies on the subsequent clean-up operation, to get people’s lives and businesses back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Kent Fire and Rescue Service worked alongside HM Coastguard and Kent Police and carried out 134 rescues including 75 on Christmas Eve and 52 on Christmas Day.