 |
click for Rother Valley homepage |
 |
click for
Main Index |
The Rother Valley
West Sussex, England WSFRS page 4a |
| Rother Valley :- homepage - photo galleries - pubs - BB - directories - churches - travel - maps - schools - index - contact us |
Ambulance technician escapes fire SECAMB - Press Release: 25 October 2006 An ambulance technician had a narrow escape from a serious fire at Arundel Fire Station this morning. Anne Myhill, who is based at Bognor ambulance station was standing-by at Arundel Fire Station under a new partnership arrangement between South East Coast Ambulance Service and West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. Anne said: “I was in the rest room when I heard a small popping sound come from the garage area. It didn’t seem particularly loud but a few seconds later I noticed the smoke. I got out of the building and then called the fire service. Within minutes there was a serious fire which looked like it was causing severe damage.” Apart from slight smoke inhalation Anne was unharmed and was able to continue for the rest of her shift. ARUNDEL FIRE STATION UPDATE
- MAN RESCUED FROM QUARRY Sent Saturday July 8 2006 2:08 by Paul Archer A man has been rescued by firefighters after he became stuck in deep mud and water at a quarry near Storrington. West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service was called to a report of a man stuck in mud at the bottom of a disused sand quarry at The Hollow in Washington at 20:40hrs yesterday 07/07/06. The man was trapped up to his waist and was unable to move or free himself due to the suction from the mud. On arrival, firefighters from Storrington quickly donned life jackets and secured him using rescue lines. The man was released about an hour later after firefighters using hand shovels and a mud lance managed to pull him free uninjured. It is believed that the man had been trapped for some time before his friend who was with him actually alerted the emergency services. Station Manager Brian Holden said: “ The man was extremely lucky, fortunately the man had his friend with him and he was able to call the emergency services who were quickly on the scene. Had he been alone there would have been no way he could have freed himself. We urge people to stay well away from prohibited areas especially quarry sites. These sites are incredibly dangerous.” Additional support was requested from the newly formed Technical Rescue Unit based at Horley fire station. Two fire engines and a four-wheel drive vehicle from Storrington attended the scene. The man was conveyed to hospital by the South East Coast Ambulance Service as a precautionary measure. Notes to Editors: A mud lance is a specialist tool which is used to inject water or air into mud or unstable ground to assist in the rescue and release of persons or animals trapped in this type of environment. The technical rescue unit is equipped to deal with large-scale emergencies such as heavy rescue, accidents from road and rail to structural collapses. BARN FIRE - GOODWOOD Sent Monday July 3 2006 22:45 by Paul Archer  Over fifty firefighters have been tackling a barn fire near Goodwood House, that has again prompted West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service to repeat their warning on the dangers of the hot weather, which is currently hitting the County and the South of England.West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service mobilised two appliances from Chichester to a farm close to Goodwood House at 17:05hrs today. A further call indicated that a barn was well alight, prompting the Services Command & Mobilising Centre in Chichester to mobilise further fire engines. The smoke from the blaze could be seen a considerable distance from Goodwood. On arrival of fire crews it was also discovered that straw and silage stored next to the barn was also well alight. Further fire engines and a water carrier were also requested to maintain water supplies for the fire-fighting operation. The Dutch barn contained approximately 1000 tonnes of straw and approximately 3000 tonnes of silage of which about 50% involved in the blaze. Firefighters and staff from the farm have worked in very hot conditions to try and save as much of the contents as possible. This has involved the use of tractors and farm machinery. The Goodwood Aviation Fire & Rescue Service was also on the scene during the early stages working alongside West Sussex fire crews. Fire engines from Chichester, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Bosham and Shoreham were involved in the early stages of firefighting operations. It is expected that more appliances from around the County will be sent to the scene throughout the night as relief crews. Firefighters have used four ground water monitors, two jets and two hose reels to tackle the blaze and prevent any spread of fire to nearby buildings. A water carrier from Littlehampton fire station has been used to shuttle water to the scene. Fire investigation officers are currently investigating the cause, however the fire is not thought to be deliberate. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is warning people to be extra careful during this hot weather spell. Head of Community Fire Safety Roger Wood said: " We do appreciate the hot weather ourselves, and want people to enjoy themselves however we want to encourage people to take care and think about what they’re doing. For example, drivers should refrain from discarding cigarettes out of car windows whilst driving along, as this combined with dry grass verges and hedgerows, can easily lead to serious fires that can spread and involve properties in the countryside. Paramedics attend trapped 2 year old boy on Sussex beach Press release dated: 1 June 2006 An ambulance crew and a doctor have today (Thursday, 1 June 2006) spent more than two and a half hours attending to a young boy after he became trapped in rocks. A 999 call was received in Ambulance Control at 1.21pm and an ambulance dispatched to the scene straight away, followed shortly afterwards by paramedic officer Nigel Hammond and SIMCAS doctor Dr Ben Chiswick; the coastguard, police and fire crews also attended. The boy, believed to be two years old, had become trapped by his head in some rocks and was unable to be freed by his parents. Despite the efforts of all those involved, the boy was not freed until about 3.40pm. During the time he was trapped, he was attended to by the ambulance crew, Clinical Team Leader Mark Newman and Paramedic Paddy Crunden and the on-scene doctor Dr Chiswick who sedated him to enable him to finally be freed. The boy, although very distressed, was in a stable condition. Once freed, he was taken by ambulance to Hospital. Spokeswoman Janine Bell said: "This was a good example of all services working well together to free this young boy, with a good outcome. We were lucky with the tide level, which at another time could have been very difficult" Ambulance crews attend incident on Chanctonbury Hill Press release dated: 30 May 2006 An ambulance crew plus Hotel 900, the ambulance/police helicopter have today (Tuesday, 30 May 2006) attended two little girls who had a lucky escape when a tree fell on them on Chanctonbury Hill, West Sussex. Ambulance control were alerted to the incident at 4.10pm, with the caller giving details of two girls, believed to be aged three and four, who had been injured by a falling tree. An ambulance was immediately sent to the scene, along with a SIMCAS doctor, Hotel 900 and a paramedic officer. A West Sussex fire crew also attended to assist with retrieving the patients, as they were located about half a mile up the hill. Although neither girl was seriously injured, both had been hit on the head by branches and after being assessed at the scene by paramedics, were taken by ambulance to Worthing Hospital. Hotel 900 was able to land close by, although was not required to transport either patient. Paramedic officer Mark Lilley, who attended the incident said: “Both girls had had a lucky escape. Although quite upset, neither appeared to be seriously injured and through close working with the Fire Service, we were able to move them to the ambulance and onto the hospital quite quickly.” SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR FIREFIGHTERS Sent Tuesday May 23 2006 15:07 by Paul Archer Bognor Regis Firefighters have earned a seal of approval following the dramatic rescue of a stranded seal at Pagham Harbour in West Sussex. RSPCA staff requested the attendance of the Fire & Rescue Service at approximately 17:30hrs last night 22/05/06, after a full grown seal about 1.5 metres in length became stuck in mud at Pagham Harbour near Selsey. Apparently the seal had been spotted off the coast of Selsey on Saturday afternoon but had somehow got itself stranded in waters close to the Harbour Road car park at Pagham. Bognor Regis firefighters were quickly on the scene and after carrying out a safety assessment were able to locate a safe route to the area where the seal was located. A fireboat from East Wittering Community Fire Station was sent to the scene as a precautionary measure due to the fast rising tide. Fire Crews wearing life jackets were able to slide the seal onto a salvage tarpaulin and with the help of an RSPCA officer they managed to drag the seal to the Harbour Road car park. The seal was later transported to an animal rescue unit based in Hastings. Although the seal was very exhausted, the animal is expected to make a full recovery. A vet at the scene said: “The fish are in very close to the shore at the moment which more than likely encouraged the seal into the harbour. Unfortunately the animal became stuck in the mud and it was sometime before anybody spotted it.” Crews left the scene at approximately 18:22hrs UPDATE TO PRESS RELEASE ISSUED AT 15:07HRS 23/05/06 Sent Tuesday May 23 2006 16:45 by Paul Archer Despite the efforts of all involved in the rescue of a seal at Pagham Harbour last night 22/05/06 It has now been confirmed by the RSPCA that the seal has sadly died. ELDERLY LADY KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE Sent Sunday April 2 2006 21:00 by Gary Towson An elderly lady has died in a house fire near Haslemere. Firefighters were called to the house in Linchmere Rd, in the Hammer parish of Haslemere at 3:20pm today (2nd April) when a neighbour heard a smoke alarm sounding and saw smoke coming from a ground floor window. The house is in West Sussex but very close to the borders of both Surrey and Hampshire, and the three nearest fire engines ordered were from all three counties; Haslemere, Liphook and Midhurst. The first crew to arrive was from Haslemere and Watch Manager Tony Root explained the lady was found quickly but unfortunately there was nothing they could do to save her. "We sent teams of breathing apparatus wearers in with hose reels to search the house but they were unable to open the door to the room where the fire started because of an obstruction. They quickly managed to force their way in the room by climbing through the ground floor window and the lady occupier was found laying on the floor." The fire was extinguished with hose reels and was contained to just one room. A cat was found inside the house and given oxygen but also died. Fire Investigation Officers and Police are working to try and find out exactly what caused the fire. A post mortem will be carried out to establish the cause of death, but at this time it is not thought to be suspicious. Fire crews given wrong directions 27 Aug 2004 Fire & rescue crews took over 20 minutes to reach a crash scene at Rogate, in which a woman was trapped. The original emergency call to West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, at 10.29am, gave the location of the accident as on the A286 at Henley, near Fernhurst. Midhurst fire and rescue searched the A286 as far as Fernhurst before being redirected to the A272 near its junction with the Parsonage Estate west of Rogate village centre, where they arrived at 10.50am. Stedham lady rescued from River Rother Ambulance Press release dated: 21 February 2006 An ambulance crew from Midhurst have today (Tuesday, 21 February 2006) helped to rescue a lady from the River Rother in West Sussex. Ambulance control were alerted to the incident at 3.30pm, with the caller giving details of a female in her 30s, who had gone into the river at Stedham, near Midhurst to rescue her dog and was then unable to get herself out. An ambulance crew and SIMCAS doctor arrived on scene shortly afterwards, along with the Police and Fire Service, and although the lady had been helped out of the water by her husband, she was in an inaccessible position on the river bank and in need of medical attention. The coastguard helicopter, India Juliet, was summoned and winched the lady on board from the river bank. She was then flown to St Richards Hospital in Chichester, suffering from hypothermia, although in a stable condition. Her husband, also suffering from hypothermia, was taken by ambulance to St Richards. Janine Bell, Head of PR & Communications, said: “This was a good example of all the emergency services working well together. Given the cold weather today and the recent heavy rain, this lady had a lucky escape.” Stedham homepage Stedham Bridge Sunday 05 Aug - 07 05:32 MAN RESCUED FOLLOWING FALL DOWN CHALK PIT A man has been rescued by the emergency services after falling from a steep chalk pit ledge earlier today. West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service received a call for assistance from the South East Coast Ambulance service at 05:32hrs. The man had sustained leg injuries after falling some 20 feet down. The incident occurred a short distance from Billingshurst. The casualty was located in a deep seated area some considerable distance down. Equipment had to be carried to the scene as it was not possible to access the area with a vehicle. India Juliet the HM Coastguard helicopter was requested as it was too dangerous to carry the casualty back to the road. Fortunately the helicopter was able to land in a nearby field and the man was quickly conveyed to hospital by air following treatment by Paramedics at the scene. Andy Horner, District Commander for Chichester said: The operation involved many of the emergency services which included the HM Coastguard, Ambulance Service, Police and the West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Technical Rescue Unit. The route to the casualty was very dangerous as personnel had to encounter sheer drops of 50 feet or more whilst carrying rescue equipment. All the Services worked well together as a team. WrL Chichester - WrL Arundel - Technical Rescue Unit Photos: Picture 1 - - Picture 2 Widespread damage caused as flash floods and lightning strikes hit Sussex 2nd Jun 1999. Sussex Fire brigades took more than 100 emergency calls from 3am and crews were busy for the next four hours. The downpours were caused by a thundery low pressure system and weathermen warned of more stormy outbreaks later today. In West Sussex, drains overloaded at Tesco in Shipney Road, Bognor, and firefighters and staff shifted goods to safety ..... Arundel firefighters pumped water from Tillington Court, Tillington, near Petworth, as 2 crews from Petworth salvaged property from nearby Coates Castle, in Coates Lane, Barlavington. The castle was believed to have been hit by lightning and suffered some flooding as the roof partially collapsed. There were flooding reports in North Street, Midhurst. Stormy weather also caused a tree to fall on the A285 at Duncton. Many cars broke down when motorists tried to drive through deep standing water. Tillington homepage page top WEST SUSSEX FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE PRESS RELEASE WEST SUSSEX FIREFIGHTERS CONJURE UP UK 'FIRST' Posted Wednesday 9th May 2007 A magical way of teaching young people fire safety has been conjured up by West Sussex County Council Fire and Rescue Service to score a UK 'first'. It is the first in the country to present an award-winning programme from the United States that features magician Al Belmont using magic to teach young students fire safety, fire and burn prevention and what to do in the event of blaze. Al, a former teacher has been touring schools throughout West Sussex since February 27, said: "Magic is an effective attention-getter. In this special programme, whenever there is a trick, there is also a fire safety message." Al was invited to West Sussex by Kathy John, the Fire and Rescue Service's Arson Reduction Manager, after she saw him perform at an international conference on juvenile fire raisers. His tour of West Sussex is being paid for by the Fire and Rescue Service and Sussex Police Authority. Lionel Barnard, County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: "A key role of our Fire and Rescue Service is to educate people of all ages about fire safety and prevention. "Al Belmont will provide valuable reinforcement to the all-the-year-round, in-school efforts of our teachers and our firefighters." DOG RESCUED FROM BLAZE 9th February 2007 by Sarah Lander WSFRS
WEST SUSSEX FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE PRESS RELEASE NEW FOOTBALL COACHING INITIATIVES TEACH SUSSEX YOUTH ABOUT FIRE AND ROAD SAFETY Posted Friday August 25 2006 12:20 by Gary Towson: Young people in Sussex will now have the chance to learn about fire and road safety from their footballing heroes. East and West Sussex Fire & Rescue Services have jointly developed a partnership with Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club to offer football-coaching programmes and initiatives to children and young adults that focus on fire safety, arson reduction and road safety. Called Football in the Community, the courses help young people to learn about the dangers of fire and making hoax emergency calls and how to be safe on the countys roads. Albion players and a wide range of football skills are used to keep the young people interested in these important topics. The official launch of the programme will be at half time during The Seagulls game against Crewe FC on Sunday 27 August. Some of The Seagulls first team players and chief executive Martin Perry will accept presentation cheques from firefighters representing both East and West Sussex Fire & Rescue Services. The cheques will be used to financially support the Footballing in the Community programme in the future. The coaching programmes which are the first of their kind in the UK have been developed over the last two years by Firefighter Dave Amiet from East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service. Dave, who is also a qualified football coach, takes the young people through a series of footballing skills, each session with an important fire and road safety message. Dave explains: "By talking to young people through the game of football, we're able to break down barriers and they are more willing to listen to what we're trying to say. Football is a great leveller, which anyone both boys and girls can enjoy. We want to teach young people about the dangers of fire, the importance of road safety and ultimately, help to save lives in Sussex. At the same time as learning these valuable messages, young people can enjoy a great sport and stay healthy it's a win-win situation." Dave is now working closely on the project with West Sussex firefighter Richard Coomber. Still in its early stages, it has already been trialled at schools, colleges and holiday courses throughout East and West Sussex. In the new school term, starting in September, the Football in the Community programme will also visit special needs schools and work with social inclusion partnerships which help disadvantaged groups of young people. Darren Teague, football inclusion project manager for Brighton & Hove Albion FC, has been working alongside East and West Sussex Fire & Rescue Services to implement the project. He said: "This is a fantastic partnership for Brighton & Hove Albion FC. To be able to work with Fire Service personnel dedicated to saving peoples lives is a new experience for me and for the team. I am positive the partnership will be a great success and would like to see other professional clubs follow our initiative." Lionel Barnard, West Sussex County Council cabinet member for public safety, said: By forging this innovative link with the Seagulls, our firefighters are reflecting their policy of playing an increasingly high profile role in a wide range of key community activities, particularly those involving young people." posted 16:22 Monday January 28 2008 - WSFRS Press release report FIRE DAMAGES SOUTHDOWNS COUNTRY HOTEL, TROTTON
As the Hampshire crews arrived, teams of breathing apparatus wearers were committed inside to locate the main seat of the fire and try to prevent it spreading further. A Hampshire crew began to pump water for firefighting from a pond at the rear of the hotel whilst others began a salvage operation to remove furniture. An additional two fire engines, plus a water-filled Bulk Fluid Carrier, a Control Unit, a Breathing Apparatus Support Unit and an ambulance were mobilised to give tactical support to the Incident Command System used by the firefighters. The hotel is situated in a narrow country lane and Police were requested to close Dumpford Lane to prevent the access for emergency vehicles being blocked. Although the fire had already spread into the roof space of the annexe, the breathing apparatus crews had been able to prevent it from spreading further before they had to be withdrawn for safety reasons when the fire-damaged part of the roof started to collapse. Firefighting continued from the outside with fire crews working on a flat roof before the arrival of the ALP. Once it was established that the fire had been mostly contained, crews working at height from the ALP removed roof tiles to ventilate the smoke and gain access to hidden hotspots that were still burning. The damaged annexe is a two-storey building 20m x 15m containing ten guests rooms and linked to the main hotel by a ground floor lobby. Damage was contained to 70% of the roof and 50% of the first floor of the annexe, and the main hotel building was not affected. Further salvage work continued throughout the afternoon and a Building Control Officer was requested to attend from Chichester District Council and advise on the structural safety of the damaged part of the roof. A total of 14 BA wearers, 4 jets and 4 hosereels were used to bring the fire under control. Fire Investigation Officers are working at the scene to try and find out exactly how the fire started. return to incident reports Sunday 17 Feb 2008 report time 18:42 GMT FIRE DAMAGES COUNTRY HOUSE - PULBOROUGH Firefighters have been tackling a major fire which has badly damaged a large country house near Pulborough in West Sussex this afternoon. The alarm was raised when smoke and flames were seen pouring form the roof of the house in Toat Lane, Pulborough shortly after 1:30pm. Fire crews were mobilised from Billingshurst, Storrington, Arundel and Petworth who reported the smoke plume could be be seen from several miles away as they approached. Pumps were increased to eight as the first crew to arrive found the whole of the roof alight. Everybody was brought out of the building when the roof started to collapse and firefighting was conducted from the outside. Firefighters used water from a swimming pool and nearby hydrant. Sixty firefighters were in attendance at its height, and further crews will remain in attendance overnight. The owners were in the house at the time but no-one has been injured. Incident Commander Paul Daley said the fire had caused a lot of structural damage but the outcome could have been a lot worse. "It's sad to see such a lovely house badly damaged like this but it could have been much worse if the fire had happened at night when the occupiers were asleep. Thankfully once the alarm was raised, everyone was able to get out safely." Fire Investigation Officers have been in attendance and will return in the morning. Although the fire is believed to have started in the roof space, at this time the exact cause of the fire is unknown. return to incident reports Tuesday 24 June 2008 report time 15:59 GMT FIRE CREWS RESCUE INJURED CONSTRUCTION WORKER 
Incident: Assistance - male adult fallen to 1st floor of scaffolding - treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics before being brought down to ground level by F&RS using basket stretcher - taken to hospital by ambulance WrL Littlehampton, TRU, WrL Worthing return to incident reports Sunday 13 July 2008 report time 08:04 GMT HOUSE FIRE - HAMPERS GREEN, PETWORTH A family has escaped unhurt from a fire that badly damaged their house in Petworth this morning. The fire started in the conservatory of a semi-detached house in Hampers Green, Petworth shortly after 8am. West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service mobilised 3 fire engines due to the number of calls they received stating the conservatory was well alight and spreading to the main roof structure of the house. Two adults and two children were in the house at the time, but all escaped to safety along with the family dog after the alarm had been raised by one of the children smelling smoke. The crew from Petworth Fire Station arrived shortly after and the Incident Commander sent an assistance message, ‘make pumps 6’ due to the severity of the fire. This was later increased to 8 to provide additional breathing apparatus wearers. Crews brought the fire under control using 3 jets and 2 hosereels. They were able to prevent it spreading to the neighbouring house but said the conservatory, 80% of the first floor and roof, plus 50% of the ground floor had been damaged by fire, heat and smoke. An investigation is under way to find out how the fire started but there is no early indication as to the cause. A fire investigation team is working with a Police SOCO and has been assisted by a specialist sniffer dog from Surrey Fire & Rescue Service. The family have been helped by Red Cross volunteers from their Fire & Emergency Support Service. The building will have to be boarded up due to damage, and the family moved to temporary accommodation. INCIDENT ONGOING Rother Valley Homepage - - Petworth Homepage |
|
page top
|