Wednesday
24
April
Firefighters to support local ambulance service
09/06/2020 @ 07:30
Some firefighters in Newtown could soon be helping drive non-essential ambulances in the area as part of help being offered by the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
As part of work between Wales' three fire and rescue services, firefighters will provide support to the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a pool of drivers to drive WAST vehicles.
Local firefighters have been undertaking a programme of training for a number of their operational staff who are now ready to respond on behalf of WAST.
Chief Fire Officer Chris Davies QFSM, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service work in partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Service, along with all blue light emergency services, across a wide range of areas to ensure the very best level of protection, prevention and response to the communities we serve.
"It is only natural for us, therefore, to support WAST and our NHS colleagues during these unprecedented and challenging times, by providing driver resilience through allowing our operational staff to drive, non-blue light vehicles, on their behalf.
"I am very proud of my colleagues who have stepped forward to undertake this duty and I am grateful to WAST for providing the appropriate training that has allowed MAWWFRS staff to be mobilised on their behalf.”
Jason Killens, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest challenge for health and social care for a generation, and as an ambulance service, we’ve had to think differently about the way we provide services.
“We’ve put in a raft of measures to see us through the pandemic, including the redeployment of staff into business-critical parts of the service and enlisting the support of the military, and it was only natural therefore that we also sought the support of our fire service colleagues, with whom we already work closely together.
“The fact that we share a lot of station buildings means it makes sense on a practical level to join forces in the effort, and in particular in the face of a second spike.
“We’re grateful to our fire service colleagues for their support.”
As part of work between Wales' three fire and rescue services, firefighters will provide support to the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a pool of drivers to drive WAST vehicles. Local firefighters have been undertaking a programme of training for a number of their operational staff who are now ready to respond on behalf of WAST.
Chief Fire Officer Chris Davies QFSM, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service work in partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Service, along with all blue light emergency services, across a wide range of areas to ensure the very best level of protection, prevention and response to the communities we serve.
"It is only natural for us, therefore, to support WAST and our NHS colleagues during these unprecedented and challenging times, by providing driver resilience through allowing our operational staff to drive, non-blue light vehicles, on their behalf.
"I am very proud of my colleagues who have stepped forward to undertake this duty and I am grateful to WAST for providing the appropriate training that has allowed MAWWFRS staff to be mobilised on their behalf.”
Jason Killens, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest challenge for health and social care for a generation, and as an ambulance service, we’ve had to think differently about the way we provide services.
“We’ve put in a raft of measures to see us through the pandemic, including the redeployment of staff into business-critical parts of the service and enlisting the support of the military, and it was only natural therefore that we also sought the support of our fire service colleagues, with whom we already work closely together.
“The fact that we share a lot of station buildings means it makes sense on a practical level to join forces in the effort, and in particular in the face of a second spike.
“We’re grateful to our fire service colleagues for their support.”
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