Our fire control has taken more than 400 calls today (30 June).
As the heatwave temperatures continue to rise, Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control (SWMFC) has had one of its busiest days on record.
A barn fire in Solihull
By 5.30pm this evening (Saturday 30 June), SWMFC had dealt with 400 calls. That number is expected to rise tonight. One incident resulted in 100 calls in 16 minutes.
Overnight in the West Midlands we had eight fire engines at an incident in West Bromwich – a fire at a waste treatment plant involving more than 3,000 tonnes of mixed waste.
We still have 4 crews in attendance at a waste treatment site in Brandon Way, West Bromwich. pic.twitter.com/Zu153STfiW
— West Midlands Fire (@WestMidsFire) June 30, 2018
Around 50 of our personnel were there at its height, but that presence has now been scaled down.
Eight other incidents required additional resources once the first fire engines had arrived at the scenes. They included this fire in a builder’s yard in Aston:
Crews now cutting and damping down, making good progress. pic.twitter.com/8CJltkDLzc
— West Midlands Fire (@WestMidsFire) June 30, 2018
Area Commander Simon Barry said: “The hot, sunny weather is clearly contributing to the number of calls to our Fire Control.
“However, in spite of extremely high demand, our dynamic approach to mobilising our resources means we are fully prepared to respond to all incidents when necessary.”
A/Cmdr Barry urged the people to follow the heatwave advice issued by West Midlands Fire Service.
He added: “We all need to be extra careful in these challenging conditions and be aware of the difference these temperatures can make.
“We are reminding people to dispose of cigarettes and matches carefully, to use barbecues safely and not to have bonfires during the heatwave.”
Don’t get yourself into deep water in warm weather!
It’s dangerous and you don’t know what’s beneath the surface
If someone gets into difficulty in the water, dial 999 immediately, don’t jump in yourself!https://t.co/feaiTncQqT#BeWaterAware #SafeHeatwave #Heatwave pic.twitter.com/b8SenhUsyC— West Midlands Fire (@WestMidsFire) June 28, 2018
As part of national resilience arrangements, two fire engines and firefighters from Walsall Community Fire Station, have travelled to assist Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue in tackling the major fire on Saddleworth Moor.
After a long day tackling the Moorland fires in the blazing sun ☀️ Our crews from Walsall are safe and on their way home Its been a pleasure to work with you all today @SWMFireControl @WalsallFire @WestMidsFire @nottsfire @manchesterfire @DerbyshireFRS @BritishArmy pic.twitter.com/X4lhtjuNGK
— OL&PD (@WMFS_OLPD) June 30, 2018
A/Cdr Barry added:: “We are committed to giving our colleagues in the North West whatever support we can during this intense and challenging period of activity. The way we organise and mobilise our own resources here in the West Midlands makes this possible without compromising our own response times to serious incidents.
“I am proud of how our own personnel, together with firefighters across the country, have risen to the challenge and pulled together to ensure the safety of the public.”
