NY Fire & Rescue: Swift Water Rescue

NY Fire & Rescue: Swift Water Response

• – an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD, reporting on the wider context in which the current austerity measures are impacting upon safety standards and professionalism at North Yorks Fire & Rescue Service.

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In a previous article, I touched upon the soporific effect that the disbursement of finances within the North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service appears to have exerted on certain North Yorkshire County Councillors.

The deployment of the life-saving resources of the NYF&RA is no trivial matter. Not that I am suggesting for one moment that Councillors could be forgiven for sleeping on the job over seemingly less vital decisions – such as the latest PR strategy for “sexing up” the Authority’s image by promoting, for example, the élite Swift Water Rescue Team – though thereby hangs another lamentable tale (for which my thanks go to Bungosaurus Rex, who provides the following information regarding the new NYF&RA Deluxe Operational PPE Drying Suite Facility, which, despite swingeing cuts in other branches of the service, opened to rapturous reviews last month):

The new NYF&RA Deluxe Operational PPE Drying Suite Facility has been equipped with these state-of-the-art facilities to ensure that the highly-trained élite NYF&RS Swift Water Rescue Team can be back in the water in their hi-tech £1.2K+ dry-suits within less than an hour of any given rescue operation –  without losing a second through fussy and impractical Health & Safety regulations.

And what exemplary value for money – circa £27.98, all in.  If they cut any harder than that they will be down to a NAAFI candle and a chapel hat-peg. Lord, give me strength.

The lads deserve better.