Sutton to kick off our sizzling 'Summer of Rescue'!
Sutton Coldfield’s fire station is set to ‘go live’ as our third Technical Rescue Unit in May, and will be throwing open its doors to the public to mark the occasion with a community open day.
Between 12noon and 4pm on Saturday 14 May 2022, members of the public are invited to look inside the station, views its specialist vehicles and equipment – and see some of our firefighters in action as they display a range of specialist skills.
The event is the first in a series of fire station open days planned for our ‘Summer of Rescue’, leading up to the Autumn when we’ll be hosting the UK Rescue Organisation’s spectacular ‘Festival of Rescue’ in Birmingham city centre. Firefighters from across the UK will be showcasing their wide range of rescue skills 29 Sept-1 Oct, and a dedicated website for the event will be launched soon.
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Mat Ward, Station Commander at Sutton Coldfield fire station, said: “It’s an exciting year ahead for West Midlands Fire Service. We’re really proud to be launching our third Technical Rescue Unit at Sutton in the year when the Commonwealth Games come to the West Midlands.
“It’s a long time since we’ve been able to stage our popular open days, so we’re proud to be launching our ‘Summer of Rescue’ at Sutton on 14 May.
“We’re expecting big crowds. We’re looking forward to throwing open the doors so members of our local community can come and meet some of the firefighters now based there. It will also be a great opportunity to see the equipment, vehicles and skills for which the station is now base.”
The Lichfield Road station will operate as WMFS’s third Technical Rescue Unit (TRU), alongside Wednesbury and Bickenhill.
A fire engine will remain based at the station, ready to respond 24/7 to urgent, life-threatening incidents within our five-minute response standard.
But the crews will also be specially trained and equipped to respond to a wide range of more specialist incidents, including flooding, building collapses and rope rescues.
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Entry to the 14 May open day will be free, with a host of attractions for visitors to enjoy:
- see our specialist Technical Rescue firefighters in action as they demonstrate skills including rope rescue
- explore the specialist equipment and vehicles use by our Technical Rescue Unit – including boats, water rescue kit and heavy lifting equipment
- learn how the team searches collapsed buildings and make dangerous structures safe
- find out how we rescue large animals.
There’ll also be entertainment from our very own band, fairground rides, face painting and refreshments.
Information will be available from our Road Casualty Reduction Team, motorcyclists will be able to get advice from our ‘Biker Down’ team, and one of our drones will be on view.
Visitors will also be able to find out more about our Community Risk Management Plan, the Commonwealth Games and this year’s UK Rescue Organisation ‘Festival of Rescue’.
And a host of safety advice will be available – not only from WMFS, but several of our partner agencies including West Midlands Police, St. Johns Ambulance and Age UK.
Free parking will be available at the Sutton College site, directly opposite the fire station.
Click here to read more about Sutton Coldfield fire station becoming our third Technical Rescue Unit.