The role of a modern firefighter is being highlighted in a video produced by the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service.
‘Fire Proud’ is a short film to promote the wide range of duties and skills required to deliver a high quality service to the Island community.
The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service this week announced a reorganisation of its management structure and service provision in order to meet ongoing revenue savings targets. These measures are aimed at maintaining public safety against a backdrop of increasing budgetary constraint.
Changes include the redeployment of the community fire safety team and a scaling down of partnership working with Government Departments and local organisations.
However, some community safety initiatives will continue in a revised form. Fire Proud, which has been produced in-house, gives a flavour of this work. For example, retained firefighters from Kirk Michael station give up their own time to take a fire appliance to the village school to educate children about fire safety.
This type of project is repeated at stations around the Island and sits alongside other voluntary work in the community, such as open days and coffee mornings.
Fire Proud also provides an insight into the regular duties of a modern firefighter, which include training to maintain their skills, safety checks and maintenance on equipment like breathing apparatus sets and gas-tight suits.
The video highlights the range of specialist skills required for responding to emergency incidents involving line, hill, water and rope rescues, hazardous materials or road traffic collisions.
Chief Fire Officer Kevin Groom said:
‘We strive to deliver a first-class service to the Isle of Man and I hope people will take a few minutes to watch the Fire Proud video and see the many different ways firefighters help to maintain public safety. The perception of firefighters sitting around the station watching television or playing snooker is completely wide of the mark. Officers perform a range of daily tasks and training exercises to develop their skills in addition to giving up their free time to support their local communities.’
Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK added:
‘We are reorganising the way we work in response to financial realities, but members of the public can be reassured that they are being served by a dedicated and skilled group of professionals in their local area.’
Fire Proud is available to view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exP7OPqzGiY&list=UU33XcGYDVGNgE8rBGrBSHfw and via the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/iomfire
