Moor blaze highlights the crucial work of fire crews
In the wake of a massive moor blaze in the county, Derbyshire Dales MP Sarah Dines meets up again with firefighters – this time in her now role as Fire Minister at the Home Office MP MEETS 999 WORKERS IN HER NEW ROLE AS FIRE MINISTER
WHILE watching the Derbyshire rain outside my window, it is strange to think of the incredible temperatures we faced last week.
Alongside this incredibly hot weather, the risk of fires in our area increased dramatically, and unfortunately some very serious fires occurred across Derbyshire.
Some of these fires were caused by people choosing to ignore signs and instructions not to have bonfires, disposable BBQS or camping stoves.
The destruction caused by these fires is deeply distressing and a total waste of resources for our fire and rescue and emergency services. If people followed the rules, the majority of these fires would not have occurred.
I have huge amounts of respect for our emergency services. They run towards situations that the majority of us, rightly, run away from.
Every day of their working lives sees them prepared to place themselves in danger and I know you will join me in thanking them for their service.
It is such a great honour that I have been appointed a Minister in the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office. I never thought that following on from my last meeting with Derbyshire firefighters during the Jubilee weekend, that when I saw them again this weekend I would be the new Fire and Rescue Services Minister
at the Home Office.
Last Thursday I met the Chief Fire Officer Gavin Tomlinson and his team at the Fire and Rescue Service offices in Ripley.
It was brilliant to meet new recruits and the team who tackle moor fires. They are based out of Matlock and have had an incredibly busy week.
The team I met again this weekend at the council’s community event held in Ashbourne do such a fantastic job.
They showed me the camping stove that caused the fire near Bamford in Derbyshire last week.
It’s heartbreaking to see how much damage to the environment and wildlife this moorland fire has caused.
If anyone has any information about the circumstances of the fire, please contact Derbyshire Rural Crime Team.
I would like to once again thank all emergency workers who attended the scene and the contribution made by the on-call “retained” fire officers.
The council’s community event held in Ashbourne on Saturday was a fantastic opportunity for local residents to meet our emergency services and to learn about ways to keep safe.
The event was attended by residents, local councillors and the Police and Crime Commissioner.
I am always amazed how many retired police officers and firefighters go on to become local councillors upon leaving the services, like local councillors Stuart Lees, Simon Spencer and Tom Donnelly.
It goes to show that their desire to serve the community continues even after their retirement from the emergency services.
The event was held during antisocial behaviour awareness week, a week dedicated to raising awareness of the impact of anti-social behaviour and finding ways to stop it. People deserve to feel safe where they live, and addressing anti-social behaviour has to be a priority, not just locally, but nationally too.
Anti-social behaviour is not a lowlevel crime, it devastates communities and has a profound impact on victims.
I look forward to continuing working with the emergency services and the Police and Crime Commissioner to find a way to prevent anti-social behaviour in our area.