SAFETY Firefighters saddle up to spread safety call Event appeal to SSPCA helpers
Aim to curb blazes
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service can now be seen pedalling the country lanes around the area thanks to a pair of mountain bikes. The use of the bikes aims to help the SFRS to cut down on the numbers of wildfires by spreading prevention messages.
Robert Thomson, local authority liaison officer, said: “This innovative initiative is one of the first of its kind in Scotland and already we are beginning to see the benefits of this. These bikes make it possible for us to reach out and interact with the community and provide a mobile, visible and accessible presence in a way that was not possible before. With this we can approach youngsters, who may be gathering in difficult to reach areas, engage them in conversation and the bikes themselves provide a talking point.”
The bicycles have been in use for more than a month and Robert, who is a keen cyclist in his own time, says the community has reacted well to seeing their local firefighters out and about. He said: “We get a lot of people approaching us and speaking to us and it really helps us to spread our safety messages in the community. At the moment much of our focus is on the dangers of wildfires, and encouraging residents to be vigilant to the potential causes and how to avoid them.”
As well as heading out on their own community cycles, firefighters will often work in tandem with their emergency service partners in Police Scotland and the local authority’s community safety teams, working together to tackle common issues in the area. Robert added: “These bikes allow us and our hardworking partners to get out into the more rural areas, off road and parks where we can work to prevent issues such as wildfires from happening in the first place.” The Scottish SPCA are appealing to animal lovers in West Lothian to help at a Pets at Home event to raise vital funds for abused, abandoned and injured animals in their care.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity is looking for anyone who can spare even an hour of their time.
Until June 13, locals can pop down to the Livingston Pets at Home store where they will get the chance to meet Scottish SPCA volunteers, supporters, staff members and dogs from the Scottish SPCA’s animal rescue and rehoming centres.
Edinburgh Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre manager, Diane Aitchison, said: “The Scottish SPCA receives no government or lottery funding and we rely on the kindness and generosity of the public to continue our work. We would be extremely grateful if anyone would like to donate their time and help us raise vital funds.”
For details on Scottish SPCA fundraising events please email fundraising@ scottishspca. org or call fundraising on 03000 999 999 (option 4).