Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) is the provider of fire and rescue services for the people of Lancashire on behalf of the Combined Fire Authority (CFA).Operating across the county from thirty-nine fire stations, a service headquarters at Fulwood and a large training centre at Euxton, LFRS employs 1500 staff who deliver a wide range of prevention, protection and emergency response services geared to reducing risk and improving public safety.
Our work is directed by a number of defined ambitions which were developed by the CFA in conjunction with service users and which include a simple ‘statement of purpose’ which involves:
‘WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE LANCASHIRE SAFER’
- In the context of Road Safety, we are increasingly involved in preventative activity and view this as a vitally important aspect of our work. Whilst no legal duty is imposed on us to do so, we believe a compelling case exists for our involvement on the basis that:
- We aim to ‘Make Lancashire Safer’ and have defined one of our objectives as a reduction in the number of emergency incidents and their consequences. As road traffic collisions account for the majority of our casualty related incidents, it is an obvious area for preventative activity.
- Without mandating involvement, the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework outlines the value of prevention programmes in reducing road traffic collisions. Similarly the Audit Commission – which acts as the national regulator for fire and rescue services – has also emphasised in a number of reports the need for fire and rescue services to contribute to road safety by working more effectively with other agencies, thereby delivering improving value for money.Last but by no means least, the reality of a road traffic collision is most graphically experienced by those who respond to this type of emergency. Our staff are, by the nature of their role, at the very heart of such rescue activity and are exposed to often traumatic experiences as a result. All would testify to the challenging nature of road traffic collisions and would applaud an increased emphasis on preventative action to reduce such incidents.