19/05/2005 - The emergency
response to incidents in Leicestershire posing
a threat to the environment has now been streamlined
thanks to a protocol signed on 20 March 2005
by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
(LFRS) and the Environment Agency.
The protocol formalises the close working
arrangements that already exist between the
two organisations. It covers issues such as
training and funding as well as operational
responsibilities. Legislative changes arising
from the new Fire and Rescue Services Act
2004 reflect the importance of Environmental
Protection and the Fire and Rescue Services
role in the area.
LFRS’ Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, Dave
Webb and Mark Sitton-Kent, the Environment
Area Manager for the Lower Trent Area, will
sign the protocol on Friday 20 May 2005 at
14:00hrs at Coalville Fire and Rescue Station,
Broad Street, Coalville.
Under the protocol, LFRS will notify the
Environment Agency at an early stage of incidents
and, through the established protocols and
ongoing training, ensure that even seemingly
harmless substances do not adversely affect
the environment.
LFRS is ideally placed to minimise the impact
harmful substances have on the environment
as its officers are often the first on the
scene at many incidents.
The Environment Agency provides LFRS with
equipment to minimise the impact of pollution
during incidents. Every fire appliance now
carries a pollution 'Grab Pack' containing
drain seals, booms that skim and collect oil
from the surface of watercourses and oil absorbent
materials.
LFRS has also been provided with specialist
equipment, including pumps, tanks, larger
booms and containers for leaking drums, which
is held on a dedicated vehicle at Coalville
Fire and Rescue Station.
This equipment has been used many times to
prevent the pollution of watercourses, in
particular the grab packs on the front line
appliances.
In the last two years, the Coalville based
appliance has been mobilised 15 times to serious
threats of pollution as a result of emergencies.
Earlier this year, Fire and Rescue Service
staff worked with the Environment Agency to
minimise the environmental impact of a mixture
of substances, including fruit juices, split
as a result of a goods vehicle overturning.
The substances were prevented from entering
the water courses using specialist pumps supplied
to LFRS by The Environment Agency.
