A highlight of a great day at Staffordshire Fire & Rescue HQ at Pire Hill, Stone, was going in a Fire Engine on a training run, being driven at speed up the A34 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, and through Stoke with blue lights and sirens wailing. The instructor’s running commentary was a real eye-opener to the specialist skills needed to operate safely and effectively – drive to arrive, rather than always at full tilt.
We were also shown some of their training facilities where fires are lit and trainee firefighters are put through rigorous training programs to equip them to deal with working up ladders at great height, moving safely through smoke filled premises, and extracting casualties. New technologies have massively enhanced the training facilities of firefighters, and it was a tremendous insight into the great work of this highly regarded Staffordshire Fire Service.
