Intense bouts of flooding are set to become more frequent, the Environment Agency has warned today (Friday 16 February).
The warning follows a pattern of severe flooding over the past 10 years linked to an increase in extreme weather events as the country’s climate changes. Met Office records show that since 1910 there have been 17 record breaking rainfall months or seasons – with 9 of them since 2000. As intense storms are becoming more frequent, sea levels are also rising because of climate change.
Read More
Acts of terrorism in the UK are rare but sadly there is a likelihood that terrorists will try to attack us. Recent events around the world are a reminder of the threat we face. Wiltshire and Swindon are safe places to live and work.
While concerted action by the police and security services takes place every day to protect the public it is important for communities to be alert, not alarmed. Locally, all agencies have an important role to play in the fight against terrorism and they all work together on a regular basis to mitigate the threat.
Read More
Counter Terrorism Policing have enlisted the support of celebrities from entertainment and sport to launch their first-ever safety campaign aimed at children and teenagers.
With the UK terror threat level at SEVERE, children will be taught to RUN if they are able to, HIDE if they are not, and TELL police of the threat only when it is safe to do so. They will also be advised to warn others about an on-going threat, and crucially told NOT to stop and use their phones until they are safely away from danger.
Read More
NHS England is calling on people with long term health conditions to make sure they have
the flu vaccine as soon as possible.
Patients with asthma, diabetes, heart, liver, kidney or neurological disease are more at risk of
becoming seriously ill from the virus than the general population.
Read More
Winter is nearly upon us and the LRF is keen that all communities are as prepared as possible in the event of bad weather. Many of the hazards communities face over the winter are weather related.
Few winters pass without some form of severe weather be that heavy rain and floods, cold spells with snow and ice or high winds. In most winters somewhere, sometime we will get them all.
Read More
1 in 6 properties in England is at risk of flooding and this is only going to increase with a changing climate. Many people think that flooding will never happen to them. The fact is – it could! We experienced widespread flooding across Wiltshire during the Winter of 2013/14.
The Environment Agency leads work to protect communities from flooding and, locally through the LRF, it leads our Severe Weather Sub-Group which coordinates the activities of local agencies to prepare for a flooding event.
Read More
Would you be at risk during a power cut? Your Distribution Network Operator is responsible for maintaining the substations and power lines that bring electricity to your home. They are separate from your electricity supplier.
People on the Priority Services Register get advanced notice of any planned interruptions to their electricity supply - allowing the householder to make any necessary preparations. They also get prioritised for re-connection if there is a power cut.
Read More
Environment Agency field operatives will roll out up to 120 metres of temporary defence barriers, in partnership with officers from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS). This will be the first joint exercise of its kind in the South West, although the fire service has previously helped deploy barriers during live incidents.
The exercise will take place at the Ashley Road recreation ground, next to the River Avon, from 10am-1pm. Teams will deploy three types of barriers and seepage pumps to practise their joint response to flooding.
Read More
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is reiterating the importance of working smoke alarms, after an inquest was told how two people died following a fire in Swindon last year.
At the inquest held in Salisbury yesterday (15 May), Wiltshire & Swindon Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg found that Sharon Soares-Alvares and Blaise Alvares died accidentally as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, after a fire broke out in their home in Manchester Road, Swindon on 6 November 2016.
Read More
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) has joined a call by UK fire chiefs to raise awareness of the dangers of everyday activities near water after statistics show that nearly 50% of people who accidentally drown in the UK never intended to enter the water.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Water Safety and Drowning Prevention campaign - Be Water Aware is running from 24 - 30 April and is being supported by fire and rescue services throughout the UK.
Read More
More patients in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire will soon be able to benefit from expert advice from a clinical pharmacist when they visit their GP surgery, thanks to the expansion of a national scheme to support a growing number of clinical pharmacists to help with patients’ routine medication and treatment.
NHS England has announced that over 700 more GP practices in England will benefit from having a pharmacist located in their GP surgery, covering up to six million patients and helping to free up GP time.
Read More
We all know that in a fire, illness or crime event the Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service or Police will respond, many people also know that imbedded between them are organisations like the Council, the NHS, Public Health England, the Environment Agency and many more. But did you know about the Voluntary Agencies role in incident response?
If you want to find out more about each organisation, please see their individual sections below, who knows you might fancy joining one yourself!
Read More
On Thursday 13th September 2017, local agencies including Wiltshire Police, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, South Western Ambulance Service and Wiltshire Council conducted a ‘live’ exercise with colleagues from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston called ‘Astral Bend’.
This was a full day and took place at MOD Lyneham, and was based around a simulated emergency during the air transport of Special Nuclear Material.
Read More
The Emergency Services Show returned to the Cotswolds Airfield at Kemble for the second year on Sunday 16th September 2018. This year the Show was blessed with better weather meaning that nearly 18,000 people attended throughout the day.
People came from across Wiltshire, Swindon and from much further afield too. With the venue being situated on the Wiltshire / Gloucestershire border, it was great to see so many neighbours from Gloucestershire. The safety messages are universal to everyone.
Read More
