Fire and Rescue Services in England will get £21m this year to support their work in dealing with major incidents, Fire Minister Shahid Malik has announced.
Improving urban search and rescue (USAR), mass decontamination and pumping capability are part of the Government’s £1bn investment in vital equipment to ensure that England’s FRS are equipped to deal with major incidents such as terrorism, industrial accident or extreme weather.
Speaking at the official opening of a national urban search and rescue training centre in West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Mr Malik said: “The importance of the USAR capability in dealing with major incidents was seen earlier this week when search equipment was used following the building collapse in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
“I am grateful to West Yorkshire for being supportive of this initiative which is so important to public safety.”
He said the Government’s £1bn investment in Fire and Rescue Services is already delivering “significant capability”.
NewSource – http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=104862