County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service

Fire crews from Consett and High Handenhold joined forces in Tantobie at the end of January to target the entire village in a pilot fire safety campaign. A base was established at the local community centre where a multi agency resource centre vehicle was used as a communications base and drop in centre. This vehicle was acquired through partnership funding for the Derwentside area and whilst it is kept at police premises, it is available for use by any of the partner agencies within the district.

Thirteen Fire Safety Project volunteers were recognised for their achievements in completing the basic training required to conduct Home Fire Safety Visits(HFSV) and to mark the progress made with performing the visits in the local community.

The Fire Safety Project is primarily aimed at vulnerable people such as the elderly and those living alone and ultimately aims to eradicate the number of fatal house fires in the district. The project is an example of the ongoing work between Community Safety and the district teams.

19 February 2010

Prudent budget planning and efficient use of resources has ensured that County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority has been able to keep council tax increases to a minimum for 2010/11.