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The National Resilience Wales Roadshow has completed its tour of the country’s fire services with a visit to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS).
The tour, which also visited Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS), aimed to raise awareness among operational and control staff about National Resilience capabilities.
For the South Wales leg of the tour, the roadshow visited Whitchurch Fire Station, home to the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Wales facility. Opened in April 2023 with funding from the Welsh Government, the centre ensures high-level training and operational readiness for personnel across Wales.
Service staff who attended the roadshow’s events were given the opportunity to watch a search and rescue demonstration of Cooper, the USAR dog, and saw the latest technological developments that are available to assist when attending incidents involving hazardous materials. Sessions also included a demonstration on the various vehicles and assets that are available, such as High-Volume Pumping (HVP) appliances and search and rescue drones.
“The roadshow has been a fantastic opportunity to engage with colleagues from across the three Welsh Fire and Rescue Services, demonstrating the diverse range of resources, assets, and specialist skills available to us.
“By working together, we can ensure the safety of the communities we serve, whether on a local or national level.”
Gareth Lewis, Station Manager and Capability Lead for the Wales USAR Team, who coordinated the roadshow.
The Wales USAR Team is on-call 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year to respond to incidents, accidents or disasters anywhere in the world, to provide a search and rescue capability and to support humanitarian efforts.
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