High Sheriff praises fire crews
The High Sheriff of Devon, Mr Robin Barlow, joined the Chief Fire Officer at the headquarters of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service to say thank you.
Mr Barlow spoke to Control Room staff following an extremely busy weekend for the Service which has again dealt with severe weather conditions across Devon and Somerset.
Fire crews in Devon and Somerset have rescued 74 people from flooding since Thursday.
They pumped water out of 61 properties and assisted other agencies with widespread flooding incidents.
Large scale incidents attended by crews during this period included: widespread flooding in Braunton and other areas the rescue by boat of 20 people in Stoke Canon helping to prevent major disruption of the rail network by using a portable dam at Cowley Bridge, Exeter assisting in the rescue of a family from a vehicle stuck in floodwater at Umberleigh the rescue of 15 people in East Street, South Molton utilised high volume pumps to protect a sub-station in Plymouth which serves one-third of Plymouth’s electricity and helped pumped water from the centre of Braunton.
The Service were admirably assisted by a number of rescue boat teams from the RNLI, Severn Area Rescue Association, West Midlands Search and Rescue Team as well search & rescue helicopters and high volume pumps from Hereford and Worcester, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
Chief Fire Officer Lee Howell said: “I am incredibly proud of my staff, many of whom were working in extremely difficult conditions this weekend to protect the public.
“Fire fighters, officers, control staff and some support staff will be working during the festive period to ensure we continue to protect the public we exist to serve.”
Fire crews and Control Room staff dealt with hundreds of calls to flooding incidents throughout the weekend and continue to be on alert for further rain which is expected today and tomorrow.
Mr Barlow, who paid his visit on Christmas Eve, said: “Like so many people, I am truly grateful for the work the fire and rescue service do. Having seen the impact the flooding had on the people of Devon, I wanted to express my sincere thanks to all emergency services and other organisations involved. I was able to speak to control staff and officers coordinating the flood response and say a heart-felt thank you for the incredible work they do and to say Merry Christmas."
