Page 15 - July 2020

THE COVID-19 STORY
WE ARE READY, WILLING & ABLE
Richard Edney, Senior Communications Officer, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. was asked by Liveryman Peter Holland to facilitate the production of this article.
We are Ready, Willing and Able Staff from across Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) are working hard behind the scenes and on the front line to support the Coronavirus efforts across Lancashire.
Since the pandemic was declared back in March staff at LFRS launched into action to ensure they were the best trained, best equipped, best accommodated and most professional fire and rescue service in the country. It was decided that staff efforts would move away from business as usual work to focus on the Coronavirus, whilst of course continuing to deliver an emergency response. The Service has not had to reduce the services we offer because of staff absences since the lockdown began and have put measures in place to ensure staffing levels remain high.
The decision was made to cancel
non-critical activity and instead focus our efforts into maintaining the delivery of core corporate services which are critical to the functionality of the Service, maintain the delivery of prevention and protection services, in line with the advice from Public Health England, fulfill our statutory duty of supporting the Lancashire Resilience Forum and provide support, advice and guidance to our staff ensuring their safety and welfare as a priority.
Chief Fire Officer Justin Johnston said; “I am immensely proud of all my staff who are working hard on their efforts supporting the Lancashire Resilience Forum and the wider impacts of Coronavirus. The amount of work that we are doing is beginning to make a visible difference to our local communities, including the distribution of food stocks for vulnerable people, distribution of older iPads to hospitals in
Lancashire, the distribution of bulk PPE to care homes and engaging with at-risk communities, whilst also maintaining an emergency response. We are asking our staff to work in ways they haven’t had to before but are doing so with professionalism and compassion. I have been greatly impressed by staff coming forward with ideas to help us and our communities during this unprecedented challenge and how we’re working together to be part of the solution to make Lancashire safer.”
In everything, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has the overall aim of ‘Making Lancashire Safer’ and work goes beyond sharing fire safety advice. The pictures show a round-up of some of the work LFRS staff are doing to meet demand and to support partners across the county.
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Richard Edney Lancashire FRS