- Firefighters called to 29 crashes this month
- They say they are ‘stretched to the limit’ following the alarming rise is road accidents
- This weekend alone saw four collisions
- See pictures of some of the recent crashes below
- Do you think the Island’s speed limits are as they should be? Take part in our poll
FIREFIGHTERS say they are being stretched to the limit following an ‘alarming’ rise in the number of road accidents.
Crews have been called to 29 crashes this month – with four collisions, including two overturned vehicles, this weekend alone.
Today, watch commander Richard Ryan urged Islanders to take care on the roads and said that the ‘crazy’ increase in the number of crashes was due to a combination of factors, including people speeding, using their mobile phones, not driving to the conditions and the roads being generally busier.
He said: ‘The number of road traffic collisions that Jersey’s emergency services are attending is becoming very alarming.
‘The Fire and Rescue Service in June alone have attended a total of 29 crashes already and the recent annual report presented by the chief fire officer shows a worrying upward trend and significant increase in recent years in road traffic collision incidents.’
Mr Ryan said that the increase in call-outs was also due to the emergency services adopting a more ‘joined-up’ approach to dealing with incidents through its combined control room at the ambulance station.
He said that firefighters were called upon to rescue people trapped inside vehicles, to make the crash scene safe and to protect the environment from fuel spillage, adding that the increase in the number of crashes was stretching the service.
‘That’s six firefighters. We have ten or 11 people on duty at a time.
‘That leaves us with one fire appliance. Our standard to attend a house fire is two appliances.
‘We are stretched. We are calling on the retainers. Once we get called out we are very resource hungry.’
The warning comes after the service’s annual report revealed that firefighters were called to 89 crashes last year, compared to 49 in 2013.
Mr Ryan asked Islanders to take care on the roads.
‘Drive to the conditions and don’t take any unnecessary risks,’ he said. ‘Be safe on the roads – think of others not just yourself.’
Among the incidents that firefighters were called out to over the weekend was a van that had flipped onto its roof at around 10 pm on Saturday on La Marquanderie Hill in St Brelade.
Meanwhile, the emergency services were called out at 3 am on Sunday after another car overturned near La Haule Hill.
In both incidents, the occupants of the vehicles escaped without having to be freed by firefighters and were taken to hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
The States police was today investigating the crashes.
All pictures courtesy of Jersey Fire and Rescue
FIREFIGHTERS have been called to 29 crashes so far this month, far more than normal.
Watch commander Richard Ryan has described this ‘crazy’ increase as alarming.
Everywhere you go, idiots can be seen driving too fast, using their mobile phones while behind the wheel and failing to drive in a way which is appropriate for the conditions.
Very often, those driving far too fast are young men.
Over the weekend, two vehicles ended up on their roofs. Luckily, no one was badly injured.
Too many young lives have been lost in terrible car crashes over the years. Let’s slow down before somebody else dies.
Highest number of blazes in years
THE recent Fire and Rescue Service annual report also found that the number of house blazes dealt with by firefighters in 2014 was the highest in five years.
According to the report, a total of 62 house fires were attended by officers last year – a ten per cent increase on 2013 when there were 56 incidents recorded.
And in addition to the increase in domestic blazes, the number of fires in public and commercial premises last year – including the dramatic fire at the Boat House restaurant and bar in September – was the highest in the past decade.
- 14 people were injured in house fires
- 42 per cent of homes that suffered a fire had a working smoke alarm
- 89 road traffic collisions were attended to
- 22 rescues were made from the sea
- 96 fire safety training courses were given to Island businesses
- 205 home fire safety visits were made and 215 smoke detectors were installed[/breakout]
Overall, the number of fires increased from 244 in 2013 to 268 and the total number of incidents attended by the service – including road traffic collisions and water and sea rescues – was up from 1,186 the previous year to 1,267.
Other notable changes detailed in the report included a rise in the number of false fire calls detected from domestic fire alarms, and a slight decrease in the number of people rescued from fires.
Meanwhile, the cost of the Island’s Fire and Rescue service last year was found to be the cheapest of similar small jurisdictions in the UK – working out at £51.20 per head of the population.
Chief fire officer Mark James said that the report highlighted a ‘worrying continued upward trend’ in the number of fires in the Island.
‘The Fire and Rescue Service is passionate about reducing the number of fires and other emergencies in Jersey,’ he said. ‘Despite the huge effort the service undertakes to prevent fires and other emergencies there has been a continued upward trend in incidents with 2014 being our busiest year since 2010.’
Mr James said that was unsure of the reason why there had been such an increase in the number of fires in public, commercial and industrial premises.
Mr James said that the service would continue to do everything it could to promote fire safety and protect people from harm which he said would be a ‘challenge in the coming years with reduced budgets and less firefighters’.
‘We will have to be innovative and look at new ways of working to try to carry on delivering the same level of service with fewer resources,’ he said.
