Why develop a community garden?

Upton Community Garden – Phase 1

A community garden has been developed by Fire Support Network which transformed an area next to the fire station into a community hub.

 

It has an outdoor leisure? area for school parties and community groups, a fire safety trail and a quiz for young people. There is also a sensory section with strong scented plants for smell, sculptures for touch and wind chimes for hearing.

 

The aim for the garden, which has disabled access, is to draw in members of the public and help promote fire safety. It will also promote different initiatives throughout the year such as safe barbeque displays in the build up to summer or firework safety talks in the lead up to Bonfire Night (list of events for 2008 attached).

 

The initial landscape and gardening work was carried out by Action Group, while the ongoing upkeep is done by volunteers from Fire Support Network, firefighters from Upton and the local Heartbeat group.

 

This project was made possible thanks to funding from the Community Chest and match-funded by Merseyside Fire Authority. Future funding will be raised through further funding bids, car washes, sponsored walks, open days and other initiatives.

The grand opening of the garden took place in July 2005.

 

The garden is dedicated to former firefighter Willy Sanders who sadly lost his battle with cancer.

 

We also offer fire safety education for young people, and encourage the local community to use the garden as an external meeting place for resident/community meetings.

 

It is also important for us to tackle other social issues by introducing specific campaigns and events to take place in the garden.

Please see table below as an example of what campaigns/themes are run at the Garden.

If you feel that your organisation would like to partner Fire Support Network to support any of the events please contact: Isabelle Walker via email at isabellewalker@merseyfire.gov.uk or call 07837 113330

 

If you would like to volunteer to support the Upton Garden Project please contact: Sue Hannigan via email at suehannigan@merseyfire.gov.uk 0151 296 4600

Oven/Grill Cleans

 

Poorly maintained Ovens and Grills cause a great number of fires in the home. The consequences of this type of fire ranges between causing respiratory problems through smoke inhalation to death!

 

FSN provide a service where, on referral, trained Volunteers will attend a property to provide a clean up of the oven/grill. This contributes to the elimination of the risk from fire due to the build up of oil and grease and therefore reduces the incidents of fire related death, injury and damage to property.

 

Emergency Response Dogs

This project has been designed to address the potential high risk for particularly vulnerable people who live alone and have refused a sprinkler system in their home. A Response Dog will be trained to activate an alarm that will go through to a control centre. The dog will then close doors and place draft excluders beneath the doors to help keep smoke out until the Fire Service arrive. The dog can also alert the call centre for other dangers such as falls or medical emergencies. The project is run in partnership with a professional dog training company based in Sheffield called Emergency Response Dogs. Radio Merseyside Charitable Trust, The Liverpool Echo and the Fire Authority are sponsoring the project.

 

The first Response Dog was placed in Wirral, two further dogs are to be placed in Halewood and Speke. We would need some commitment from the community or family to help with the daily care of the dog such as feeding, walking and grooming. We will have a volunteer team leader in charge of each dog who would create a rota and ensure that the dog’s daily needs are met through contact either by phone or in person.

 

Please call us if you know somebody who would benefit greatly from an Emergency Response Dog being placed in their home and they meet the following criteria:

• 60+
• Housebound 
• Socially Isolated
• Community and/or Family Support
• Can accommodate a pet in their home.

Please call 0151 296 4600 for a referral form If you would like to volunteer as a dog walker, please contact: Sue Hannigan via email at suehannigan@merseyfire.gov.uk 0151 296 4351 or call
0151 296 4600

After Fire Care

The After Fire Care Service (AFC) deploys teams of trained Volunteers to assist those who do not have insurance following the occurrence of a fire in their home.

 

The team is equipped to combat the effects of smoke damage in the property by cleaning the fire affected area, removing debris and restoring the air quality. They will sift through fire damaged belongings to salvage items which include policy documents, passports but also irreplaceable items such as photographs.

 

 

Experiencing a fire in the home causes serious emotional upset. Our crews offer support to the individuals by giving them an opportunity to talk about the fire or the opportunity for the crew to provide advice on how to deal with the restoration of their lives. The Fire Service and other agencies will be contacted on behalf of the occupier if they feel these services would benefit the occupier.

 

Very often AFC prevents the occupier from having to leave their home, an event that has to be prevented where at all possible. 

 

 

High Fire Load Removal

The causes of fires in the home are numerous but a major reason for small fires escalating and spreading to form a large fire can be the fire loading of the property.

 

This may be due to occupiers using rooms to store items they do not wish to discard or by allowing a room to become excessively cluttered.

 

Over a period of time, more and more clutter is stored until the occupier reaches the point where the property has enough combustible material to be classed as a high fire risk.

 

On receiving a referral FSN’s trained Volunteers will attend the property and with the agreement of the occupier, will remove the high fire load items to a waste management facility.

 

The benefits include:

• A reduction in the properties fire load and subsequently the fire risk
• An improved means of escape from the property
• An increased efficiency of entry for Fire-fighter’s and other agencies
• A healthier living environment An opportunity to modernise the property (kitchen, bathroom, decorate)
• Elimination or improved control of pests.

If you would like to Volunteer as a team member for this highly valued set of services please email: lizneary@merseyfire.gov.uk

If you wish to make a referral please telephone: 0800 731 5958 

If you require any further information on these services please contact:
keithlepoidevin@merseyfire.gov.uk on 0151 296 4627 or
wendybaddeley@merseyfire.gov.uk on 0151 296 4354