National Public Service Day, which was held on 23rd June, provides an opportunity to remind us of the importance of our public service workers and the work they do towards the success of our nation.
Ogmore MS Huw Irranca-Davies visited the Maesteg Fire Station recently to meet with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Crew, (full time firefighters and on-call firefighters) to thank them for the critical work they do as public service workers.
The visit coincided with a spate of arson attacks in the area, and the Crew had been dealing with five major incidents over a 72-hour period with other crews seconded from other stations. The experienced crews had been battling with illegal mountain fires which required a mix of conventional tactics, airborne tactical support, and traditional firefighting skills to deal with the blaze.
Following a tour of the Station and the hi-tech equipment, the MS was welcomed to a round table discussion with the crew members, discussing at length their pioneering work on the front-line of tackling blazes, their work in schools and more PLUS their appeal for people to support their work in countering deliberate arson which puts lives and properties at risk, and destroys natural wildlife habitats.
This was then followed by a visit to Garnwen Mountain in Maesteg, the site of just one of many mountains fires the South Wales Fire and Rescue Team had been working on. The area had been left decimated with extensive damage.
Following the visit Huw Irranca-Davies MS said: “I am immensely grateful to all the crews for their welcome and for taking the time to update me on their work during a crisis situation. We owe all our public service staff so much for their essential work, often behind the scenes, keeping us all safe and protecting our communities.
I was extremely impressed with the professionalism at the Maesteg Fire Station, with their diverse and inclusive culture and their absolute world class expertise in tackling wildfires. Many who had originally been ‘on-call’ firefighters, working full time and volunteering as firefighters and now called on to provide training to other crews right across Wales. We owe them all so much.”
If anyone is interested in becoming a fire-fighter, more information can be found via their website: Latest vacancies – South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (southwales-fire.gov.uk)
