Support for fire victims (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Support for fire victims

Wootton Bassett mayor Chris Wannell, chief fire officer Andy Goves and Yve Benwell of the Red Cross with the new fire victim support vehicle Ref: 200016-52A NEW support service for victims of fire the first of its kind in Wiltshire is now on the road. The Fire Victim Support Service, which is run by the British Red Cross, was launched on Saturday.

The service provides practical and emotional support to people who have been affected by incidents such as fire or flooding.

Coun Chris Wannell, Wootton Bassett's mayor and a former firefighter, who has worked to get the scheme up and running, said: "The British Red Cross has been trying to get this going for two years. It can be a very hard time for people that go through this sort of thing and hopefully this will help.

"The fire crews will help as much as they can, but they do have to leave victims at some point to be ready for their next emergency and that's when we will step in."

The victim support van will be stocked with food and drink, dry clothing, a digital camera to take pictures for insurance purposes, and a mobile phone.

Based at Westlea fire station in Swindon, the van will travel anywhere in Wiltshire if the firefighters request it during evenings and weekends.

There are 15 volunteers who will support the service and the aim is to attract more people and have it running permanently.

Westlea station commander, Ian Jeary, said: "Hopefully when we get more volunteers on board we will be able to run it continuously.

"It's an excellent opportunity for the volunteers and for us. It's going to be a really valuable partnership that will bring some more services to people when they need them most.

"The service is open to all domestic emergencies, not just fire. When your home is uninhabitable it can be a really tragic event and this will help to get people through the aftermath."

The service, which was officially launched during a ceremony at Wootton Bassett town hall, is similar to others run elsewhere in the country.

Mr Jeary said: "It's good that we've got this in Wiltshire now. We've seen it work elsewhere and we are really pleased with the number of volunteers we've already got so far."

Swindon mayor Ray Fisher and North Wiltshire MP James Gray also attended the launch.

Gareth Bethell