Wiltshire fire service helps homeless people survive life on the streets (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Wiltshire fire service helps homeless people survive life on the streets

1:04pm Monday 30th January 2012 in Wiltshire

Homeless people across Wiltshire have again been supported through a scheme organised by the Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service.

In the run-up to Christmas, the service provided 132 street survival bags to a number of local charities for distribution.

Inside the waterproof backpacks are items such as a smoke detector, a tin for cigarette ends and a wind-up torch. Also provided are personal hygiene items, basic utensils, a first aid kit, a survival blanket, a sleeping bag and a bed roll.

The scheme was piloted in Trowbridge in 2008, and was later rolled out to Salisbury, Swindon and Chippenham.

The service works with charities such as Alabaré, the Drugs & Homeless Initiative and Doorway to ensure the street survival bags reach those who most need it.

Incident reduction manager Nicola Cocks said: "The scheme has been running now for a couple of years and we know that these bags can make a real difference to someone living rough.

"Obviously we would prefer people not to be sleeping on the streets or in derelict buildings, but we can make life a bit safer for them if that is how they are living.

"For example, providing them with a bed roll, a sleeping bag and thick socks will help them stay warm, so hopefully they won’t need to have a fire.

"A wind-up torch reduces the need to use candles for light – these are all things that can help make them safer."

The latest consignment was funded by the service’s community safety department, with the Doorway charity paying for bags to be distributed in the Chippenham area.

Mrs Cocks said: "We are grateful to BCH Camping, as they provided us with many of the contents at a really generous price, and also Harris Insulation Systems, as they gave us a fantastic price on survival bags and also donated 1,000 survival blankets."