Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) welcomed Fire Safety Minister Samantha Dixon to Merseyside yesterday for a visit highlighting the Service’s significant role as the lead authority for National Resilience (NR), alongside its people, facilities and specialist capabilities.
Funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – the Fire National Resilience Capabilities programme helps fire and rescue services across England to respond effectively to major incidents like major building collapses or natural disasters.
Merseyside leads the programme for the country and is upgrading the fire national resilience capabilities helped by a government funding boost of almost £30million this year, ensuring services have the latest kit, equipment and tech to respond to emerging risks like marauding terrorist attacks or chemical incidents.
The Fire Safety Minister began a tour starting at the National Resilience Centre of Excellence - part of MFRS’s Training and Development Academy, where she was shown a presentation on Merseyside’s advanced capabilities.
It outlined how MFRS, as the lead authority, is responsible for the mobilisation, coordination and monitoring of national resilience assets in response to significant, serious or catastrophic incidents. She was also briefed on how NR capabilities are strategically located across England in line with the National Security Risk Assessment, ensuring rapid and effective responses to major incidents.
The Minister then met firefighters on shift at MFRS’s Aintree fire station, viewing the state-of-the-art facility and learning about the vital role it plays in protecting communities.
Following lunch, the Minister returned to the Training and Development Academy where she met MFRS’s latest group of recruit firefighters, and also observed demonstrations of immersive and specialist environments that acted as examples of how and when National Resilience assets are used.
The demonstrations - which included flood rescue, urban search and rescue, and canine capabilities - highlighted how MFRS works to respond to major incidents, natural disasters and national emergencies.
The visit concluded with a tour of National Resilience Fire Control, where the Minister saw first-hand how specialist control capabilities coordinate NR assets across England.
MFRS Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle said:
“It was a privilege to welcome the Minister to Merseyside and to showcase our incredible facilities. I am extremely proud of the dedication, skill and professionalism of our staff, whose expertise ensures we are able to respond to a wide range of complex, high-risk and disruptive incidents.
“This visit highlighted not only the vital role Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service plays locally, but also our national leadership as the lead authority for National Resilience, providing specialist assets, coordination and support across England.”
Fire Safety Minister Samantha Dixon said:
“It’s been fantastic to see first-hand the world-class capabilities that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service manages and coordinates on behalf of MHCLG as the lead authority for National Resilience - and the vital role they play in keeping the country safe.
Their expertise and commitment make sure that when the worst happens, we have the right people, equipment and coordination in place across the country to protect communities and save lives.”
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service continues to play a central role within the National Resilience framework, providing leadership, specialist assets, expertise and coordination to support communities locally, regionally and nationally.