FIRE SERVICE RELATED
Highlighting the importance of
testing smoke alarms is a message
that we promote weekly and
effectively through social media
under the strap line #TestItTuesday.
Social media has become one of
our main and most effective tools of
communications. Using Twitter and
Facebook, we are able to provide
a daily stream of the incidents
attended by our crews, various work
by different departments, key safety
messages and promote events such
as fire station open days. We have
encouraged and empowered our
Fires Stations to create Twitter and
Facebook pages to promote safety
messages and positive interaction
with their communities. This has
proven hugely beneficial, as a
generic safety message can be
tailored relevant to a specific area
in Swansea for example, or a rural
community in Powys. MAWWFRS
covers the largest geographical
service area in Wales and England,
therefore linking the Service’s social
media channels to our Fire Stations’
accounts, which command local
and enthusiastic followers, allows
us to make each safety message
relevant to every community within
a large geographical area.
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But social media can also bring its
own challenges. On the one side, it
allows the Fire and Rescue Service to
get a valuable message out quickly,
a well thought through message and
graphic can have a very positive
effect. However, it requires constant
monitoring as the public will often
respond to posts, which is to be
encouraged. This type of interaction is
excellent in developing a relationship
with the public and therefore requires
constant monitoring and a prompt
reply to questions to reassure and
inform.
I have been fortunate that my
first 12 months of employment
with MAWWFRS have coincided
with a television camera crew
following every aspect of the Fire
and Rescue Service, for a ‘blue
lights’ documentary that will be
broadcasted on the Welsh language
channel S4C in September 2017.
I have acted as the link between
the Fire and Rescue Service and
the television production company
and arranged interviews with various
members of staff. This has been an
ideal way for me to get to know
the Service as the film crew have
been given an access all areas to
the Service; attending incidents
with crews, interviewed Control staff,
followed Community Safety Teams
and filmed specialist operational
teams.
I have no doubt that the broadcasting
of this documentary will open many
people’s eyes to the work that the Fire
Service does.
The most exciting aspect of my work
is changing the public’s assumptions
that the Fire and Rescue Service are
only deployed to incidents of fire.
During the last year, I have assisted in
promoting the innovative projects that
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue
Service trail, from the harvesting of
bracken in an effort to reduce hillside
vegetation and preventing wildfires, to
monitoring culverts in partnership with
local authorities to reduce flooding
incidents.
Promoting operational responses
and services that fewer members of
the public are aware of is also very
satisfying and interesting, such as the
Urban Search and Rescue Team’s use
of dogs and unmanned aerial vehicle
drones to search for missing persons;
the capability of the Fire and Rescue
Service to conduct water rescues and
Home and Business Fire Safety Checks.