Firemen in Warwickshire ditch fire engine for bikes

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Firefighters are leaving their engines behind to blaze a trail on bicycles.


Crew commander Les Moore, Deputy commander Gary Phillips, firefighter James Russell, Station commander Ian Tonner, Debbie Satchwell, pcso Rebecca Carless

The new two-wheeled team at Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service will be pedalling its way round hard-to-reach arson hotspots looking for fire risks like abandoned cars, tyres and gas canisters.

Calling themselves the BIKE (Bicycle Intervention Knowledge and Education) team, the firefighters will be talking to members of the public in a bid to dramatically reduce arson and anti-social behaviour in areas of Nuneaton and Bedworth.

The team’s 12 cycling firefighters have all undergone the equivalent of a cycling proficiency test but the fire service is stressing the bikes will not be used for emergency call outs.

Gary Phillips, deputy chief fire officer, said: “It’s a way of reaching places we can’t normally get to - off-road, on fields and amongst woods.

“Sometimes even the four-wheel drive vehicles can’t get to those places, but with a bike we can get in and around anywhere we need to.”

The cycling firefighters will be biking around in teams of two to four, deployed at key times of the year, including summer months and around bonfire night.

The fire service is working with the police to share information about target areas.

Mr Phillips said: “It’s about access and approachability. We’re raising awareness and reaching out to youngsters, making sure they know about the damage they can cause to themselves and to others.

“Our firefighters have an excellent role model opportunity. People look up to them.

“Young people tend to listen to what the fire and rescue service say in a different way to the police.

“It’s a chance for us to build relationships with people we sometimes have difficulty meeting.”

Warwickshire isn’t the first to roll out two-wheeled teams.

Reports from cycling firefighters in some London boroughs suggest casual arson incidents have been cut by up to 50 per cent.

And Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service has taken the idea a step further, investing in two £30,000 “fire bikes” - motorbikes fitted with a power hose to wind their way through traffic and tackle vehicle fires.

The Warwickshire bike team will be focusing on the “park and pool” area of Nuneaton, around Queen Elizabeth Road and Whittleford Park.

Mr Phillips said: “We’d rather be geared up to tackling incidents where people’s lives are at risk - of course, lives may be at risk with these fires, but if we can bring down the number of smaller fires that’s a step in the right direction.”

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Innovative new bike scheme comes under fire...

A NEW scheme which sees life-savers take to two wheels has come under fire.

As revealed in the Nuneaton News, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service has launched an initiative whereby firefighters are out on bikes to target anti-social behaviour in the borough.

The service’s new Bicycle Intervention Knowledge and Education team (BIKE) has been criticised by Warwickshire county councillor Richard Chattaway.

The representative for Bede ward, who was highly critical of the loss of a fire engine in Bedworth in favour of a new small fires unit said: “There are two sides to this.

“While I am all for anything that reduces arson, we have got a lack of fire and rescue cover in Bedworth as a direct result of the county council pulling a fire appliance in Bedworth.

“In my view this would be an ideal way to support a full crew, and I wonder how effective it will be in terms of putting out fires.

“I think the resources would be better used with a full appliance.”

The new venture is in partnership with Warwickshire Police and sees a team of 12 able to go off road to target high areas of anti-social behaviour and arson, particularly involving small fires, including in the Camp Hill and Whittleford area.

Deputy chief fire officer of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Gary Phillips said: “The BIKE team’s role has evolved from the successful anti-social behaviour teams who have been working in this field for many years, achieving a 45 per cent reduction in deliberate small fires over a three year period using engagement only.”

Arson reduction manager Ian Tonner said: “We hope that the sight of the team in the areas of concern such as Queen Elizabeth Road and the Whittleford Park area will both reduce the fires, anti-social behaviour and also reassure the public that we are targeting hard to reach areas that historically have been a problem for us.”