The cover of the new rural safety pack is shown above.

27 August 2009

A new rural safety initiative is being launched at today’s Bucks County Show. It brings together Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, a host of local organisations and a charity to promote safety within rural communities and enhance the services provided to them.

A new pack has been produced providing hints and tips on how to make agricultural, equine and farm-related property and buildings safe and secure.

The pack includes leaflets and information from Thames Valley Horsewatch, Neighbourhood Watch, the RSPCA, Bucks Economic & Learning Partnership (BELP) and Buckinghamshire Rural Affairs Group (BRAG), as well as fire safety advice and home fire safety check leaflets.

The pack also contains a form which people can fill in and request additional information relevant to their business or property.

Community safety partnership manager Jo Oliver from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service said: “We and our partner organisations don’t tend to think of the members of our farming, equine or agricultural communities as being vulnerable, but they are definitely a group that we find hard to reach and don’t often come into contact with other than at barn, farm or field fires.

“There is lots of information out there, but nothing is in one easy location for them to find. This pack is the first part of a plan to help people from our rural communities gain access to information that can help them and is specific to their needs, in a format that is easy for them to use.”

Another part of the plan is the provision of specialist training to a number of firefighters and officers to enable them to provide the safest possible response to rescue incidents involving large animals.