UK firefighters head to Zimbabwe

FOUR Cleveland firefighters are heading to Zimbabwe to help train over 100 firefighters there.

The trip will also launch a new five-year partnership between Cleveland Fire Brigade and the international humanitarian charity Operation Florian.

It will help provide fire equipment and training to the Harare Fire and Ambulance service, which has little money for equipment, and often turn up to incidents with not enough equipment to deal with the situation.

Watch manager Mike Dayson and crew manager Andy Cook, both from Redcar Fire Station, and crew manager Stephen Graham from Stockton station, alongside retired watch manager Bill Hadfield, will be part of the team taking the initial mission to Harare.

They will spend three weeks there taking over equipment donated by fire brigades in Cleveland, Lancashire, Sussex and Scotland and training 100 firefighters in using breathing apparatus and dealing with road traffic collisions.

Mr Dayson said: "I am really looking forward to the trip which I know will be challenging, but I know it will help make such a difference to the Harare Fire and Ambulance Service and the people it serves.

"As well as commencing the training, we will be helping to plan the next five years and how we can assist them."

Ian Hayton, Chief Fire Officer said: "Over the next five years staff from Cleveland Fire Brigade will be involved in providing training in a wide variety of aspects from first aid, trauma and ambulance training, incident command training and rescue training to community fire education training."