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WESTLEIGH Developments doesn't believe in playing with fire when it comes to building attractive and sustainable residential or commercial buildings. And just to prove its commitment to safety and community relations, it's teamed up with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service's Blue Watch. Westleigh, whose headquarters is based at Whetstone, has loaned the firefighters the use of a site it recently purchased for a future development so that the team can use a derelict building there for safety training. Watch Manager Matt Cane said he was immensely grateful to Westleigh for loaning them the site for a couple of months, before the current building is demolished and new building work begins, and for the building company's co-operation. "It's a huge help to us. Since the building's going to be demolished anyway, Westleigh have said we can more or less do what we like with it. It's one of the rare opportunities we get to practice forcing doors and using our hydraulics equipment as well as comparing different techniques which could help to save precious minutes in the event of a real fire," said Matt. " We are hoping to start off with basic ladder training, followed by 'search and rescue' techniques in unfamiliar surroundings. When it is someone's home and it is heavily smoke-logged, it is difficult to find your way around and see stairways etc. Often the only experience we get is when we actually attend a fire, so there is no room for error and we're up against it time-wise." Michael Gisborne, Land Manager, of Westleigh Developments, said the company was glad to have been able to help out. "All derelict buildings are at risk from arson attacks and for that very reason, we try to notify the fire service whenever there is an empty property on one of our sites," said Michael. "It's a two-way thing – while Blue Watch have been able to monitor the site for us and help protect it from attacks, we've also been able to provide them with a useful training facility which may directly effect the quality of service the team are able to provide to the public. Westleigh are glad to have been of help and we'd also urge other firms to keep the fire service informed about any empty buildings in their care." |
