Fire Stations at Rawdon and Otley are Saved

Fire crews tackle a building fire in Otley in 2009

The proposed closure of both fire stations in Otley and Rawdon have been scrapped.
The two stations were to have closed under plans to relocate to Menston - but West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has been forced to think again after it struggled to find a suitable site.
Both stations were given a reprieve after the authority accepted a recommendation to abandon the Menston plan today.

Otley Fire Station

WYFRs pledged that the Otley and Rawdon stations would not only stay open but would now benefit from investment in the longer term.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Steve Beckley, said: "I’m sure that people who live in the locality of Otley and Rawdon will be pleased by this decision and we look forward to investing in these stations to ensure they remain fit for purpose for the future."

Rawdon Fire Station

Horsforth Councillor Chris Townsley, who is the leader of the Lib Dem Group on the WYFRA said: "This has taken some hard work over the last few years but I am glad that the Authority has been able to come up with a workable alternative, which will leave our stations where they are."

High Level Training Excercise in Leeds

Today in Leeds High Level Line Rescue Training in progress


Senario was a reported male casualty who had suffered a stroke about 300ft above the ground in the cab of his tall crane on a building site in the centre of Leeds. The building site was just across from the Leeds General infirmary.



Fire crews from Rawdon and Cleckheaton with there Technical Rescue Unit were at the scene.



A dummy replaced the live casualty once he had been removed from the cab of the crane. The casualty was lowered on a stretcher from the top of the crane to ground level.  



Ambulance HART teams were also there to share in the training.

Line rescue is just one of the manyskills that the modern fire service has to be trained for. 

Ambulance Hart Team wait to assist

Live casualty now at ground level

Followed by Dummy casualty on a stretcher