British Horse Society joins forces with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

The British Horse Society has been invited to attend the Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service open day at Telford Fire Station on Saturday 30 August to launch a partnership initiative between the two organisations.

The BHS met recently with Mike Ablitt, and John Harrison, fire officers from the Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service, to discuss ways in which horse owners could evaluate risk assessment in their yards and assist the fire service to deal promptly with emergencies. In addition, with the help of Harry Paviour at the Fire Service College, the BHS will be advising fire officers on how horses react when frightened and how best to handle them in the event of a fire in the yard.

The Open Day, hosted by local radio station Telford FM, will be attended by Shropshire's Chief Fire Officer, Ian Kerr, Deputy Fire Officer Gerry Scutt and Assistant Chief Officer Alan Taylor. Christine Doran, BHS Head of Approvals and instrumental in setting up the partnership, will be representing the Society. "This is an ideal opportunity to launch the partnership fostered by the BHS with the fire service. We wanted to make sure that anyone owning or managing a yard of horses was fully prepared in the event of such an emergency. By working with their local fire station any horse owner can feel confident that officers attending will be well prepared and know the layout of the yard," commented Christine.

Mike Ablitt added "Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service is always looking for ways to improve our service to the community. This innovative project will hopefully ensure that horse owners prevent fires occurring in the first place through improved fire safety knowledge but when fires do occur prepare us to help in the most effective way".

The Shropshire Fire Service Open Day will be launching a number of community based initiatives including working with the Women's Institute on a map reference scheme, the National Farmers Union on encouraging easy access to water supplies, and with the local racial community building better relations.

www.bhs.org.uk

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