Pedal-powered firefighters to tackle heathland fires (From Bournemouth Echo)

Pedal-powered firefighters to tackle heathland fires

11:11am Saturday 13th March 2010 in

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FIREFIGHTERS are gearing up to embrace pedal power as a first line of defence against heathland firebugs.

Special Dorset Fire and Rescue Service mountain bike patrols are primed to take to Upton Heath, Poole, in a bid to combat the arson attacks that routinely blight the area.

Last year was a particularly bad one, with around five hectares of nearby Talbot Heath, in Poole, being ravaged by a deliberate blaze.

More than 50 firefighters were needed to tackle the blaze, in April, one of the first in a series of arson attacks in the Bournemouth conurbation.

Aside from the obvious risks to the public and firefighters, experts said Talbot Heath would probably take up to 15 years to fully recover.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service’s arson and youth diversion manager Gaynor Mant, said: “As the schools’ Easter holidays approach, young people are out of school and get bored.

“Lighter evenings encourage more people outside and there is a trend that the number of deliberately-set fires on the heathland increases.

“These new bikes will allow us to participate in the heathland patrols in the conurbation area in an effort to reduce deliberate fire setting on the heath.”

Two mountain bikes, ridden by members of the fire service community safety task team, will be based at Hamworthy fire station, with another two at Weymouth.

Community safety task team manager Mark Downing said: “The bikes will allow us to get out and reach areas we have not been able to before.

“Plus, they are an excellent way of keeping fit and reducing our carbon footprint.”