Cutting crew - leading firefighter Nigel Norfolk and colleague Wayne Davey practise on a car at the scrapyard
LEIGH firefighters are getting a taste of reality in their training exercises, thanks to a partnership with a local scrapyard.
Since the new year, members of White Watch, based at Leigh fire station in Mountdale Gardens, have been visiting the CWJ Kirby scrapyard, off Brickfields Way on Purdeys industrial estate in Rochford, to practise emergency crash cutting on a variety of vehicles.
In the majority of regular training exercises the vehicles used are in good structural condition, which does not accurately represent scenes crews encounter at real incidents. The team at the scrapyard are able to create more realistic conditions for crews to train in, by deliberately crushing or damaging vehicles to order.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here