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Innovative firemen rewarded

Posted by Nina Rossi on Nov 7, 08 05:08 PM in People

The team that cut arson incidents in Hounslow by 49 per cent by putting firemen on bikes have been a London Fire Brigade Special Achievement Award.

The community safety cycle project that was piloted in Hounslow last year was then extended to 12 other boroughs.

The riders, who all received specialist cycle training from the Metropolitan Police, cover open land to identify potential arson sites and fire risks such as abandoned vehicles, unsecured empty properties, overgrown hedges, abandoned cylinders. They then report them to the local council for removal.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Frank Starks said: "As well as helping us to prevent both accidental and deliberate fires, the cycle teams increased our presence and visibility in the community and worked with the public to pass on our fire safety messages."

The award winning cycling team is made up of Selina Khakee, firefighters Steve Gray and Rachael Sargeant, crew managers Phillip Turcsi and Ritchie Brockies, station manager Mark Phillips and former-borough commander Gerard Hollingworth.

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