THE MAN who led a specially-trained boat crew from Droitwich Fire Station to help those hit by the new year floods has spoken to The Standard about the team’s experiences.
And Chris Jelfs, the Watch Commander of White Watch, said those affected by the deluge showed a remarkable amount of community spirit as they worked together on the clean-up operation.
The Droitwich-based crew arrived at their base in Strensall in Yorkshire on the morning of December 30 and, after familiarising themselves with the area, provided overnight rescue cover to the south of York.
Mr Jelfs said: “The water was not as high by then but you could see marks on walls 4ft or 5ft up.
“There was silt and mud debris on the roads and driveways, going into people’s homes and every single property was affected.
“There were sandbags piled up against doorways as the residents tried their best to keep the floodwaters out.”
Then, during the day on New Year’s Eve, the crew was sent to Selby, which had also been badly affected, to provide reassurance to those living there.
Mr Jeffs added: “The roads had been really badly affected there and some were impassable.
“It was obviously a massive shock to the local people, but there was a great sense of community spirit.
“You could see everyone helping each other out during the clean-up operation.
“When we got there, every member of the public was pleased to see us and it was great to be able to show them that we had the resources, skills and staff to help them when they were needed.”
Then on New Year’s Eve night, the crew went back to the south of York to provide more overnight rescue boat cover.
“There had been more heavy rain and there were concerns for the safety of all the revellers who were out celebrating.
“It was surprising to see so many out and the people we met were all very positive.”
The Droitwich crew were stood down on New Year’s Day.
As well as the Droitwich team, other specially trained firefighters from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s ranks were dispatched to flood-hit areas, including Croston village in Lancashire where specialist heavy volume pumps were used to remove flood water at 7,000 litres per minute.
A tactical adviser form HWFRS was also sent to Cumbria twice during the floods to offer technical support and work alongside the other firefighters with the community.
HWFR’s District Commander Mick Cadman, who acted as deployment manager, said the crews worked extremely hard to protect and support those affected by the floods.
“I would like to whole heartedly thank and praise all of the firefighters and other agencies that have been involved with flood relief and rescue efforts.”
