New kit, same hard work: fire crews respond to countywide flooding

From 6 January, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue dealt with more than 150 calls about flooding in the county.

This has included areas in and around Boston, Grantham, Louth, Sturton by Stow, Cherry Willingham, Greatford, Wainfleet and Trusthorpe.

Fire crews and specialist teams have worked with other emergency responders to pump out water, rescue people stranded in floods, support evacuations and offer advice right across Lincolnshire. The specialist water rescue team from Boston and flood pumps from Alford, Sleaford and Holbeach have been used in the response as well as multiple fire appliances from stations countywide.

Most recently in Billingborough crews used the High Volume Pump (HVP) through the night to remove around 5 million litres of water over 14 hours. All flood water has now been removed and access restored to properties.

Cllr Lindsey Cawrey, executive councillor for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and emergency planning at the county council, said: “Once again our fire crews have been at the heart of the flood response within the communities they serve. I’d like to thank the frontline teams and all of those who work behind the scenes, who have been incredibly busy co-ordinating the best response possible to some really difficult incidents.

“We know flooding is a key risk to Lincolnshire and that weather events can be unpredictable. Following the significant storms last year, we invested in new flood pumps and dry suits for our firefighters in addition to the new technical rescue vehicles (TRVs) that carry water response equipment. These have been put to good use this week helping fire crews give essential support to residents.”

Mark Baxter, Chief Fire Officer for Lincolnshire, said: “This has been a multi-agency response to a major emergency, and our firefighters have stepped up to a whole range of incidents. Flooding has a real human impact but the response shows the power of organisations and communities working together.

“It’s always a little disappointing that some of our call outs could have been avoided, for example where people have ignored road closures and driven into flood water, becoming stranded; or where cars have pushed flood water from roads into properties.

“We work hard in Lincolnshire behind the scenes to prepare for and respond to emergencies in the best way, and residents can also take measures to do this.”

Residents can find out more about preparing for, responding to and recovering from flooding at www.lincolnshireresilienceforum.org.