Cardiff Bay 999 Day
Visitors from across South Wales descended on Cardiff Bay’s Roald Dahl Plass for the annual Emergency Services 999 Day, on Saturday 7th September.
Hosted by SWFRS, the event marks the biggest day in our Service’s calendar, providing an opportunity for blue light partners to come together and show the public what they are capable of.
South Wales Police, Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST), St John’s Ambulance, HM Coastguard and RNLI colleagues provided a plethora of vehicles and equipment, supplementing the impressive array of SWFRS capabilities on display.
Organiser of the event, Station Manager Nev Thomas said: “It’s been fantastic to see so many smiling faces here today.
“I’m really proud of all the hard work that our corporate and operational staff have put in to make this event such a success, and to see first-hand the true collaboration, cooperation and inclusion taking place with our partner organisations.
“Today gives us an opportunity to share all the good work that the Service does with the community, and reassure them that we are here for them.”
SWFRS and WAST personnel held road traffic collision (RTC) and extraction demonstrations in the central arena, showing members of the public how organisations work together to extract and treat casualties.
WAST Welfare Responder, Charlie Martin said: “We work closely with the Fire Service when dealing with traffic accidents – who make sure we are kept safe and the vehicle stable – so that we can attend to the casualty.
“Today has been fantastic because it’s given all the emergency services a chance to build a rapport and get to know each other’s capabilities, processes and procedures better, which makes working together on emergency calls run more smoothly.
“It’s also given members of the public a chance to look at and trial our equipment. We have road crew ambulances, the rugged mountain response vehicle, and members of the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) and the Cycle Response Team here today, providing CPR demonstrations and educating people about the use of defibrillators and the type of responses we can give in an emergency.”
An opportunity to try out the Firefighter fitness test inspired Welsh professional cycling brothers Matt and Luke Rowe to engage in some friendly rivalry over who could achieve the best time.
Thirty-six-year-old Matt beat younger brother, 34-year-old Luke, in the competition with an impressive time of 3.39 minutes in the test, which included rolling out hose-reels and carrying weighted bars at speed, whilst wearing full kit.
Matt said: “It’s definitely harder than it looks!
“The whole family has really enjoyed being here today, and the children have especially enjoyed being able to get in the back of the vehicles. I think it’s important to introduce them to the police and fire services from a young age, to learn appreciation for what they do.” He continued.
Luke said: “It was hard going. As a cyclist, I struggle with anything arm related, so this was definitely a challenge! My cycling outfit is only around 1kg in weight, so it was a bit of a shock to try on the 9kg Firefighter’s uniform!
“I’ve brought my two children here because I think it’s good to teach them to respect the emergency services – you never know if there might be a situation when they are needed to help them or save their lives – and as a family, we have all really enjoyed the day.”
Members of the South Wales Police Mounted Constabulary, Territorial Support Team, Traffic and Dog Units were also in attendance, with canines and their handlers demonstrating the animal’s capacity to apprehend criminals, during an early morning demonstration.
Cardiff Bay Policing Team PCSO Joshua Willis explained: “This is the first time I have worked at this event, and it’s been great for community engagement.
“It’s really helped to break down barriers between police and members of the public, which is especially important with youngsters. Throughout my police career, I have seen that children can be scared of the police, so it’s important to build relations early so they can have confidence and trust in us.”
Large crowds enjoyed watching Fire Cadets demonstrate firefighting techniques and crews from Barry showcased rope rescue techniques and specialist equipment to recover a casualty suspended from an upper window of the Wales Millenium Centre, and Penarth Type B Firefighters carried out a water rescue from its boat in the Cardiff Bay harbour area.
With SWFRS Mascot Sbarc the dragon, WAST counterpart Kim the Paramedic, and RNLI’s Stormy Stan making surprise appearances – much to the delight of youngsters in attendance – and The Salvation Army keeping grateful emergency services staff fed and watered throughout the day meant that morale remained high for visitors and staff alike, and its safe to say Team South Wales is already looking forward to next year’s extravaganza!
