Police and fire collaborate on driver training

Humberside Police has teamed up with Humberside Fire and Rescue Service to deliver shared training to their drivers.

Both services have agreed to share the police driver training facilities at Courtland Road in Hull, following the closure of Clough Road fire station, which is now being rebuilt. Humberside Police driver trainers will be providing training to the fire and rescue instructors in roadcraft, while fire vehicles will be loaned to police driver training free of charge.

It is expected the move will be fully implemented by April next year.

Under Section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006, it has also become a requirement that all staff using blue lights must be assessed every five years as a minimum. By co-locating it means resources can be better shared along with best practice.

Assistant chief officer for human resources at Humberside Police, Ian Watson, said: “I believe this is a prime example of collaborating with other emergency services allowing both organisations to save money at a time when it is most needed.”

Paul Robinson, Humberside’s deputy police and crime commissioner, added: “During this period of austerity there is a real need for public sector organisations to deliver better services with fewer resources. This is an excellent example of two blue light organisations which have recognised that, by communicating and working together, they can find innovative ways of achieving mutual cost-savings without a negative impact on frontline services. Well done to the officers and staff from both organisations for pulling this together.”

Dene Sanders, deputy chief fire officer of Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “In these challenging times, we are very keen to explore opportunities which help us deliver a more cost-effective organisation. Sharing premises with the police to operate our driver training function is one of the many ways we are looking to reduce cost across the service.”