A NEW rescue pump was officially blessed by the fire service chaplain when it was unveiled at Crickhowell Fire Station last week.

The keys to the gleaming new Volvo rescue pump were formally presented to Crickhowell fire station watch manager Glenn Lewis by Deputy Chief Fire Officer Rob Quin during a blessing of the new appliance by Revd Mark Beaton, chaplain to the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service last Wednesday (September 5). Among the local VIPs and members of the public present was the Lord Lieutenant of Powys Dame Shan Legge-Bourke, performing one of her final functions before she stands down from the role.

Watch manager Mr Lewis said: “We are delighted to receive this brand new rescue pump at Crickhowell Fire Station. This is a fantastic appliance and an essential resource to us as firefighters. As on-call firefighters, we live and work within the community of Crickhowell and are honoured to play our role in keeping our community safe. We are currently on the lookout for new recruits, so if you would like to help protect the community of Crickhowell and the surrounding area, live within 10 minutes of the Fire Station and are reasonably fit and healthy, then call in during one of our drill nights, each Wednesday night 7-9pm?.”

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Rob Quin said: “To fulfil our vision of being a world leader in emergency response and community safety, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service continually invests in its fleet of vehicles and equipment to ensure that our firefighters have the best resources available to them to deal with emergencies.

In the last five years, the crew at Crickhowell have attended 12 house fires and 61 road traffic collisions. The on-call firefighters play an integral role within the community as they are ready to respond to an emergency at a moment’s notice. It is vital we equip them with the very best resources.”