North and South: High Volume Pumps support the FRS response to summer floods

The Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) joined other emergency services in answering a huge number of calls for assistance in June and July, when widespread flooding affected many parts of the country, during one of the wettest summers on record.

High Volume Pump in action outside Tollbar Post Office Photo: CLG

Floods in the North

The North of England was badly hit by floods in June. Over 30,000 homes were flooded, many were left without power, and one of the largest peacetime rescue operations took place across the country.

Humberside 

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service had the busiest 12 hours in the history of the service, receiving over 1,500 calls for help on 25-26 June.  Dozens of people were rescued, 58 on the night of 25 June alone.

National response 

The response to the floods in the three worst affected FRSs in the North (South Yorkshire, Humberside and North Lincolnshire) was truly national. Support for the emergency response came from 34 Services across England, and from Wales.  At the height of the floods, 36 HVPs were deployed, from home locations in Tyne & Wear and Cumbria in the north, and from Somerset and Hampshire in the south, and many places in between. The main role of the HVPs was to prevent an escalation of the situation by pumping out water to prevent further damage.

Multi-agency response 

The police – through local Gold and Silver Commands – coordinated the response to severe flooding, with FRS, ambulance, local authorities, the Environment Agency and the voluntary sector playing a full part.

FRS National Coordination Centre 

The deployment of the HVPs was monitored and coordinated by the interim FRS National Coordination Centre (FRSNCC) in West Yorkshire, which coordinates crossregional and national mobilisation of New Dimension resources when these are needed to support the FRS response to major emergencies. The FRSNCC was supported by the Emergency Information Support Group, based at Communities and Local Government offices in London, which strategically directed the national coordination, liased with Government Office and kept ministers informed.

Teamwork  

CFOA set up a Flood Support Room in Hereford and Worcester FRS, which provided 24/7 national coordination of water rescue provision.  Regional Resilience Teams, based in Government Offices in the English Regions, had an important role in ensuring effective two-way communication between local responders and central Government and provided regular updates on developments.

Threat to Ulley Dam, Rotherham  

At the height of the flooding there were 15 HVPs at the Ulley Dam alone.  Sixty firefighters using HVPs pumped millions of litres out of the reservoir over several days, while engineers shored up the dam walls, so the reservoir held even after further rain.  Steve Makepeace, Central Station Manager, South Yorkshire FRS said, “I realised the huge value of the partnerships we have with other local authorities. And it was testament to the Fire Service as a whole that we could have crews from all over the country working here in South Yorkshire.”

Floods in the South 

HVPs also played an important role in the floods in the South in late July. The response to the three worst affected FRSs in the South (Gloucestershire, Hereford and Worcester and Oxfordshire) was again on a national scale. 22 HVPs were deployed to Gloucestershire, and 3 HVPs were sent to Oxfordshire.  

As the operational response increased, there were only 6 non-deployed HVPs in England. The Isle of Wight’s HVP was moved on to the mainland for standby cover.

Electricity supplies

A key priority was to preserve the electricity supply from the Walham and Castlemeads power sub-stations; both were in danger from potential flooding. They were made secure and operational by the efforts of the FRS, helped by the HVPs, by other emergency services, the Environment Agency, armed forces and others who worked extremely hard to maintain the temporary defences.  The Fire Service College was used both as a strategic holding area and as a ‘recovery hub’ for cleaning, service and inventory checking of all HVPs before their return to home stations.

After the floods 

As the floodwaters subsided, the emphasis shifted to recovery. John Healey, Floods Recovery Minister, said, after visiting flood-hit communities in Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Worcester, “I want to praise the emergency services for their outstanding work in responding to the crisis.” Announcing a package of aid to local authorities through the Bellwin Scheme, John Healey said: “My top priority is to help life in flood-hit communities get back to normal as quickly as possible.” There will be a formal review to ensure that the lessons to be learned from the summer floods are identified and applied.