Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service Press Release

Fire Service to the Rescue of Climate Change

Gloucestershire County Council's Fire & Rescue Service has been included in a national programme to look at its carbon footprint and reduce emissions.

All six fire and rescue services in the South West successfully applied as a region to take part in the Carbon Management Programme for 2009 and are the first fire and rescue services to apply in this way.

The Carbon Trust has undertaken an audit of the carbon footprint of each of the respective fire and rescue services within the region to set a baseline and to draw up a 4 year Carbon Management Plan.  The Plan will identify the areas in which the greatest carbon reductions can be made, how they can be achieved, and how much money can be saved.

Geoff Sallis has been appointed as Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service’s project leader.

Geoff said:  “This is a really exciting opportunity to work with The Carbon Trust to ensure that the fire and rescue services in the South West are able to make a big impact on mitigating and adapting to Climate Change.

Gloucestershire’s Fire and Rescue Service, as part of the Community Safety Directorate, is already having a dramatic impact on reducing carbon emission by its highly successful community fire safety work.  Even a small fire will produce a significant amount of carbon emissions and every fire we prevent reduces carbon emissions.”

The county council became part of the Carbon Management Programme in 2006/07 and is working with partners to reduce (per capita) emissions from business and commercial, public sector, domestic and road transport by 9.1% by 2011/12.

Further information about the Carbon management Programme can be found on the Carbon Trust’s website

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CONTACT:
Issued by Lisa Bonnell, Gloucestershire County Council's Media Team
Tel: 01452 425226 Email: lisa.bonnell@gloucestershire.gov.uk

13 May 2009