Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Birstall Station

15/06/2026

This week is Drowning prevention 💦

Drowning can happen quickly and silently, but many incidents are preventable with the right knowledge and supervision.

✅ Always supervise children near water.
✅ Never swim alone.
✅ Know what to do in an emergency
✅ Respect the water, whether at the pool, beach, river, or lake.

A few simple precautions can save lives. We shall be at the Watermead park run event this Saturday 20th of June promoting water safety. 🚒

More information about Drowning prevention can be found on the Royal Life Saving Society’s page
https://www.rlss.org.uk/pages/category/drowning-prevention-week-campaign

09/06/2026

🚨 Water Rescue Training 🚨

Today, White Watch Birstall, alongside our colleagues from Loughborough, carried out water rescue training to maintain and develop our response capabilities for water-based incidents.

Training like this helps ensure our crews remain prepared, confident, and ready to respond when the public needs us most. Working in and around water presents unique challenges, and regular exercises allow us to practise vital rescue techniques in a safe and controlled environment.

🌊 Do you know the dangers of open water swimming?

Even on warm days, open water can be extremely dangerous due to:
❄️ Cold water shock – sudden immersion can cause involuntary gasping and loss of breathing control.
🌡️ Hypothermia – body temperature can drop rapidly, even in summer.
🌿 Hidden hazards – underwater weeds, debris, rocks, and sudden drop-offs.
💪 Strong currents – rivers and lakes can have unseen currents that quickly overpower swimmers.
😰 Cold water incapacitation – muscles can become weak, making it difficult to swim or stay afloat.
🌫️ Poor visibility – making it difficult to judge distances or spot hazards.
🚫 Isolation – many open water locations have no lifeguards or immediate assistance available.

📍 If you’re spending time near water, always know your location. We recommend downloading the What3Words app or familiarising yourself with your What3Words location. In an emergency, providing this three-word address can help emergency services find you quickly and accurately.

✅ Stay safe around water:
• Never swim alone.
• Enter the water gradually.
• Avoid alcohol before swimming.
• Keep children supervised at all times.
• Carry a charged mobile phone where possible.
• Call 999 and ask for Fire & Rescue if someone is in difficulty in inland water.

Stay safe and enjoy the water responsibly this summer. ☀️🚒🌊

02/06/2026

🚨 🔥 CHIMNEY FIRE!!! 🔥 🚨..Okay, not really! But we glad we got your attention. 😉
Tonight, White Watch is on duty, and our training theme is all about tackling chimney fires. The crew started by using traditional chimney rods to extinguish a simulated fire inside the flue of our training tower.
But what happens when standard gear isn't enough? We bring out the big guns. For this drill, that meant deploying our specialist Turntable Ladder to tackle the simulated blaze from above! 🚒✨
🪵 A Safety Message From White Watch
While we love practicing our skills, we’d much rather you never have to see us outside your house with a Turntable Ladder.
Did you know that regular maintenance is the absolute best way to prevent a real chimney fire? With the warmer weather finally here, now is the perfect time to book a professional chimney sweep! ☀️
Here is why you shouldn't wait until winter:
Beat the Rush: Professional sweeps get incredibly busy once the temperature drops. Book now to get your preferred slot!
Clear Out the Gunk: Burning wood and coal leaves behind creosote—a highly flammable byproduct. Getting it cleared out now ensures your home stays safe.
Bird Nest Season: Birds love building nests in cozy chimneys during the spring. A pro can safely check for and clear any blockages before you light your first autumn fire.
🛑 Protect Your Home
Even with a clean chimney, invisible dangers can still happen. We fully recommend that every home with a fireplace has:
1 Working Smoke Alarms on every level of the home.
2 A Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm in the same room as the fireplace to detect any deadly, odorless leaks from your flue or chimney.
When was the last time you had your chimney inspected and swept by a professional? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

01/06/2026

Child Safety Week 2026 runs from Monday 1 to Sunday 7 June. It’s an opportunity for families to build confidence and learn practical skills to manage the real risks children face every day.

This factsheet from the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) contains practical safety tips on how to prevent fires, plan your escape and teach children what to do in an emergency.

For more information follow the link to the CAPT page: https://capt.org.uk/child-safety-week/

19/05/2026

18/05/2026

🔥 Turning up the heat on training! 🔥
Tonight, White Watch at Birstall hosted a realistic 3-pump exercise with a very special mission: putting a budding Incident Commander through their paces! 🧑‍🚒💼
This is all part of our rigorous development pathway. Before earning that "Safe to Command" sign-off, our future leaders must ace:
• 📝 Theory-based workbooks
• 💻 Cutting-edge virtual scenarios
• 🚒 High-pressure, real-world practical exercises (like tonight!)
Bonus points: It was also the perfect opportunity for our crews to sharpen their Breathing Apparatus (BA) skills, ensuring we are always sharp, skilled, and ready to respond when you need us most. 🚀
Huge thanks to everyone involved for putting in the work to keep our communities safe! 🤝
a special thanks to Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Melton Mowbray Fire Stationand Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Central Station for your assistance!!

29/04/2026

Birstall and crews from across the service were back in action this week! 🚒📸
We recently held a complex Road Traffic Collision (RTC) exercise involving two vehicles—including a modern electric vehicle (EV). This provided a fantastic opportunity for our teams to practice specialized extrication techniques and safe handling of EV batteries.
To reach the casualties, crews had to strategically relocate the vehicles, testing both our physical coordination and tactical planning.
These exercises happen year-round to ensure our skills remain razor-sharp. We train hard so that when you need us most, we’re at our very best. 👨‍🚒👩‍🚒

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Southern Station Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Melton Mowbray Fire Station
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Western StationLeicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Loughborough Station

29/04/2026

It's Week - raising awareness of the risks around water and help prevent accidental drowning.
Spending time by the water should be enjoyable
- but it can be dangerous. Many accidental drownings are preventable.

Even on a warm day, open water can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect your breathing and make it difficult to swim and lead to drowning.
It may be tempting to cool off in open water such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs but cold water can kill.
Think before you or your friends enter the water
- cold water shock can affect the strongest swimmers.
Find out more about cold water shock in the following video!

This is "Cold water can kill NFCC BWA 26" by NFCC Learning Materials on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

05/03/2026

🚗 "Which One Are You Most Guilty Of?" 🚗

Headline: Let’s be real for a second... we’ve all been there. 🛑
We all know the "Fatal 5"—the top reasons people don't make it home on our roads. But sometimes, we think we're "too experienced" or "in too much of a rush" for the rules to apply to us.
Let's do a quick pulse check. Which of these is your biggest "bad habit" behind the wheel? Be honest—we’re all friends here! 👇

1. The "5-Minute" Hustle: Creeping over the speed limit because you’re running late for work. 🏃💨

2. The "Quick Glance": Checking a notification at a red light because "it'll only take a second." 📱

3. The "I’m Fine" Myth: Driving home after a long shift when your eyelids feel like lead. 🥱

4. The "Just Around the Corner": Forgetting the seatbelt because you're only going two blocks. 💺

5. The "One Drink" Gamble: Thinking you’re still "good to drive" after a social pint. 🍺
💬 Let's Talk!

Most of us have a "default" mistake we make when we're tired or stressed.

• Comment below: Which one do you need to work on this week?

• Tag a friend: Remind them to stay safe today.
Remember: It’s not about being a perfect driver; it’s about making it home in one piece. 🏠❤️

28/02/2026

Flood Patrol Update midnight 27th/28th Feb.

- Slash Lane Nr Sileby is now Impassable ⛔ & Closed 🚧 due to Flooding ⚠️💦.

- Mountsorrel Lane/Sileby Road between Sileby & Mountsorrel via the A6 is currently Clear ✅ & Open.

Syston Road between Cossington & Rothley is Open & Clear ✅.

Syston Road/Main Street Junction Nr Cossington is Flooded 💦 but Passable with Caution ⚠️.

all other local roads liable to Flooding are Clear ✅.

stay Safe,
Sileby Volunteer Flood Wardens.