Wight Building Materials assist local fire service

09 December, 2023

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service practising cutting techniques at WBM’s St George’s Down headquarters

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service conduct training exercises at WBM headquarters

ISLE of Wight quarry business Wight Building Materials (WBM) – a joint venture between Eurovia and Aggregate Industries – are working with their local fire service to host a series of life-saving training scenarios.

The unique environment at WBM’s quarry and headquarters at St George’s Down, near Newport, has so far provided testing conditions for two exercises by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service with more planned for the new year.

In recent weeks, fire crews have used WBM’s 32m high asphalt tower in a training scenario involving a ‘casualty’ being brought down from height using rope rescue skills, and in another session an old lorry donated by the company was used to practise cutting techniques to release motorists trapped in vehicles following a traffic accident.

Further scenarios are planned for the new year, the first working on further cutting techniques and another looking at rescues from muddy environments.

Thanking Wight Building Materials for their help, Newport station manager Mark Caplen said: ‘Exercises like these are vital in developing and maintaining our skills and gaining valuable experience. The scenarios offered by WBM provide a level of realism you can’t recreate on the drill yard or in the classroom – they help us keep people safe.’

WMB general manager Steve Burton said: ‘We were delighted to help the Island’s firefighters hone their skills at our HQ. We are fortunate to have both the space and the equipment to assist such an important blue-light service and the partnership is providing another way we as a business can contribute positively to life on the Island.’