As Storm Eunice moves away from the area, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is thanking residents who heeded the plea to not call 999 for general storm damage.
Between 8am and 5.30pm on Friday (18 Feb), over 300 emergency calls were received by Fire Control, with many reporting fallen trees, fallen power cables and building damage. Within the same time period, there were 22 storm related incidents attended by fire crews in Dorset, and 12 in Wiltshire. In addition, five incidents have been attended by an officer in Dorset.
Group Manager Wayne Jones said: “Firefighters can only help when people are in danger, or electrics are involved and creating a potential fire hazard. Also, if our operators are answering 999 calls for things where we can’t help, that could delay a response to a call where the situation is life-threatening. Although there has been an exceptionally high number of calls received today (Fri 18 Feb), we do believe that people have heeded our requests and we thank them for it. Although the worst of the weather has hopefully passed, we would still urge people to please consider whether there is a genuine danger before calling 999; fallen trees should be reported to the local authority, and damage to your home is something that needs to be resolved with a contractor and your insurance.”
There is a useful reference on the Service website about who to call for storm damage – www.dwfire.org.uk/who-to-call-for-storm-damage
