Through fire and water
12:50pm Wednesday 24th October 2007
THE work of Herefordshire fire and rescue crews is being highlighted in a new book.
An idea of the problems faced by the county's fire service tackling the floods of the past few months can be drawn from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service - An Illustrated History, which features the Herefordshire floods of November, 2000, during which firefighters responded to 700 distress calls in over 12 days.
The book, by paramedic Clive Shearman, also features accounts from the firefighters themselves, highlighting the changing challenges they faced over the years.
With first-hand experiences of various disasters - including the colossal fire at Hereford's Sun Valley factory in September 1993 which claimed the lives of two firemen and injured four others - the book gives an insight into some of the county's biggest fire and rescue operations between 1973 and the present day.
Clive, who has just produced his fifth book on the subject, has never been a fireman - instead joining Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service as a paramedic in 1980.
After spending a year putting the book together he says his latest offering has been the most interesting for him yet, not least because he also attended some of the incidents as a paramedic.
"I've never regretted going into the ambulance service, it's just the fire service is something I've always been fascinated by," he said.
"I've written the book from my point of view and based in the area I work in so quite a few of the jobs covered are ones I went tomyself as a paramedic."
The book also charts changes in equipment, legislation and techniques, with some of the most interesting including changes made to crews across in the aftermath of New York's 9/11 terrorist attack and, of course, the Sun Valley inferno.
"The world has changed a great deal since 1973 and the risks have also changed," said Clive.
"Sun Valley was a difficult one, obviously, because men lost their lives and some people found it too painful to talk about, but luckily for the project some found they were able to relay their experiences."
Clive's fascination with the fire service does not stop with his new book, which is released this month.
"There are a few irons in the fire, so to speak, which are all fire-related, including the next edition of the Fire Brigade Society magazine, of which I am editor, and, of course, more books."
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service - An Illustrated History is published by Tempus priced at £12.99.
To order a copy or for more information call Clive Shearman on 01905 776 738.