Cumbria's firefighters scoop top award (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Cumbria's firefighters scoop top award
2:00pm Saturday 29th September 2012 in News
CUMBRIA Fire and Rescue Service has won a national award for teaching life-saving skills to communities across the county.
The service scooped the Public Sector Organisation of the Year prize at the 2012 UK Heart Safe awards held in Salford.
For more than 10 years, but with increasing momentum in the last five, CFRS has delivered a training programme teaching basic life support to members of the public, businesses, voluntary and community organisations, schools, youth groups, women’s institutes and young farmers.
In 2011, the service trained 1,500 people in the county in basic life support and it is estimated around 5,000 have been trained over the past five years. The training is delivered by firefighters, staff and volunteers across the length and breadth of Cumbria.
Coun Gary Strong, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for community safety and local services, said: “It’s great news that CFRS has won this prestigious national award for the excellent work the service does in teaching life-saving skills to thousands of people around the county.
“These skills can literally mean the difference between life and death for cardiac arrest victims so the fire service should be very proud of the award and this well deserved recognition.”
