Knowsley based housing association, Livv Housing Group, was proudly presented with a certificate of appreciation by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service last week. The token of gratitude is for the use of Livv’s unoccupied tower blocks at Gaywood Green, Kirkby, which has enabled invaluable high-rise training for local fire crews over the past couple of years.
Gaywood Green is thought to be the only empty high-rise building in the country being used by a fire service to undertake live practise scenarios. It’s due for demolition in spring 2023.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service has conducted over 130 practical exercises at Gaywood Green since 2020. This has allowed the firefighters to hone their skills and practice new methods of high-rise firefighting to assure the effectiveness of responses to fires within high-rise buildings.
The use of the high-rise blocks has also enabled local crews from cross border partners in Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester to come together to undertake live practise scenarios and simulate a coordinated response to a major incident.
Crews from all four North West fire and rescue services gathered at Gaywood Green last week for their final multi-service high-rise training day.
After the exercises, Phil Garrigan OBE, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Services’ Chief Fire Officer presented Tony Cahill, Livv’s Executive Director of Property, with a letter of gratitude and certificate of appreciation.
Tony Cahill, Executive Director of Property at Livv Housing Group, said: “Since the tragic events at Grenfell Tower back in 2017, fire safety, particularly in high-rise, has never been more significant.
“It’s very rare that you’ll find an empty high-rise building that can facilitate such training, so when we made the decision to demolish Gaywood Green a few years ago, it made complete sense for us to partner with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.
“Giving them the opportunity to train in a realistic environment, test new equipment and prepare for high-rise emergency incidents can only improve the safety of all people living in high-rise homes, which is what we’re all striving for.
“It was a very kind gesture from Phil to present us with a certificate of appreciation and we’re looking forward to continuing working with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service on future projects to ensure the safety of our customers.”
Phil Garrigan OBE, Chief Fire Officer at Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, commented: “Livv Housing Group has been amazing. Our firefighters are safer, more effective, and better trained to respond to such incidents on the basis of our partnership with Livv. We can’t thank them enough.”
Header image shows Tony Cahill, Executive Director of Property at Livv Housing Group receives Certificate of Appreciation from Phil Garrigan OBE, Chief Fire Officer at MFRS.
