Bamford & Norden April 2019

“It’s hard to describe the level of heat exhaustion.
The physical heat was tremendous and the
destruction on the moor was like a scene from
the Somme. The ground was cracking from the
heat and in places it was like walking on a
barbecue, fire hoses, which are made of sturdy
stuff, would melt into the ground!”
Steve believes using the Shielder made a
significant difference to fighting the fire, “It was
an honour and a pleasure to have taken part. It
was nice to see the area get behind everyone;
local businesses brought food and water, which
was well received. Mountain Rescue Teams and
other organisations got involved and I’ve had
the pleasure of working with some exceptional
fire-fighters from many stations all over
the country.”
Whilst the management to extinguish the fire
was well planed, Steve passionately believes
the fire-fighters job was hampered by the lack
of suitable equipment for the task in hand,
“These days it seems there’s more specialist
equipment, required for such tasks, in private
ownership.” Steve wonders if organisations like
the MVT might be able to keep an asset register
of equipment people are willing to offer in
the event of an emergency. I guess MV owners
would have to balance registering their pride
and joy (and the money they’ve invest in their
hobby), against having their vehicle detailed on
a register that emergency services could easily
access to understand what’s available
(capabilities and so on), where it’s available
and how quickly it could be deployed.
No doubt there are other issues, like insurance,
damage, providing suitably qualified personnel,
etc. However, having a register of equipment
that could be deployed quickly seems a
suggestion worthy of further discussion.
Perhaps we should open up the debate?
About the Military Vehicle Trust
(MVT) & the West Pennines Area
of the MVT
The MVT is the world’s leading military vehicle
club and a charitable organisation established
for the purpose of restoring and preserving
military vehicles and other media or ephemera
relating to their history and development.
The West Pennines Area of the MVT is committed
to the Trust’s charitable objects, the Code of
Conduct and to promoting and encouraging
events that provide stimulation, information and
are of educational value for members of the
public who have an interest in such vehicles.
We also try to ensure younger generations can
become aware of our heritage and the debt we
owe to all branches of the armed forces.
You do not need a vehicle to be a member of
the MVT; an interest is all that is required.
To find out more about the MVT, see:
https://www.mvt.org.uk
To find out more about the West Pennines
Area come along to one of our meetings.
We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month
from 8pm at Ramsbottom Cricket Club, Acre
Bottom, Ramsbottom, BL0 0BS.
Find full details at: http://westpenninesmvt.
wixsite.com/westpenninesmvt
Alan Rawsterne
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