12:00pm Friday 19th March 2010
By Jim Durkin
FIREFIGHTERS have launched an innovative scheme in a bid to slash the numbers of heathland arson attacks.
Yesterday, the first mountain bike patrol took place on Poole’s sprawling Upton Heath, a site with an unenviable history of deliberate fires.
This patrol, the first of many targeting urban heaths across the Bournemouth conurbation, came just days after a blaze devastated National Trust land at Studland’s Godlingston Heath.
Footage below of fire at Godlingston Heath
Arson may have been ruled out in Studland, but it serves as a graphic reminder of the devastation fire can cause.
Experts believe the 50-acres of burnt heathland could take up to three decades to fully recover.
The mountain bike patrols, carried out by Dorset Fire and Rescue Service’s community safety task teams, have been timed to coincide with the looming school holidays.
Fire service arson and youth diversion manager Gaynor Mant said: “As the Easter holidays approach, young people are out of school and get bored, lighter evenings encourage more people outside and there is a trend that the number of deliberately set fires on the heathland increases.
“These new bikes will allow us to participate in the heathland patrols in the conurbation area in an effort to reduce deliberate fire setting on the heath.”
The fire service scheme is being supported by Dorset Police, the Urban Heath Partnership and Borough of Poole’s leisure services.
Aside from two bikes at Hamworthy fire station, another two will be based at Weymouth fire station.
Crew manager Mark Downing said: “We are really pleased to have these new pieces of equipment.
“The bikes will allow us to get out and reach areas we have not been able to before.
“Plus, they are an excellent way of keeping fit and reducing our carbon footprint.”
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