Lee Howell, Chief Fire Officer will be presenting a commendation certificate at North Tawton Rugby Club in recognition of North Tawton fire crews exceptional work and their actions taken above and beyond the call of duty on the night of 5 February 2009.

The crew managed under extremely difficult circumstances, and in blizzard conditions to transport a Mrs Andrea Dunn who was in labour with twins; from her home in North Tawton to Okehampton Community Hospital. 

The snow was too heavy for ambulances to reach Mrs Dunn and an RAF helicopter was unable to take off, so the North Tawton fire crew came to the rescue after fitting snow chains to their appliance. During the seven mile drive to the hospital, which took 40 minutes the eight-strong crew had to stop twice to clear fallen trees and debris from the road.

Four more firefighters and Mrs Dunn’s husband, Will, followed in a smaller, four-wheel fire truck, also assisted in unblocking the road. Within minutes of arrival at the hospital the twin baby girls were delivered, called Elizabeth and Stephanie.

Lee Howell will also make a presentation to the Control staff who supported the incident throughout and to a number of local retained employers who continue to support the work of the station. 

Lee Howell, Chief Fire Officer of Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service said "People quite rightly expect the emergency services to provide support in times of need and the fire and rescue service maintains a high level of both public satisfaction and confidence. 

“Whilst attending fires and road traffic accidents are part of our statutory duties, we do so much more to provide a safety net for when things go wrong, including rescue from flooding, rescue from height and a wide range of other specialist rescue responses. We don't, however often rescue heavily pregnant women from being trapped in the middle of a severe snow storm and take them to hospital as was the case earlier in the year.
 
“Fire fighters and control room staff don't do their job for praise or recognition and therefore when there are actions above and beyond that reasonably expected, I believe it is even more important to provide praise for a job well done. I am very proud of the service that I lead and of everyone who helps deliver an exceptional service to the public of Devon and Somerset and I am delighted to present commendation certificates to some of them this evening".

Watch Commander, Twiggy Lake said: “North Tawton are very happy to receive this commendation from the Chief Fire Officer for our work in the bad weather that hit Devon in February last year. We are delighted to be joined by Mr and Mrs Dunn on the evening to meet the crew for the first time since the event took place, their twin baby girls will not be attending as they will be having the night off!

“We will also be joined by some of the employers who on this occasion and throughout the years allow members of their staff to be retained firefighters and attend incidents. These employers provide a vital role to the fire service as well as helping in protecting their local communities.”

Media Invite

The media are invited to attend the presentation at North Tawton Rugby Club on the evening of Monday, December 7th at 1930hrs.

Please contact Press Officer Suzie Izzard on 01392 872296 or email sizzard@dsfire.gov.uk if you wish to attend.

Venue
North Tawton Rugby Club
The Old Forge
North Street
North Tawton
Devon
EX20 2DE