Nottinghamshire volunteers get hands on with flood training

More than 50 volunteers have attended training events run by Nottinghamshire County Council’s flood risk management team to boost flood resilience in their communities.
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The events form part of the county council’s community-led flood signage scheme whereby volunteers take action in their communities when flooding occurs.

Across two events at County Hall in West Bridgford and Sutton-on-Trent Sports Club, new and experienced volunteers had the chance to get hands on experience of setting up flood signage as well as receiving training in road closures and water safety.

During times of flooding, Nottinghamshire’s 150 flood wardens put their training into practice by closing roads which have been flooded or are likely to become flooded and alert their communities to risks.

The events were part of the county council’s community-led flood signage schemeThe events were part of the county council’s community-led flood signage scheme
The events were part of the county council’s community-led flood signage scheme

Coun Neil Clarke (Con), cabinet member for transport and environment, attended both sessions and said: “Our flood volunteers are an integral part of how we as a council help to protect communities.

“We can’t be in every community at once when flooding occurs, and so by having trained and dedicated flood wardens, we are able to support communities from a far.

“Flood wardens have many responsibilities and are often called into action during unsociable hours to close roads and protect the most vulnerable members in their communities.

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“These training events are crucial to making sure that flood wardens have all the skills and knowledge they need to help their communities be more flood resilient and to keep everyone safe.

"It is pleasing to see so many new faces starting their training to set a signage scheme up in their local area.

“Since its establishment in 2010, the flood signage scheme has gone from strength to strength and each scheme has a significant impact by stopping vehicles driving through flood water and promoting safety along roads susceptible to flooding, preventing potentially devastating accidents.

“Around 85,000 homes across Nottinghamshire are at risk of flooding, and we all know that unfortunately flooding can have devastating consequences and so I would encourage any community concerned about the risks of flooding to consider joining the flood signage scheme.

“Training days like these two held recently are an example of the ongoing support we provide to volunteers, and any community interested can contact us about setting up a scheme.”

More information about the flood signage scheme can be found here.