Nottinghamshire’s fire chief set for mammoth charity fundraiser this weekend

Nottinghamshire’s chief fire officer John Buckley will be going back to his firefighter roots over the weekend when he takes on a mammoth fundraising challenge in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity.
Good luck to the firefighters taking part in the challenge!Good luck to the firefighters taking part in the challenge!
Good luck to the firefighters taking part in the challenge!

Over a period of 24 hours – split over two 12-hour days – John, along with deputy chief fire officer Wayne Bowcock and assistant chief Craig Parkin, will be travelling to 24 of Nottinghamshire’s fire stations where they will take part in 24 fire and rescue training drills and exercises.

Among the physical challenges they’ll complete are a breathing apparatus ‘rat run’ exercise in Newark, a confined space rescue in Stapleford and an ‘Everest’ ladder climb in Mansfield.

They’ll also be getting their hands on some of the specialist equipment used by firefighters in Nottinghamshire, including cutting equipment ladders and hoses.

Throughout the challenge the three principal officers will be joined by fire crews from across the county who will take part in some of the planned exercises as well as organising some of their own fundraising events at the stations.

John, who is the service champion for the charity, said: “I wanted to organise something that would include every station across Nottinghamshire and involve as many of our crews as possible. The Fire Fighters Charity is something very close to the hearts of every member of the fire service community and the work it does to help firefighters, support staff and their families back to health and fitness is amazing.

“Raising money to enable the charity to carry on its great work is part of the fire service way of life and something we all try to do as much as possible throughout the year. I am extremely grateful to those firefighters who work tirelessly to support the charity through car washes, sporting events, ladder climbs and collections – as well as those members of the public who continuously support us in our efforts and generously dig deep and donate.

“I’m expecting this weekend to be hard work but a lot of fun and I’d like to thank all our firefighters for entering into the spirit and pulling out all the stops to make it a weekend to remember!”

Anyone who would like to sponsor the challenge can do so HERE