On Friday, I was briefed by the team at Walton Fire Station, under Area Chief Eddie Roberts and Operations Group Manager Bob Weldon-Gamble. The team demonstrated and explained a range of scenarios that they are trained to deal with, including: water rescue (the depot has bespoke expertise and equipment for this type of rescue); a range of fire hazards; and extraction from cars.

As ever, I was thoroughly impressed with both the dedication and technical knowledge of our fire and rescue crews, as well as their ability to adjust their plans and operations to changing local demand. Obviously, there is an enormous emphasis on judgement when dealing with any particular emergency, but there is a very high level or training that goes into every foreseeable scenario. There is certainly a lot more to the profession than meets the eye, and I thoroughly appreciated them taking the time and trouble to talk me through some of the key aspects of the job.