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Norfolk’s longest fire hose is ready for heavy flooding this winter




Norfolk’s frontline force against flooding is gearing up for a busy winter - and it has some impressive tools at its disposal.

Measuring a whopping 3km long, the county’s longest hose was showcased this week at a gathering of leading figures in the county’s flood response team at Carrow Fire Station in Norwich.

The impressive implement can pump 8,000 litres of water per minute and can be deployed across the region by being transported by lorry.

Henry Cator, chairman of the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance, speaks to attendees at Carrow Fire Station
Henry Cator, chairman of the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance, speaks to attendees at Carrow Fire Station

It is just one of the many pieces of first-class equipment in the Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew’s arsenal.

This also includes drones, underwater cameras and inflatable mud rafts – to help pull people or livestock out of sticky situations.

A rigid inflatable boat (rib) with a 40 horsepower engine is also on standby to help teams reach stranded people as quickly as possible.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues

Norfolk’s team of flood defenders has spent many months training to be prepared for what may come this winter.

This includes practising their skills at the Lee Valley white water centre in Hertfordshire, where canoe and kayak athletes competed at the London 2012 Olympics, to prepare to save people from fast-flowing water.

Last year there were more than 730 reports of flooding in Norfolk as the UK experienced one of the wettest winters in history.

But members of the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance (NSFA), a multiagency group set up in 2021 to better prepare for floods in the county, fear this winter could be even worse.

Members of the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance gather at Carrow Fire Station
Members of the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance gather at Carrow Fire Station

Flooding is one of the biggest threats to Norfolk because it sits in a low-lying area with vast wetlands.

Henry Cator, chairman of the NSFA, said: “Groundwater levels are even higher this year. There will be flooding if we have a wet winter. We will do what we can to help keep people safe from flooding.”

With new technology and careful preparation, the agencies are confident they are ready for what the winter may bring.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Gus Bates and Alex Cook, of the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
Gus Bates and Alex Cook, of the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues
Norfolk Fire and Rescue crew members showcase their equipment used in flooding rescues

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