On behalf of Council, Chairman Cllr Tom de Winton attended an awards ceremony at Barnham Broom on 24/11/23.
He made the following remarks:
Fire Fighters, Ladies and Gentlemen
Brancaster Parish Council is very pleased to be able to sponsor The Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service Fighters awards evening that recognises and celebrates your achievements as both individuals and as a service in your excellence, dedication and professionalism.
On 17th July 2022 we at Brancaster Staithe on the Norfolk Coast witnessed your excellence, dedication and professionalism at first hand when, thanks to the conditions of very hot and dry weather Brancaster Staithe suffered a catastrophic fire. The fire started at approximately 5pm in a garden and raged out of control fanned by a very hot strong wind.
Fortunately, at about 8.30pm the wind dropped and the Fire Fighters started to bring the fire under control despite being hampered by lack of water as the hydrant system could not keep up with demand.
In that short space of time Brancaster Staithe lost five houses and 22 homes were licked by the fire and had garden buildings destroyed. The fire jumped the A149 and also burned parts of the marsh. It was a close run thing and we could have lost the entire village.
The lesson learned and based on the likelihood of a recurrence of such serious fire events due to Climate Change and the way our communities have been built is that Fire Fighters can never have enough water available. I understand there are plans and actions to remedy this situation across Norfolk.
So the reason Brancaster Parish Council is sponsoring your event tonight is to say a Big Thank You to Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service for saving our village of Brancaster Staithe and we wish you well.
Have a great evening.
