This month I visited Willesden Fire Station to meet with the crew there and the new Commander for Brent.
It was fantastic to meet the crew and to see first hand all of the changes that have been introduced to the service post-Grenfell and also after the recent report into its culture. This includes new mobile command units to coordinate response to a fire on the ground, as well as new individual and inclusive sleeping and rest facilities.
I heard concerns from firefighters at the station that their engine was often blocked in and delayed in its response to fires by traffic backing up on Pound Lane. I saw this for myself at the time of my visit with a temporary red light directly outside the fire station!
After the meeting I worked with Brent Council on the issue and am pleased to report that a yellow box will be installed outside the station to prevent traffic blocking the road. I hope this will resolve the issue and aid with the response time of the Willesden crew to fire incidents.
I was also pleased to hear about plans to install defibrillators and stab kits at all Brent fire stations. They are looking for the final 25% in funding for this project and I am pleased to support their campaign and if you know of any businesses that would like to support, please do get in touch.