Revealed: Number of weather-related calls made to West Midlands fire operators amid Storm Darragh
Fire control operators in the West Midlands received more than 700 weather-related calls amid Storm Darragh, it has been revealed.
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A total of 723 calls were made to Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control during a 27-hour period during the storm, which tore through the region last week.
Between 6am on Saturday (December 7) and 10am on Sunday, firefighters across 38 stations in the West Midlands attended 122 weather-related incidents.
They included crashes to emergencies involving fallen trees and debris, West Midlands Fire Service said.
Incidents that took place in the region amid the storm included in Erdington, Birmingham, on Sunday, where a man died after a tree fell and hit his car.
Another man was seriously injured in Bewdley on Saturday evening by a falling tree.
West Midlands Fire Service area commander, Martin Ward-White, described it as being an "exceptionally busy period".
He said: "...I’m incredibly proud of the professionalism and hard work demonstrated by our Fire Control Operators, firefighters, and specialist teams.
“I extend my thanks to the Technical Rescue Team, Incident Room staff, and on-duty officers who supported operations during the storm.
“A final thank you must go to fire control operators nationwide, who ably supported Staffordshire and West Midlands Control during busy periods. This allowed us to reach people who needed us most and we’re grateful for their support.”
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds on rain on Wednesday (December 4) as the storm took hold, which remained in effect until Sunday.
