Supermarket works with fire crews to ensure lorry safety

In what is thought to be a national first, Asda's distribution team has been visiting fire stations in Luton and Bedfordshire to show how their lorries work. The team has been showing crews from Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS) how to quickly find and release tractor cabs from trailers.

Their safety demonstration also included showing crews where fuel tanks were located and how to lift up the suspension to help release vehicles trapped underneath.

It is hoped that the valuable information will help fire crews deal more quickly and effectively with crashes involving lorries.

The partnership was started when BLFRS driving instructor Steve Spring contacted the company's Bedford distribution centre to use their giant yard for driver training. He and Asda transport manager Jim Wright developed the idea from there.

It is thought to be particularly useful for BLFRS because of the number of lorry-related incidents in the area - passed through by both the M1 and A1.

Vital minutes

Steve Spring said: "It is great for our crews to actually have the time to look at these vehicles closely and talk to experts about how best to make them safe in the event of an accident.

"Minutes can count in the case of an accident where someone is trapped in a car which has been involved in collision with a lorry for instance."

He said the quicker crews could release a victim, the greater their chances of survival: "Rather than always having to use cutting equipment to remove electrics or separate a unit and trailer, it is more effective and efficient if crews know the tricks of the transport trade in pulling the two apart.

"The lessons we are learning by working with a professional organisation like Asda and its transport experts can be applied to all accidents involving large goods vehicles. You cannot put a price on this sort of partnership."

Asda distribution manager Jim Wright said: "We've both learned a lot. It is given us a chance to see the problems from the point of a view of a fire and rescue crew who are confronted with a large goods vehicle which has been involved in a road traffic accident."