Recent Bad Weather – Certificate of Appreciation
February 27, 2011
Fife group are to be presented with a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ in recognition of the assistance we provided during the recent bad weather.
Council certificate of appreciation to fife raynet
Alex Salmond letter of appreciation to fife raynet
The presentation is to be held at the Town House Kirkcaldy on Wednesday 6th April at approx 7- 7.30 pm. Places will be limited so drivers and co drivers please let me know your availability as soon as you can.
Winter Call-Out
March 28, 2009
During the winter the Fife RAYNET group was called out by their Emergencies Planning Officer and helped, together with the local 4×4 club, to transport essential hospital medical staff to work through the deep snow which hit the area.
The heaviest snow falls for 25 years fell overnight on Feb 26th in Fife. Morning found several hundred cars with their occupants trapped on the main A92 road. Some of the occupants were trapped for over twelve hours in freezing conditions. Electricity supplies were lost to 5500 homes. Moving about the area became impossible. Abandoned cars blocked snowploughs and drifting snow closed all but a few roads.
Frank Wallace, Fife Council Senior Emergency Planning Officer, phoned Fife RAYNET Group Controller Jim Burke (GM4TNP) at 0530 to assist with sourcing 4 wheel drive vehicles. Jim’s Brother David (GM6SZJ) drives a Jeep and is a member of the local Jeep club. Several phone calls later and four 4 X 4 vehicles were available for use.
Two of the vehicles served the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy and the other two the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, ferrying essential hospital staff to and from the hospitals. Some of the staff had been unable to get home the previous evening and had remained on duty, grabbing a little sleep in hospital beds during the night.
The vehicle movements were monitored using RAYNET communications and mobile phones from the Emergency Planning Unit at Fife House Glenrothes.
Transportation of staff carried on till late afternoon when a well earned break was the order of the day. Assistance resumed again late evening when hospital staff coming off shift required transport home. Some main roads had been reopened at this time and bus services were used by some of the staff. The last of the transported staff were dropped off at 2200.
The last RAYNET member arrived home at 2315. A long hard day but one with many rewards. One of the hospital nurses helped to deliver two babies. How nice!