Nailsea Fire Station Avon Fire & Rescue Duke of Gloucester Lady Gass

FIRE crews in Nailsea welcomed a special royal visitor when the Duke of Gloucester visited the town's fire station.

The Duke was joined by the Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset, Lady Gass, for the visit to the station which is also home to Avon Fire and Rescue Service's urban search and rescue (USAR) team.

The Duke of Gloucester meets chief fire officer Kevin Pearson at the new Avon Fire and Rescue Station in Nailsea
The Duke of Gloucester was welcomed to the fire station by pupils from Ravenswood School and Kingshill C of E Primary School

During his visit, HRH and Lady Gass met Avon Fire Authority chairman, councillor Terry Walker and chief fire officer/chief executive Kevin Pearson, along with members of Avon Fire Authority and Avon Fire and Rescue Service staff.

The USAR fire station opened in October 2008 after a two year project to redevelop the building.

USAR forms part of the Government's National Resilience programme, which provides fire and rescue services with the resources to respond to major emergencies involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, search and rescue, large scale flooding and major transport incidents.

The special visitors, who were welcomed to the station by students from Ravenswood and Kingshill Primary schools, enjoyed a demonstration by firefighters on how different types of equipment, including pumps, technical search cameras and listening devices, are used.