A Northamptonshire firefighter took centre stage at an international conference demonstrating how the UK Fire Service can improve its rescue of animals from water.

Mick Titcombe, a Command Training and Operational Assurance Team Manager at Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service, was a keynote speaker at the annual BARTA (British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association) conference in Glasgow last week.

In his speech, Mick discussed the findings of his upcoming research paper, which focuses on improving the UK’s preparedness for climate emergencies for incidents involving animals.

Responders, Vets, and emergency planners from 13 countries came together to form an international community of practice to tackle climate issues, from fires floods Earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Mick was successful in securing a Churchill Fellowship grant to fund a research trip to Australia and the United States of America in October 2023, where he was able to train with crews in both countries, study how they deal with animal rescues during climate emergencies and bring his learnings back to the UK.

Mick said: “Australia and the USA have different types of climate related disasters, but the devastation is very similar. In those countries they have responders and systems in place to try and mitigate this, and the main aim of my research was mainly focused on the widescale floodings they have, and learning how they respond and join together the different disciplines of animal and water rescue. It was great to be joined by Dave King, State Emergency service New South Wales Australia, and Eric Thompson Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR) United States to join me with my talk.”

Mick is hugely qualified in animal rescue, having been a long-serving firefighter at Wellingborough – where the Service’s Animal Rescue Unit is based, which is one of the busiest appliances in the county, with NFRS attending more than 80 animal rescues in the 2023/24 financial year.

He also has a strong passion for agriculture, with his grandparents owning a farm, and with a smallholding of his own with several species of animals. That passion led to his involvement in animal rescue with Northamptonshire Fire, where for many years he has taught new recruits all about animal and water rescue. He is now bringing his learnings from abroad into his training in Northamptonshire, but the Conference allowed him to share his findings to a wider audience.

Mick said: “It was a fantastic experience, and it has been great to share my learnings with the BARTA Conference, it is important that we share learning across the international community.

“Climate change is bringing new risks with it to our communities, and so as a Fire Service we need to adapt to those changes. Much of the emergency response models for flooding are focused on human rescue with minimal awareness, equipment, knowledge and experience of rescuing animals from water.

“I want to change this, and hopefully speaking at the conference has been a way of helping to influence the change we need in this country – whether it’s improving our pre-planning, our response, how we work with partners or enhancing the training we receive and the equipment we use.”

Chief Fire Officer Nikki Watson added: “We are very proud of Mick and the work he is doing to improve our response to animal rescue in climate emergencies, not just here in Northamptonshire, but in helping the lead the way nationally.

“We know Mick found his trip to Australia and the USA very informative, and he has already shared his learnings with the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC). Along with his speech at this conference, he is helping to shape national policy for the future, and his passion for improving this area of work is an inspiration to us all.”

This week the Fire Service is bidding a fond farewell to Steve Corcoran, fondly known as Korky, who will be retiring after more than 35 years of sterling service.

Steve (pictured centre above) is the third generation of firefighter in his family, with his grandfather Patrick Corcoran serving as a firefighter in London during the blitz, and his father Kevin Corcoran (Korky Senior) serving 27 years wholetime in Northamptonshire. His wife, Claire, is also a serving wholetime firefighter at The Mounts.

Korky joined Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service in 1988, aged just 18, when he became an on-call firefighter at Towcester – going on to serve 13 years. In 1994 he started as a Ministry of Defence firefighter before leaving to join NFRS wholetime in November 2001.

Having been on Blue Watch ever since, he originally started at Corby, and sandwiched between two stints at Wellingborough, Steve served for 18 years at The Mounts.

During his time at The Mounts, Korky started to take a real interest in the building, becoming the official historian for the station (a role he will continue after retirement) and spearheading the campaign for it to become Grade II listed, a goal that was achieved in 2013 and helps to protect its future.

Steve, aged 55, said: “My father served at The Mounts, and so I have been going to the station since I was five years old. It’s a remarkable historical building which I’m incredibly passionate about, and it’s been a great station to work at as it’s probably the busiest in the county. Next year will be its 90^th anniversary since opening, so I want the help make sure we celebrate that next summer.”

Long standing colleagues gathered at The Mounts earlier this week to pay tribute to his long years of service ahead of what will be his final shift, at Wellingborough where he currently serves, this evening (June 14). Korky has also now agreed to become the official historian for Wellingborough Fire Station in addition to The Mounts.

Wellingborough Station Commander Dave Wilson was on hand to present him with his leaving statuette at the ceremony, and in return Korky presented the station at Wellingborough with a display to feature about Hannah Sparke, who became a local hero during the Great Fire of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire in 1738 when she prevented the church from going up in flames.

Reflecting on his decision to retire, Steve said: “I feel young at heart still but have to accept I’m at an age where it’s all becoming a bit more difficult. This is now an exciting time to step into a new chapter and spend more time with my family and do some travelling.

“I have worked with some fantastic people on all the Watches I have served on. You spend so much time with these people, whether it’s around the mess table or on shouts, and I have formed fantastic friendships that I will hold dear for the rest of my life.”

Commenting on his years of service, Chief Fire Officer Nikki Watson said: “Steve has dedicated so many years of his life to keeping our communities safe and embodies everything good about the Fire & Rescue Service.

“Not just through his safety work, but through all the extra hours he has dedicated in his spare time to keeping our history alive and protecting our heritage.

“On behalf of everyone at the Service, I want to thank him for everything he has done and achieved in his career, and we wish him all the best for the future in his well-earned retirement.”

Want the latest Council news delivered straight to your inbox?

Want the latest Council news delivered straight to your inbox?

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding people to ensure their cigarettes are put right out – after attending three smoking related incidents that sparked outdoor fires yesterday (June 25).

Just after 8am yesterday, firefighters had to use wildfire backpacks to extinguish an outdoor bin that had been set alight in St Katherine’s Street, Northampton.

Shortly before 3pm, the Moulton crew had to put out a fire involving a number of tree cuttings in Wysall Road, Northampton – and at 5pm a 10-metre square patch of grass was ablaze at Westcott Way, Corby, which needed to be doused by the Corby crew.

On all three occasions, the fires were caused by careless discarding of cigarettes, and thankfully did not spread much further.

However, given the current heatwave, the potential for fires to spread and become largescale is higher than usual, and so Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service would urge everyone to make sure their cigarette is fully extinguished, and to make sure it is discarded properly and not carelessly.

For more outdoor safety advice, please visit our Outdoor Safety section on the website.