Simmer dim biker safety event launched
A pilot scheme aimed at motorcyclists has been launched by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
The scheme, soon to be launched and trialled in Shetland, is asking bikers to donate their old helmets, gifting them to fire stations for use in essential casualty care training.
The scheme will see 28 helmets, between five and eight years old, gifted to Shetlands stations where they will be used for helmet removal training.
Manufacturers recommend replacing helmets after certain period of time to maintain effective protection.
It is hoped that the new scheme not only provides stations with a valuable training aid, but incentivises riders to renew one of the most important items of safety equipment they wear, making them safer in the process.
The scheme will be launched alongside a partnership event at Brae Community Fire Station on Saturday, 22 June.
The event will coincide with the Simmer Dim Rally in Shetland which will see hundreds of bikers descend upon the island.
Ewan Anderson, an on call support watch commander in Shetland, is leading the trial and is hoping for success to enable the scheme to be expanded across 2024 into 2025.
“As firefighters, we want our training to be as realistically as we possibly can,” he said.
“The donation of more modern helmet styles helps us prepare for every possible scenario we may encounter at incidents.”
