Birmingham City Council’s Resilience Team held the sessions in partnership with St John Ambulance. 

One visitor to the sessions said, “Very good having a drop in session.  It should be done more often! If people know what to do in an emergency it will save lives.  Well done to the staff!”

A second round of the special hour-long sessions are being held outside the city’s Indoor Market on Saturday (September 4) and members of the public are invited to drop in and learn some basic skills that could make the difference between life and death.

A training team from St John Ambulance will be going through the five ways to make a difference, including the recovery position, basic resuscitation and dealing with severe bleeding*.

The drop in sessions will be taking place between 11am and 2.30pm and offered on a first-come first-served basis. Each session can accommodate up to 60 people.

Birmingham Resilience Team along with St John Ambulance and officers from West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service will be on hand to discuss other ways to deal with unexpected emergencies.

Visit the Birmingham Resilience Team marquee as follows:

• Saturday 4 September, Edgbaston Street (outside the indoor markets)
• Sessions start at 11.am, 12.15pm and 1.30pm. No need to book, just turn up.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The special hour-long free sessions are being held in two city centre locations in September and members of the public are invited to drop in and learn some basic skills that could make the difference between a life saved and a life lost.

A training team from St John Ambulance will be going through five ways to make a difference, including the recovery position, basic resuscuitation and dealing with severe bleeding.   The drop in sessions will be taking place throughout the day and offered on a first come first served basis. 

Birmingham Resilience Team along with officers from emergency services will be on hand to discuss other ways to deal with unexpected emergencies.

More information will be coming soon, but in the meantime please download our posters and share with family, friends and colleagues.

• Download our poster

West Midlands Fire Service have confirmed that the 24-hour cooling off period for the acetylene cylinder involved in the fire will end at 18:00 this evening. Once the cylinder has been removed from the scene the cordon will be lifted and residents will be allowed back into their properties.

No further updates will be given unless there is a change to the plan outlined above. The Council Emergency Information Line will continue to be available on 0121 303 1101 this evening.

Wednesday 25th August – 11:45

A very small number of houses outlined below will remain evacuated for safety reasons.  A police presence will remain within the vicinity today to ensure the continued safety of everyone and their properties.

Any residents who have concerns should contact our information line on 0121 303 1101.  The West Midlands Police neighbourhood policing team can be contacted on 0345 113 5000.

20:00

A joint press release has been issued on behalf of Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service.

The risk to residents due to gas cylinders which were unsafe following a fire has been reassessed by specially trained staff. The vast majority of people living in the area can now return to their normal daily lives, however a small number of houses will need to remain evacuated for safety reasons.

Those houses that will remain evacuated are:

• Floyer Road 35-59 (odds only)
• Kenelm Road 124-158 (evens) and 147-179 (odds)

Floyer Road and Kenelm Road will remain closed to vehicles between the junctions with Charles Road and Mansall Road.

Birmingham City Council and the Emergency Services understand the disruption that this incident has caused in the area, particularly during the festival of Ramadan, and are extremely grateful for everyone’s cooperation and assistance throughout this matter. A Police and Emergency Services presence will remain within the vicinity for the next 24 hours to ensure the continuing safety of everyone and their properties concerned.

19:07

The cordon is now safe to reduce to approximately 50 metres.   Closures will shortly be lifted and residents will be allowed to return to their homes apart from a very small number of houses where they are still considered a safety risk.

17:55

The city council have activated an emergency information line for anyone affected by the incident to obtain advice and information.  The number is 0121 303 1101.

16:55

An emergency rest centre has been established at Saltley Leisure Centre, Broadway Avenue for anyone who is affected by the incident and can’t gain access to their properties.

15:48

There are road closures in and around Charles Road, Mansel Road, Somerville Road, Floyer Road, Dora Road, Bankes Road, Marlbrough Road and Hugh Road.   There will be no passage to traffic/pedestrians for the foreseeable future.  This is in the Small Health area of Birmingham.

15:24

There is currently a fire in Kenelm Road, Small Heath. 

The fire service have advised evacuation in the immediate area.  Kenelm Road and the immediate area are now subject to a Police cordon.  We are currently awaiting further information and a Council officer is on their way to the scene to speak with the emergency services and provide further updates to residents and businesses.

The floodwaters have washed away millions of hectares of crops. Tens of thousands of villages are still submerged and roads and bridges have been destroyed. Disease is spreading rapidly amongst the flood victims and the first case of cholera has been confirmed. There have been warnings that dams in the south may fail and more rain is expected.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has visited flood-hit Pakistan and says the destruction is ‘beyond imagination’. He is calling for an ‘unprecedented’ response, urging foreign donors to speed up aid to Pakistan. Six million people desperately need emergency aid and most have still not received what they require.

Birmingham’s Pakistani origin communities are particularly worried with many people having family connections in Pakistan and many have been personally affected whilst visiting Pakistan over the holiday period.

The world community, UK Government, charities, non governmental organisations and individuals are all supporting the people of Pakistan in this desperate time. But more can and needs to be done so that the death toll does not rise further, through providing urgently needed water, food, medical aid and shelter.

We can all help in our own way, by making a donation, organising a work place collection, donating an hours pay, having a samosa sale, or by contributing part of your organisations’ sales, like National Express for example who are donating 20p from every bus fare taken on the Number 8 bus route.

See a release by the Prime Minister’s Office issued on Wednesday 25th August 2010

What can you do? 

If you would like to donate there are many charities working on the ground that would welcome your donations:

• The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)
• Islamic Relief
• or a charity of your choice

Please help if you can.

• www.dec.org/pakistan-floods 0370 60 60 900
• www.islamic-relief.org.uk/pakistan_floods   0800  520  0000

Ghamkol Sharif Mosque – Golden Hillock Road Small Heath

West Midlands Fire Service have organised a community engagement event at Ghamkol Sharif Mosque in Birmingham. A number of service providers and community organisations will be providing information on their services and how to access these.

The Birmingham Resilience Team will also be on hand providing advice and guidance on being prepared for emergencies as well as being able to sign up for Birmingham Community Alert.