Case studies

Firefighters in Wigan have become ‘health champions’ in their local community. Thanks to specialist training they are able to use their contact with residents to promote healthy messages, give advice and signpost people to help. In total, they work with 20 different agencies.

Fire crews in Norfolk and Suffolk are working in partnership with local NHS teams to help overweight teenagers become more active.

West Midlands has made working with the most vulnerable people a key priority. The service’s 1,322 fire officers have been given public health training to support the people they come into contact with.

In Bolton, fire crews have placed a special focus on trying to keep babies and toddlers safe. The Fire and Rescue Service distributes cots and Moses baskets to vulnerable families to try to reduce the risk of sudden infant death.

Firefighters in Merseyside are tackling social and health inequalities in the community by educating people about the benefits of fitness, healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle.

Following the death of an elderly resident, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service started working more closely with services that work with older and vulnerable people.

Falls are responsible for more than four in 10 deaths in the home. Fires by comparison cause less than one in 10. So firefighters in Bury and Salford are playing their part in trying to reduce accidents by identifying those who are at risk of falling as part of their day-to-day work.

The Littlecombe site at Dursley is a lead project for SDC and is Gloucestershire's largest single regeneration site.

Summary Sandwell Council and Sandwell Primary Care Trust (PCT) have created the Sandwell Healthy Urban Development Unit (SHUDU). This is a forum for officers and members to coordinate and integrate spatial planning and efforts to reduce health inequalities.

Councils have multiple roles in relation to the sale, consumption and impact of alcohol in their local areas.