St John Ambulance Provides Support at Major Blaze

It was 'all hands on deck' on 14 July when St John Ambulance was asked to provide medical support at a rest centre for residents affected by a major blaze in Staplehurst, near Maidstone.
 
Five members and two vehicles were deployed to assist and it is understood 80 fire-fighters were involved at the scene of the fire, a three-storey building in Staplehurst’s High Street.

Taking responsibility for emergency planning at the rest centre and the fire site, Paul Woodman of St John Ambulance said: 'The facility enabled between 30 to 40 people to be in a safe and comfortable environment while the fire was tackled. We added our support at the rest centre late in the morning as it became clear that this was a major incident with a large number of people involved and in the main the conditions we treated related to shock and anxiety.'

Up to 10 appliances were deployed at the scene and currently the cause of the blaze is not yet known.