Fire Service prepares to keep thousands of fans safe at Silverstone Grand Prix

Firefighters and staff at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service have spent months preparing for the British Grand Prix – with the aim of keeping thousands of Formula One fans safe at the county’s biggest calendar event.

The four-day race weekend starts on Thursday July 3 and runs until Sunday July 6 – with more than 160,000 people expected to attend on the main race day.

Over the last few months, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has been preparing for the event, working with Silverstone Circuit and partner organisations from Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire to understand and manage any potential safety risks that may take place at the event.

A dedicated Silverstone command team has been set up by the Joint Operations Team, which is made up of officers from both Fire and Northamptonshire Police. The command team will be on-site at the circuit for four days, overseeing operational crews who are ready to respond if needed.

In the days leading up to the Grand Prix, the Service’s Protection Team have also been working to keep people safe. They have been liaising with the temporary hospitality venues, crowd management at the concert site, and local hotels and accommodation to ensure all fire safety regulations are being followed.

They have also been visiting the many campsites in and around the circuit, working with the operators and providing them fire safety literature, so that they can provide their campers with advice on how to stay safe from fire over the weekend.

Reece Aberdeen-Roberts (pictured below), an events planning and contingency officer at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The British Grand Prix is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people arriving in Northamptonshire.

“A huge amount of work takes place over many months, with partners across two counties, to ensure we have sufficient resources and plans in place to keep people safe.

“With everything that is in place, we are confident that those attending the British Grand Prix will be able to enjoy the weekend safely and responsibly.”