Lancashire Fire & Rescue hand out over 20,000 vaccinations across the county
They say they were the first fire service in the country to start helping with the rollout
Last updated 5th Apr 2021
We're hearing about the incredible efforts Lancashire's Fire Service has been making in saving lives across the county over lockdown.
Stats show they've handed out over 20,000 vaccinations to residents and say they were the first fire service in the country to start helping with the rollout.
Nationally, firefighters have handed out over 100,000 vaccinations across the country⤵
Rachael Usher is a firefighter based in Preston and has been jabbing dozens of residents since January, she said: "A lot of these people haven't been out for a year, it's one of the very first times they've been out of their house, they've not even been to the supermarket.
"It can be quite overwhelming for them, so having a minute to sit down and talk to them, letting them know everything's okay and that we are on our way back to normality is a great thing to be doing."
We spoke to Lancashire's Chief Fire Officer Justin Johnston when he came to the opening of Blackpool's vaccination hub at the Winter Gardens in January⤵
Rachael said being a part of the rollout has been incredible: "It's been a completely different experience, completely different to anything I've ever experienced before.
"The speed of it, everything's so professional, everything's been put together so well, it's just happened overnight and we're all like one big family at the centres now.
"We're all just so proud of everyone and each other, we were the first fire service to jump on this and get stuck in, so we just wanted to help as many people. Being up in Lancashire, we've been in the toughest lockdowns and the toughest restrictions so we were just raring to go."