Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE when not leading the team is a Chartered Landscape Architect with the Impact Partnership at Rochdale (a joint business venture between Rochdale MBC and the Mouchel Group).

The Impact Partnership as with previous employers of Garry have always been supportive of Garrys involvement within the team including allowances being made for his attending emergency callouts.

As a manager with the Impact Partnership Garry often sees links between his voluntary work and his full-time employment.

Recently Garry attended an Impact Partnership Management Away Day courtesy of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, (at the MFRS Training and Development Academy, Croxteth), as a thankyou for the support given to the World Firefighter Games by the Mouchel Group (the team also supported the World Firefighter Games at the Rivington based events).

Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes (holding the hose) about to enter the Smoke Room

It was on this training day that Garrys wish to remove a car roof with cutting tools finally came true, as well as practising entering ’the smoke room’ along with its attendant controlled fire-jets.

Garry and three of his manager colleagues removing the car roof (Garry is first on the right)

So it was a big smile on Garrys face and also an acknowledgement to team member Chris Greenhalgh (a firefighter with GMFRS) how difficult it is to operate whilst wearing full BA kit (yes Garry got to do that as well!)

Whatever next, maybe the Impact Partnership will send Garry on a Mountain Rescue Training day to remind him what it is like to carry a stretcher!

The Impact Partnership Projects Management Team. Garry is second from the left