Firefighter Games tap into green revolution

Jun 11 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

THE World Firefighter Games will champion tap water over bottled water to boost their green credentials.

Liverpool will host the mini-Olympics in August, and yesterday organisers from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority said they are backing the Daily Post’s Tap Into Water campaign.

We are asking readers to turn on the tap to go green. Britain’s infatuation with bottled water generates 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. That is the same amount of emissions produced in powering 6,000 homes.

And the millions of discarded plastic bottles clog up landfill sites for 1,000 years.

The region’s fire service want the Games to be the greenest ever.

As part of that commitment, they will offer competitors – exhausted after performing in the heat – water from the mains wherever possible.

Each competitor will be provided with a reusable plastic bottle and will be encouraged to fill it up at taps. Where taps are too far away, athletes will be offered water from 19-litre refillable containers.

Wirral councillor Steve Niblock, the fire authority’s environment champion, told the Daily Post: “We’re greening the Games because we’re looking at any way to make the fire service more environmentally friendly.

“Water’s clearly something we’re going to have to provide, but it’s an issue that we want to address because of the wastage and everybody knows about the damage wasted plastic can do.

“Where possible, we will try not to use bottled water, but if you’re half way up a mountain and you can’t get a bowser up there, there’s not so much we can do.”

Cllr Niblock said one of the events where competitors would be given bottled water is the Toughest Fire Fighter Alive challenge.

The closing event in the gruelling tournament is a sprint up the stairs of the Radio City tower, after which 5,000ml bottles will be distributed.

Other green initiatives at the games include asking local authorities to provide recycling facilities and offering staff and competitors the chance to sponsor a tree to offset their carbon footprint.

The Games, which will take place from August 24 to September 2, will have a programme of more than 70 events including football, table tennis, golf, fishing, dragon boat racing, chess, boxing and a cook-off.

benschofield@dailypost.co.uk