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- Dorset firefighters win 2012 funding boost
Dorset firefighters win 2012 funding boost
| Published | 12 May 2008 |
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Dorset Fire and Rescue Services are set to receive £300,000 as they gear up for the London 2012 Olympics, Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda announced today.
The cash injection comes as Dorset prepares to host the games' sailing events at Weymouth Bay.
But the excitement of staging a high profile event against the backdrop of Dorset's World Heritage Jurassic Coast runs alongside the need to ensure the safety and security of competitors, officials and spectators.
More than 2000 athletes and members of the Olympic family will be accommodated in cruise ships moored off Portland Port and there will be wide-ranging spectator viewing positions in both urban and isolated rural locations.
For this reason Communities and Local Government have allocated considerable funding to Dorset FRS for the next three years to help them with their preparations for keeping athletes and spectators safe.
Fire Minister Parmjit Dhanda said:
"The sailing is likely be the most high profile and exciting spectacle hosted outside of London during the 2012 games.
"In all 61 teams and 400 athletes will compete for 54 medals over 15 days of competition and several British athletes will be hoping to get on the rostrum.
"The huge spectator interest should be a massive boost the local economy but inevitably there will also be heightened security concerns.
"This is why it is important that DFRS start planning for the challenge now."
The government funding will provide DFRS with the resources to dedicate a range of staff to planning and preparing for the Olympic challenge.
Notes to editors
1. Dorset Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) is committed to working in partnership to ensure a safe, secure and resilient London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will work in close liaison with UK Fire and Rescue Service Olympic Group (UKFRSOG), Dorset Local Resilience Forum (DLRF) and Dorset Strategic Partnership (DSP).
2. All Olympic sailing events will be held in Weymouth Bay, Dorset. There will be 61 teams, 15 days of competition, 400 competitors and 54 medals.
3. The events will be run from the sailing academy in Portland and the competitors and members of the Olympic family will be accommodated in cruise ships moored off Portland Port.
4. Great Britain won five sailing medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics, two gold, one silver and two bronze.
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