All firefighters in the county are trained in water awareness as part of their standard training and are trained to carry out bank side rescues, kitted out with lifejackets, throwlines, hose inflation equipment and a loud-hailer.  Using this equipment, crews can carry out a rescue from water using a number of bank side rescue techniques.  However, a team at Tenbury Wells are trained to a higher level as Water Rescue First Responders.

The Water First Responder (WFR) rescue team has been established consisting of seven members of the crew at Tenbury Wells.  The team are kitted out with personal issue drysuits and personal floatation devices, as well as specialist equipment including an evacuation sled and equipment to allow the safe entry into water to carry out rescues.

The WFR team work with the Water Rescue Teams based at Hereford, Worcester and Evesham.  The team has been established primarily for flood related incidents for example cars in floodwater or flooding evacuations, however, there are a number of other water related incidents where the skills of the water first responders can be put to use.

Tenbury Fire Station is designated as a "guideline laying station."  Tenbury crews undergo regular training to lay guidelines for other stations to follow.  Training is carried out with zero visibility to ensure that crews can work in the often hostile environments which they can encounter.

A guideline comprises of a line with direction markings in and out of the incident.  Guideline laying teams lay a guideline into the incident, tied off on various points inside a building, for example, pipework, door hinges etc.  This allows search teams from other stations to follow the line, search off it and then find their way out of the incident.  

Guidelines can be used at complex and large incidents where an entry into a building is required.