Alerter - the firefighters blog

Workshop fire in Blundeston...

All I can assume is that the good folk of Lowestoft have made a collective New Years resolution to be safe in everything they do. Why? Well with only six shouts in by the 18th that's well below average.

And you just know that when that little black thing shakes itself to bits and wakes the dead, you'll nearly croak with surprise.

That's what happened late on Monday afternoon. I was just locking the door to my office, trying to balance all sorts of things when my alerter did it usual pace-maker stopping trick. Luckily, and because I'm writing this, the surprise didn't actually make me croak! 

Run to the car, pull out into the early rush-hour traffic and what seems an all too leisurely drive to the fire station behind someone doing barely 20mph. You know they haven't made it out of 2nd gear...

I'm second in and pick up the drivers tally and learn we're off to Blundeston, a village just to the north of Lowestoft, famous for its connections to Charles Dickens and its prison!

As we pull off the main road and head towards Blundeston we can see a pall of smoke rising lazily above the village - so it's a job...

I pull up behind White Watch on Lowestoft South 01 and run a length of 70 to them so that they can top up from our 1800 litres (400 gallons). Mel and Shambles don BA and approach the workshop from the opposite side to the BA crew from White.

It seems that the fire was in a workshop attached to the rear of a bungalow. The blaze totally destroyed the workshop and its contents but was stopped before it could take hold of the bungalow.

We lit the pumps up like Christmas trees because there's is little if any street lighting, trying to throw as much light as possible on the incident. Portable lighting was set up at the rear of the bungalow to enable everyone to see what was happening. Early on we were warned that they may be asbestos present so dust masks were worn and the fire kit of the BA wearers was backed ready to go off for specialist cleaning and/or to be destroyed.

And with the fire extinguished and all the gear stowed we headed back into Lowestoft stopping off to get fuel at Tesco's. While filling up our gallant crew tried helping a damsel in distress who couldn't start her car but were singularly unsuccessful.

Back to Normanshurst, top up the water, wash the pump and finally back home two hours after I'd planned to be there...

Happy New Year to all my readers...

A Happy New Year to all my blog readers, old and new!

Last year ended quietly for us with our shouts rounded off by a van fire down a country lane.

2010 promises to be a busy year for me in my day job. There's going to be lots of changes and loads of opportunities too. But I'll still be writing my firefighters blog, making a special effort to mind my P's and Q's and not say anything that gets me in to hot water.

So keep coming back and reading about what the retained firefighters of Suffolk have been up to. You can also keep up to date with all our shouts by visiting www.alerter.co.uk and visiting our shouts page.

And don't forget you can follow me on Twitter too. I tweet about shouts and new blog entries too. Just go to www.twitter.com/alerterblog.

Finally... Feel free to comment on any of my posts or just get in contact to say hello - it's always great to hear from you.

Keep safe and well in 2010...

Fire in flat is no Red Herring...

I'm sure I could get a job as a headline writer for The Sun or some other top quality newspaper. The cunning thinking behind today's headline will be revealed shortly...

Friday night was my first night in of the week and I had to try really hard not to spend most of it asleep on the sofa. I had just slipped into my Winnie the Pooh jim-jams and found my favourite teddy when my little friend (my alerter not the teddy) shattered the peace and had me scurrying for the door.

I slipped and slid my way over to the fire station as there seemed to be quite a bit of ice scattered about.

I took the drivers position and saw that we were headed into Oulton Broad and a flat fire in Bridge Road.

As we pulled up in Bridge Road I could see plenty of smoke issuing from the roof of the two storey building and White Watch busying themselves with BA, hosereel and ladders. Two of our crew headed to BA Entry Control with their sets, initially as an emergency team but then to carrying out firefighting and searching within the premises.
I ran out a length of 70 from our pump to Ladder 1, ready to supplement their water supply. However, they'd located a hydrant withing one length of the pump and were already setting into this.

We were now attracting an audience of Friday night revellers, some of whom must have had enough alcohol that it was acting like anti-freeze for them. It was bitterly cold and snow flurries just added to the bleak mid-winter feel!

Being driver of the second pump inevitably sees you become the control point and therefore responsible for putting all messages back to Control. The informative message started to roll in and I relayed these to Control. I also had a couple of Assistance Messages, one of which was to Make Pumps 6. Just to explain - an Assistance Message is precisely that. It takes priority on the main scheme radio and it is the method by which the Officer in Charge can summon extra resources whether that's pumps, aerial appliances, specials - whatever's needed.

As soon as we get four pumps at a job we also get the attendance of the Command Support Vehicle from Beccles (BS0G). Once they'd set themselves up and were ready to go I passed over to them all the messages and times that I had sent to Control. My job as control point was now finished. What's next?

Dennis asked me if I'd go into the wine bar that's right opposite the affected property and see if I could rustle up some hot drinks for the crews. And here's where the headline comes from (told you I'd get there) - the wine bar is the Red Herring. Well I thought the headline was good but perhaps that's because I'm suffering from sleep deprevation!

So picture firefighter (me) heading into a wine bar that's got quite a few customers in and the sort of reaction you might get from the ladies. I'm easily embarrassed but things got worse when one of the young ladies thought I was a strip-o-gram! Luckily they didn't take matters into their own hands because it was so bloody cold I don't think I would have done myself justice...
Anyway, I made it to the bar and was able to ask for refreshments which they were more than willing to help out with. I'm not sure how many teas, coffees plus the odd hot chocolate that they made but it was most welcome. So a big, big thank you to all at the Red Herring for their friendliness and hospitality.

So I've now been the control point and the tea boy - what's next?

Just as I was trying to blend into the background and find somewhere warm to thaw out I was told to get a BA set and check for hot-spots in the roof space. So me and Shambles got ourselves kitted out in BA and headed into the dripping, ramshackle interior of the flat. Everything was cooling down nicely with nothing visible to us that looked like it would cause any further trouble.

About half an hour later the Stop message went in and we were anxious to head back to Normanshurst and start to warm up. Eventually we got the nod and all piled into the pump with heating on full blast for the short drive back to Normanshurst.

So with a lack of sleep and a Chinese takeaway it looks like I'll be having a hot date with the sofa tonight...

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Firefighters to sing for charity...

Once again Lowestoft firefighters will be singing carols to raise funds for a local charity.

On Monday 21st December around 20 firefighters will be singing all your favourite Christmas carols and songs outside The Britten Centre in Lowestoft from 10am till midday.

And this year we are raising funds for a particularly worthwhile local cause - The Oscar Reynolds Fund.

Oscar was 2½ years old when diagnosed with a tumour in his stomach and went through intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Sadly he lost his battle just before his 5th birthday. The fund was set up to help other families in similar situations who struggle to cope with financial difficulties when caring for a sick child. The fund is operated closely in conjunction with the medical advisers of the James Paget Hospital and Addenbrooks Hospital and assists those attending hospital with costs as described above.

So head into Lowestoft next Monday and take your mind off the Christmas shopping by being serenaded by the voices of angels - whoops, sorry... I meant to say take your mind off the Christmas shopping by being sung at by a bunch of enthusiastic if somewhat tuneless firefighters!

Any money you can give to help The Oscar Reynolds fund will be most gratefully received.

We look forward to seeing you there...

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BA Risk Critical training day

Every so often we have Risk Critical training. And last week we had a training day devoted to BA emergency procedures.

The Training Department had put together the day around areas that retained firefighters in Suffolk had expressed an interest in covering.

The first part of the morning was devoted to practising the exchange of air from one BA wearer to another, setting up the emergency valise and extracation from a confined space.

A situation could arise when one member of a BA team experiences loss of air, for whatever reason. The other team member needs to be able to assist their colleague and get them back on air from their own cylinder. The donor takes control, telling his oppo to take a breath and tap him on the arm when ready. On this signal the donor disconnects the face mask of the recipient from his t-piece and connects into the spare connector of his own t-piece. Now both BA wearers are breathing from the one set. It's now time to beat a hasty retreat out of the danger area.

A similar set up is used with the emergency valise. On all BA jobs we prepare the valise and have it standing by with the emergency BA team. The valise is basically a yellow bag that is used to carry a complete BA set, the air is on and the face mask disconnected. The extended BA hose and the cylinder gauge are left protruding slightly from the valise, within easy reach of the emergency BA team.

And to round things off before tea break we watched two demonstrations of self-extracation by two of our slightly larger colleagues. The theory goes that if these two can get through the hole that measures exactly the same as an A3 piece of paper, then we all can! So, we had the pleasure of watching Cheesey and Mark struggle through a hole that's about 12 inches by 16 inches, in full fire kit including helmet.

You get to choose whether you go through the hole feet first or head first. If you choose feet first then you have to remove your BA set and leave it next to the hole as you disappear through to the other side. You then reach through, retrieve your BA set and put it back on. And if you opt for head first you put the BA set through first and then follow it through before getting yourself together again.

The rule of thumb as to whether you will get through a hole is that if your helmet goes through, you will. In Mark's case I think he needs to get refitted with a sombrero sized helmet! With much wriggling and plenty of caustic comments he managed to heave himself through to the other side.

After tea break we got kitted up and made our way over to the smoke house. In teams of two we found our way through the smoke and darkness to the requisite A3 hole. We took gauge readings before we started to negotiate the hole and after we got through - radioing this through to BAECO.

I was with John Hubbard who went through head first followed by me going feet first. I think I would have lost marks for technical merit but more than made up for it with artistic merit! We then continued in the direction of an activated ADSU (Automatic Distress Signal Unit). This piercing alarm indicates that a firefighter is in trouble, for any number of reasons. Our 'man down' was Ian Pettitt who was having problems breathing. Both John and I went through the exchange of air procedure and also supply air from the emergency BA set before heading for the exit.

The drill for the afternoon was to have us used as emergency BA teams of varying sizes. The emergency team must have the same number or more wearers than the team you are being committed to rescue. So to show the benefits and pitfalls of different sized teams, we split into teams of two, three and four.

I was in the team of four and volunteered to be Number 1 - leading the way for the team.

We were sent into the building to locate two BA wearers that were in trouble (the previous two teams had just one wearer to deal with).

I led the way in with Cheesey and Jason carrying the valise and thermal image camera and John doing hosereel management. We quickly moved around the groundfloor and arrived at the base of the stairs having followed a right-hand wall. A glance at our gauges to ensure we had enough air as we were about to change levels and then up we went. I continued on the right hand wall and, as we entered the rear room, I could faintly hear an ADSU sounding. I contacted BAECO to inform them of the ADSU and that we were making good progress towards the sound. Having traversed the rear room we found ourselves in the kitchen and found our first 'casualty'. Ian was able to tell me that his team member was just a few feet away from him. So I left the rest of the team to sort out Ian's air supply while I carried on and located Gary at the other end of the kitchen. He was OK to walk and I got him to hold onto my BA set as we then picked up the rest of the team to retrace our steps.

I then led the team out in what must have looked like some bizarre Conga. As Number 1 I was able to move quite swiftly, ensuring that Gary was still with me. However we soon started to drift apart from the team and we needed to wait for the rest of them to catch up.

And that was us done...

We all agreed that the course was worthwhile. Most BA jobs we go to are routine. But routine is just seconds away from potential disaster. And it's for those occasions when this training will kick in...

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Pets rescued from house fire in Lowestoft

I was quite looking forward to an evening in last night. After four nights out on the trot, the thought of slobbing out in front of the box seemed most appealing.

So, having tweeted for the last time, I was about to head for my hot date with the sofa when my little friend let loose and had me heading for the door instead.

Mel was already opening up the station, doing a fine impression of a caretaker, having been literally driving past the fire station when the alerters went off.

I was driving and we were being tipped out to reports of a fire in a tumble drier at an address in Seago Street. With a crew of six and Dennis in charge I pulled out on to Normanston Drive and set course for Seago Street, barely a mile away.

As we entered from the top of the road we could see Ladder 1 from Lowestoft South approaching from the bottom end. We met in the middle outside the affected property. Initially it didn't look like much was happening, then came the shout, "It's a job!".
Red Watch had already got two of their crew starting up in BA and Mel and Cheesey from our pump got ready to follow suit.

I ran back to our pump and brought the BA Entry Control board over for Shambles who was taking on the BAECO role. Then back to the pump to move it forward a few feet and then run a length of 70 from us to Ladder 1 (LS01), ready to supply them with water if they started to eat into their 1800 litres.

By now, both BA teams had been committed into the house, each with a hosereel jet. A 45 covering jet had already been placed just outside the front gate.

And then one of the BA wearers appeared at my side holding a grubby, bedraggled cat that was fighting for breath. With the cat laid on the pavement I rushed to get the first aid kit off the pump. Now I've seen this done on TV but now was my chance to administer Oxygen therapy to an animal. I soon had the mask held over the cats face, hoping that it was now getting a good dose of Oxygen. Stroking the cat seemed to calm it down and gradually its breathing got easier and I was able to remove the mask. It opened its eyes and slowly moved its head to take in the scene around it. Then it looked me straight in the eye and let out a plaintive meow...

While this was happening outside the BA teams had extinguished the fire which had spread from the tumble drier to an adjacent TV. They were also searching for a dog and another cat. It seems the cat made a sharp exit out of a broken window while the BA team were hitting the fire. The dog was found behind the front door. He wasn't there when the BA teams entered as they'd done the customary sweep behind the door. I think he saw the door was open and made a dash for it only to be caught behind the door as the BA teams came in. Luckily he must have been getting a blast of fresh air from the outside and, bizarrely, he came out on his lead, as good as gold, with one of the BA team looking like he was off for a walk in the park!

So, my quiet evening in didn't happen. But it felt good to see that almost lifeless cat pull through and be able to return it to its owner...

I am proud to say that stroking a lifeless pussy and bringing it to life isn't a bad way to spend a Friday evening. However, I should have called it a cat before saying the above to the present Mrs C!!

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And the award goes to...

Wednesday evening saw me showered, shaved and wearing my bestest suit, all in readiness for the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service Annual Awards Ceremony.

My employer, Access Auditors Ltd., would be receiving the Retained Employer Award - Bronze. This is to recognise that they have demonstrated excellent support to the Retained Duty System for over five years. And I was going to be collecting the award as, in true Hollywood style, our directors couldn't make it to the ceremony.

But fate and the roads of Ipswich meant that me and half of Green Watch nearly didn't make it.

I knew that Green Watch would be at the ceremony to receive a trophy and so I dropped into Lowestoft South with the idea of following them down to Ipswich.

Watta a mistaka to make!

The fail-safe, dodge all the traffic shortcut across rural Suffolk saved 10 minutes but added 15 in the process. And, with the clock ticking as on Countdown, I followed my leader along some roads that were just for buses, retraced our route on a number of occasions and, with the clock striking 7 I struck out on my own. Carter's in-built homing device kicked in and I soon found myself outside Endeavour House, marvelling at the number of people that were at this shindig.

Finally re-united with Green Watch and their partners before finding our places in the Atrium ready for the ceremony to start.

And for someone who has been known to have a jaded view of things, the whole evening was well run and was a great way for members of staff, the public and employers to get a pat on the back.

A tap on the shoulder indicated that it was time for me to stand as the citation for Access Auditors was read out. Then it was a brisk walk to the dais, shake hands with the Chief, a pic for the album and then back to my seat.

Green Watch picked up the Miles Hammond Trophy, presented for demonstrating excellence by an individual team during an incident. This was in recognition of the outstanding work the guys did at an RTC in Lowestoft back in February. Well done guys - it couldn't have gone to a nicer bunch (they did pay me to say that! 50p and a Pot Noodle...).

A group photo of all the award winners was taken after the ceremony and then everyone headed over to the buffet. And that's where I left the building. Even though I was starving I needed to get back to Lowestoft as the present Mrs. C was stranded until I got back. So with the rumbling of an empty stomach I left the glitz and glamour of Endeavour House and headed for home.

Thanks SFRS, I enjoyed the evening and the company are pretty chuffed too...

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Off to Ipswich...

I'm off to Ipswich this evening to take part in an award ceremony at Endeavour House.

And no, I'm not part of the cabaret. I'm there to pick up an award!

So, watch this space, and I'll hopefully be posting about the event and there may even be a pic or two...

Lowestoft will be well represented as the reprobates of Green Watch are heading south too! Just need to make sure I get to the buffet before them!

Mini tornado wreaks havoc in Lowestoft

Talk about omens... The sky turning black, the wind howling around the bungalow, the rain lashing down, hailstones rattling on the windows, a plague of locusts, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It was bad but not quite up to the last two!

All of this should have made me think that my peaceful Saturday morning was about to be shattered. No sooner had the thunderous pelting of the hail stopped than my own purveyor of noise joined in the fun.

So, shoes on and a dash across to the fire station just as the rain and hail eased off.

With the builders now moved in at Normanshurst we are all having to park on the front apron or use the new drive-thru in Bays 4 and 5. So, as first in, I had to open the small door in the appliance bay doors, crack open the bay doors in front of Ladder 1, unlock the door into the kit room and finally unlock my locker to kit my fire kit out! I don't think Normanshurst has ever had so many locks on so many doors...

Anyway, tip sheet says we're off to a car that has been struck by a tree and that there are two people trapped. In the back of my mind was an incident of a few years back where two people had been killed when a tree had fallen on to their car. Hopefully the outcome of this incident wouldn't be such a tragedy.

We were off to Denmark Road, barely a mile from the fire station. As we neared the incident we could see a trail of damage stretching from the roundabout near the Lake Lothing pub all the way to where the fallen tree lay across the road. Road signs had been bent over by flying debris, fencing and advertising hoardings had been scattered across a childrens play area.

I pulled up about 50m short of the tree where the road widened, leaving space for a paramedic or ambulance to get through. From here the car was barely visible amongst the mass of branches, the tree having fallen across a cycle way, two lanes of Denmark Road and just brushed the cars parked on the far side of the road.

With Jason I set about cutting back the branches with a bow saw, clearing an area around the drivers side of the car. Meanwhile Gary and John were setting up the Powershore on the passengers side to support the weight of the tree, stopping it from further crushing the car.

White Watch were busy with casualty care (one female passenger) and starting to remove the tailgate and seats, ready for a longboard extraction.

We were joined by a paramedic who took over casualty care and, by now, the tailgate was off and the back seats had been removed. Then, carefully, the passenger was moved on to the longboard and out through the open rear of the car.

Job done...

Just tidying up to do, cutting gear and hosereel away and leave the tree removal to the experts from the council.

And an hour and a half after tipping out we were back on station, unlocking this door, opening that one, then locking another - you get the picture...

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Fury as retained crews miss out on jobs

Just thought you might like to read an article from our local newspaper. It's all about retained firefighters applying for jobs as wholetime firefighters in Suffolk.

Only 13 out of 47 retained firefighters that made an application got through the first round.

Have a read and make your own mind up. I know what I think but it would be unwise of me to vent my spleen here.

Fury as retained crews miss out on jobs - The Lowestoft Journal

One unsuccessful applicant said, “It is a bit of a blow really when you have got years of service going in at 2am and 3am and you have got commitment and loyalty and then you receive an email saying that you do not have the correct skills and attributes”.

Hmm...

 

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