Alerter

Hot, sweaty and smelling like kippers!

"It's all in the mind...", said George Moran, talking about the temperature and conditions inside the smoke house at Bury (Bury St.Edmunds) fire station. "The mind plays tricks on you, makes you think it's hotter than it is", he continued. Note to readers - in the interest of brevity I have left out expletives!

So here we were, eight of us from Normanshurst to do our hot fire training - BA Risk Critical 2 to give it its proper title. We had four from Green Watch - Mel Buck, Pete Brown, Al Soards and Chris Randall and then the rest of the motley crew made up from the retained section - myself, Richard 'Shambles' Lambert, Jason Balls and Howard Clarke.

George was giving us a lecture in a style that only George can deliver. It's to the point, there's no waffling and you feel like you've been told 'as it really is'.

After the lecture we made up our BA sets and then had a quick tea break - the ubiquitous cheese and onion sandwiches making their usual appearance!

We divided up into pairs, one wholetime firefighter with one retained firefighter. A good idea as we can all learn from each other whether wholetime or retained. We all work with each other regularly anyway as three of the Green Watch members are also retained firefighters at Normanshurst.

Mel and I paired up with Mel going as No.1 for the first drill. Our brief was to enter the building at ground floor, advance up the staircase and carry out search and rescue on the first floor and the mezzanine floor.

Just to back track, I'll explain how this is hot fire training. There's a room on the ground floor of the smoke house that has a fire set in it. It's literally a couple of bales of straw in a cradle which has water sprayed on every so often just to keep the smoke going. You wouldn't think that this would create much heat but temperatures can reach 200^oC. In fire terms that isn't very hot but it's plenty hot enough for dragging hose around and dragging dummies out!

Anyway, back to the drill. After doing an initial search just inside the door we advanced to the first floor. I swept out to the left on reaching the landing and immediately found a casualty - a tiny baby sized dummy. So back down the stairs and leave the casualty outside. We then resumed the search on the first floor and up onto the mezzanine floor. It's just a tad warm on that mezzanine but thankfully no casualties to manhandle down the Vertical Metal Ladder (VML).
We continued on the first floor until we found a second casualty literally at the end of where we could get to. As Mel had the most air he took the casualty and I led the way out.

We had our debrief which was very positive especially about our communication with each other.

A quick change of cylinder and we were out for our second wear. I was No.1 this time and our brief was to enter the smoke house at first floor level and carry out search and rescue. We took the left hand wall and searched a number of 'rooms' finding two casualties. Again, we had a good debrief followed by copious amounts of water to try and rehydrate ourselves.

The final drill of the day took place after lunch and was a combined drill using all four BA teams. The first team (Pete Brown and Jason Balls) entered the smoke house on the first floor (from the drill tower) carrying a charged 45. Their brief was to advance through the building and find the main staircase (situated on the opposite side of the smoke house). They were to descend to the ground floor and start a search as this was a 'persons reported' incident.

The second team (Al Soards and Shambles) were committed soon after the first team to assist with getting the hose through the building and down the stairs. Al and Shambles were volunteered for this job as it was felt that their strength and destructive powers would undoubtedly clear a path straight through the smoke house!

Next in were Mel and myself. We made it to the top of the stairs where we were informed by one of the other teams that more hose was needed. So we retraced our steps and dragged through another 30 foot or so. By now both previous teams had passed us on there way out, each with a casualty.

When we arrived on the ground floor we started searching off the left hand wall and then entered the fire compartment. We could see most of the room from the glow of the fire and sure enough there was a casualty tucked away behind the fire! Mel led the way out with me bringing the casualty. We stopped for what seemed an eternity to brief team four (Chris Randall and Howard Clarke). Standing there, directly above the fire and carrying the dummy I could feel my legs starting to cook. And with legs like mine they wouldn't have looked out of place as a bit of KFC!

And that was that...

As George had said, "It's all in the mind...". He was right. If you started to think how hot it was then strangely it seemed to get hotter. While I was stood there waiting for Mel to brief team four, I had the chance to let my mind wander and, yes, it started to think "f**k me it's getting hot in here!"

The debrief for this drill and the whole day was very positive - nobody had  cocked up...

Just clearing and cleaning up lweft to do plus the hour and a half drive back to Lowestoft with a bunch of weary firefighters and the very strong smell of kippers!

DIYers Delight

Yesterday the drill yard at Normanshurst was turned into a spotters paradise and would have sent shivers down the spine of all hardcore DIYers.

And the reason for all this - Norfolk's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team had made it over the border from Wymondham and set up camp in the most of the drill yard. Luckily they only brought four of their five trucks with their dismountable modules. The one that is basically a truck full of timber was left back on station in Wymondham.

All four modules were dismounted and opened up with plenty of the kit out for us to look at and 'Oooh' and 'Ahh' to.

These guys work 12 hour shifts, two days, two nights and four days off. A crew of seven is on duty at all times with another seven available at the beckoning of an alerter. Norfolk's USAR team is one of two such units in East Anglia (the other is based in Essex). Norfolk serve their own county as well as Cambridgeshire and Suffolk and are available for any national incidents. Their services were called upon at the tragic incident at Atherstone upon Stour where four firefighters lost their lives in a warehouse fire.

On their own admission they very rarely get turned out. They primary function is to provide USAR in the event of a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. These station visits are designed to raise awareness in neighbouring brigades so that we might call upon their services, especially now that we know what they are capable of.

It takes a lot to impress a bunch of firefighters but the kit is definitely not the cheapest available (makes a change), it's serious kit and the crew came across as very knowledgable and friendly (I had to say that, they may be reading this...).

Wouldn't it be nice if the Government put something nice and shiny our way? Please add your wishlist via the Comments link. If there's a clear winner I'll have a word with Mr Brown (Gordon, not Paul or Pete) and see what I can do...

Ladders that stick like glue...

Interesting recruits video from the US - all done in the name of fun! Umpteen casualties in the tower on various levels so requires quite a few ladders.

But just take a look at the 9m ladder. Three man pitch and, unlike ourselves, there's not three rounds above the sill. Now take a look at the foot of the ladder - no one is footing the ladder for more than a few seconds at a time. And right near the end of the clip you can see there are now two people on this unfooted ladder.

That's a training need if ever I saw one!

Firefighters stop someone getting the hump!

There must be lurv in the air when romancing couples go anywhere near Normanshurst Fire Station.

It's not that long ago that a teenage couple were spotted on top of the drill tower (that's five floors up) indulging in a little bit of love-making.

And only a few days ago Paul Henderson acted as the ultimate contraceptive by stopping a young man from crashing his purple-headed womb broom into the old wizards sleeve - if you catch my drift.

Paul was doing his rounds, making the station secure when he disturbed the couple as they tried to copulate (much more pleasant a word than others I could have used) in the delightfully romantic setting of the Ancillary Bay!

The couple made a sharp exit and disappeared into a bush (no pun intended).

Now this is where Red Watch turned themselves instantly from a highly trained bunch of firefighters into Suffolk Fire and Rescue's own version of Sherlock Holmes. A Thermal Imaging Camera off one of the pumps was used to track down the couple as they hid in the undergrowth. Unsurprisingly, they glowed red - not sure which part of their anatomy was the reddest though!

The boys in blue duly turned up to escort the couple from the station...

Needless to say, station security has now been given a makeover. Not just to stop the amorous goings-on of couples but also to stop bits of kit going missing. Yes, some stations have had cutting gear stolen which is then used by certain ne'er do wells to carry out various criminal activities. Let's hope they don't require our services to cut them from a mangled car and all we've got is a rusty tin opener!

What were they thinking?

A Bright Bunch...

Today I was asked if I wanted to visit Roman Hill Middle School to assist with the educational visit by White Watch. Not having done one of these before I agreed and rearranged my day job to fit around the visit.

Al Soards and myself went along as backup, just in case the Watch got a shout and had to shoot off.

The first part was done in the classroom of the Year 8 students and they certainly weren't shy in coming forward with plenty of answers to our questions. They also asked some well-thought out questions with only a few references to how things are done on telly in America!

Then it was outside to the playground for a tour of Ladder 1 and to see me in all my fire kit and wearing BA.

Hopefully this hour with the children and, more importantly, what they learnt will stay with them and may, one day, save theirs or some one else's life...

By the time Al and I got back on station, White Watch had received a Fire Priority for burning undergrowth in the local churchyard. And then minutes later the bells went for Ladder 2 and the PRT to go to a disused boat shed in Oulton Broad...

A helmet, a helmet, my kingdom for a helmet...

With apologies to The Bard...

Perhaps I'm being a tad old-fashioned but I thought the raison d'etre (that's French for 'reason for existence') of a Fire and Rescue Service was to get those big red lorries out of the doors when an emergency arises. It may be as simple as a cat up a tree or it may be something that threatens human-life - a fire, an RTC, whatever.

To get fire engines rolling you need a crew. And that crew must have all its necessary PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) - fire tunic and leggings, boots, gloves and the all important yellow helmet. If a firefighter doesn't have the correct PPE they don't get on the fire engine - it's as simple as that. But that one firefighter going 'off the run' may, in turn, take the pump 'off the run' because of crew availability. Now the big red lorry doesn't go out of the door to save life and property.

So, it was with complete dismay, that yesterday, I witnessed a firefighter having to take himself off the run because he couldn't get a replacement helmet - his helmet of 14 years had finally gone to meet its maker. And why couldn't he get a replacement helmet? Because there were none in stock in stores...
Surely the one thing you never run out of in stores is PPE. Without it we cease to be able to operate properly.

I realise that very soon (but how soon) we are due to be issued with the new Galle helmets. But until we are there is the need to keep a buffer stock to meet the need for replacements.

We've run out of helmets in stores but I bet the stationery cupboards in Endeavour House never run out of pens!

Shouts are like buses...

Date: 14th May 2008
Time: 2055
Type: Kitchen
Address: Clapham Road Central, Lowestoft
Initial Attendance: Normanshurst 01 and 02

Shouts are like buses because you can wait ages for one and then three come along together...

And that's just what happened last night.

I'd just sat down in front of my PC, trying to get myself motivated to do update one of my customers' website. One sip of my tea, fingers poised above the keyboard and my alerter decides it's time for me to go for a jog over to the station.

I think this shout had come through simply as 'house', which can cover a multitude of sins. The address should have been the giveaway - Stanley Street, Lowestoft. And sure enough it turned out to be 'false alarm, good intent' - someone had seen smoke coming out of a building and naturally thought the place was on fire - except that it was actually the smokehouse on the corner of Stanley Street and Raglan Street!

So within 20 minutes I was back home and sipping my luke warm brew, feeling even less inclined to start any work. I don't think it was much over half an hour later and we're off again. This time it's a kitchen fire on Clapham Road Central.

We arrived at the incident a few minutes after White Watch to find that one BA team were in the property having dealt with a developing fire in the kitchen. Both myself and Howard Clark stood by as the Emergency BA Team and got used to clear the kitchen around the area of the fire. This was just emptying cupboards and then removing them from the kitchen. We pulled a small area of the ceiling down just to ensure that the fire hadn't took hold on the joists above.

Left the station just after 2200hrs to get the third and final shout of the evening less than an hour later. This time it was to a confirmed fire at the Birds Eye factory in Lowestoft. Thankfully plenty turned in, so I was surplus to requirements and able to get off home to my bed...

A fire, a grand prix and a trapped bird...

Date: 13th May 2008
Time: 1030
Type: Smoke issuing from roof
Address: London Road South, Lowestoft
Initial Attendance: Normanshurst 01, Clifton 01
Final Attendance: Make Pumps 6 - Normanshurst 01, Clifton 01, Normanshurst 02 and 05, Beccles 01, Wrentham 01, Forward Control Vehicle, Operational Support Unit and support pump from Ipswich, Hydraulic Platform and support pump from Great Yarmouth, a sprinkling of white helmets and, finally, me in the station van!

I nipped into the station this morning to sign myself out for a couple of hours - 0900 - 1100 - that's all. I just needed to nip over Great Yarmouth to see a customer of mine. I had just left their office on the Harfreys Industrial Estate when my alerter went off (this was actually the second time it had been activated, the first time I didn't get the signal). Anyway, it's into Lewis Hamilton mode (although sticking to all relevant speed limits) for the drive back over to Lowestoft.

By the time I arrived the place was deserted except for the normal jumble of cars in the drill yard.

The incident had escalated to persons reported and because the fire was on the third floor, additional resources were mobilised. The Hydraulic Platform from Great Yarmouth is automatically mobilised to any fires in roofs, especially on buildings this tall.

There was just myself and Richard Belsey left on station to mind the shop. Richard rang Control and asked if we should act as guides on any Norfolk pump that was coming to standby at Normanshurst. After a short silence Control said they'd be getting a pump from Norfolk to standby at Normanshurst. A cynic might think that this had got overlooked in the excitement.

Sure enough, in time, a retained crew from Gorleston arrived and started to make themselves at home.

I then got a call from the incident to take the station van and collect BA cylinders to bring back and charge. After a few shortcuts around Road Closed signs and a few one-way street negotiated the wrong way, I made it to the job. I collected 13 empties and headed off only to see, in my rear view mirror, the Operational Support Unit (OSU) and its support pump arrive. I pulled over and rang Control to see if I should return to the incident and allow the OSU with its mobile compressor to charge the BA cylinders. After a few minutes I received a call back from Control to say carry on back to Normanshurst. It transpired that the OSU and its pump literally arrived and then they were sent back to Ipswich - nearly a 100 mile round journey for nothing. It would have been good to use this resource instead of sending me back through all the town traffic to then charge the cylinders and then, possibly, to drive all the way back again. As it was, by the time all the cylinders were finished, pumps were coming back on station and collecting their cylinders.

But not to be outdone by this six pumper I did get a turnout of my own with the PRT crew - to rescue a seagull trapped in netting on the roof of the telephone exchange! Very apt considering tonights lecture is Rescue at Height...

Oh, and the Gorleston boys got a shout whil ehere on standby - back to Great Yarmouth for a gas leak!

Meeting the new Dep...

Call me an old cynic, but it was with very little interest that we all trouped upstairs to meet the (relatively) new Deputy Chief Fire Officer (Dep) of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service. I suppose we were all thinking this would be the 'same old, same old' that we have witnessed on numerous occasions.
We usually ask plenty of questions and are promised plenty of answers but these tend to be as rare as hen's teeth! Some wit swore blind that the notes made at these little gatherings normally get chucked out of the car window as the Principal Office speeds back to Ipswich and the safety of Endeavour House!

Someone, somewhere, usually whispers to a Principal Officer that a visit to the wilds of North Suffolk is overdue and that they have pulled, metaphorically, the short straw. With a heavy heart, a full tank of petrol (in case they get lost) and SatNav that refuses to accept that there is life north of Ipswich, they head off into the unknown.

I'm sure Lowestoft is viewed a bit like the English view Scotland - you know it's a long way away, you know they speak differently, there's some nice scenery but you find every excuse under the sun for not making the journey.

Anyway, back to last nights little soiree...

I have to give it to the new Dep, he came across far better than previous incumbents and actually answered questions instead of deflecting them, politician style. Topics that are usually bones of contention were brought up by the Dep and, perhaps, defused before they had a chance to go off.

Having served all his career with just one brigade (Essex) has, I think, helped. He has seen how one brigade works from bottom to top and one that has a large retained firefighter complement too. Time will tell whether this makes the new Dep better than the usual brigade-hopping suspects!

If anyone from Normanshurst or Clifton has any comments about this, agrees with what I've said or wonders whether we were at the same gathering - leave a comment via the form below.