Alerter - the firefighters blog

Helicopter crash, Great Yarmouth

So, without a chance to digest our Christmas dinner, we found ourselves jumping on the PRT for a little jaunt over to Great Yarmouth.

All our tip sheet said was that we were attending a 'Helicopter, persons reported'.

Gaz asked me if I wanted to drive and so with me at the helm, Mel in charge and Gary, Al and Ben in the back we headed off towards Yarmouth.

Even as we headed out of town we were fully expecting to be turned back, but we heard nothing from Control so continued on our way. Traffic heading into Yarmouth was starting to get haevy with the normal choke point around Gapton Hall taking a while to negotiate. It was only as we were within a few hundred metres of the Heliport that Control informed us that we were no longer required.

As we drew level with the entrance to the Heliport we could see a number of Norfolk pumps leaving the incident, some towing their foam-carrying trailers. So, round the roundabout at the Greyhound Stadium and a nice steady drive back to Lowestoft.

Voices of Angels (?*!)

There have been firefighter calendars which sell to a ready market but has anyone thought of releasing a Christmas CD - "Firefighters at Christmas - Christmas Carols for the Hard of Hearing".

I'm sure, even with our rough and ready approach to singing, it would sell like the proverbial hot cakes.

As usual we had a good turn out from Normanshurst and what we lacked in musical talent we certainly made up for with enthusiasm!

And even with a recession the good people of Lowestoft dug deep and helped us to raise nearly £1000 for charity. Thank you!

The money is being split between the Fire Fighters Charity and Sportability, a charity that helps people with paralysis to try adventurous sporting activities.

Sportability is close to my heart as I have been a trustee of the charity for around 10 years and it helped my wife Karen travel to Moscow back in 1992 for some ground-breaking rehabilitation therapy.

Back at Normanshurst to count our donations and then sit down to Lil's Christmas Dinner. Starters, main, dessert, mince pies, fruit, mints and coffee - all for just £3. Thanks Lil, I don't know how you do it but as always your hard work is very much appreciated by us all.

Of course it doesn't take long for improvised missiles to be launched at the other tables using party poppers loaded with cranberry sauce, sprouts or peas. And when Red Watch got a shout a hail of peas and grapes were sent back and forth as they made they way out to Ladder 1.

And not much later the bells went again, accompanied by our alerters, with a turnout for the PRT see my next post...

Pretty good timing too as it got us out of the tidy up - removing peas and other items from wherever they had landed!

Back on station soon for our drill night. Hopes of an 'end of term' evening playing games, watching video's and not wearing uniform were dashed with news that we are meant to be having a BA drill this evening. Hoorah!

New words to an old Christmas favourite

The firefighters of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service have added new lyrics to The 12 Days of Christmas.

The song starts at around 2:20

Cylinders roasting on an open fire...

It was like waking the dead when my alerter went off at 1am this morning. I'm normally out of bed like a shot, going through the well practised routine of dressing in a hurry before legging it over to the station.

This morning I must have been in a really deep sleep because when I did fall out of bed it felt like I was wading through treacle. I careered into furniture, tripped over my own feet and finally struggled into my clothes.

I must have been slow off the mark because I was third in, behind Cheesey and Mel.

It was a while before I realised we weren't off to back up White Watch but that we had our own shout in the south of Lowestoft. Maps out to locate Briarwood Road and Cheesey took us on our way.

The tip sheet just said 'Shed', which isn't much to go on but as we neared Briarwood Road we could see an ominous orange glow lighting up the night sky. As we pulled up there were a few pops and bangs - either petrol cans or paint tins.

We had to extend the hosereel to its full 120 metre length as our only access was via a track leading round to the back of the houses.

Rounding the corner we got a fullview of the fire. It had well and truly taken hold and was well on its way to spreading to the boundary fences to the left and right of the garden.

With the hosereel run out. Mel and I donned BA and, under Rapid Deployment rules, made our way round to the branch to start tackling the fire.

The volume of water from the hosereel just wasn't making an impression on the fire at all. The shed had been up against the back fence (which was burnt away by now) and must have stretched the full width of the garden (maybe 30 feet). After just a few seconds Mel spotted a couple of Propane cylinders close to where we were working. While he tried to keep the flames at bay I reached in and removed the cylinders, placing them out of harm way further up the track.

By now Cheesey had set into the nearby hydrant and Ben had run out a line of 45 to give us a bit more welly.

Dennis had already put in an assistance message of Make Pumps 2 and we were soon joined by the Clifton crew.

By now the fire had destroyed the fence at each side of the garden, warped the metal framed green house and had started to take hold of another shed nearer to the house.

With the excitement over, the ruins of the shed were turned over revealing yet another Propane cylinder and a petrol generator.

Then it was make everything up and back to Normanshurst and service our BA sets.

Finally got home sometime after 3am for a cup of tea and some shuteye.

Forgot to mention earlier that just as we were booking mobile, the bells went for the PRT. White Watch had now made up at their job - a polytunnel containg a tractor and other machinery at the local council nursery.

Busy old station. Well, for a few days anyway!

Don't let the PPE Police see this!

This from BBC News of the rescue of a young boy from a safe.

Note lack of goggles, gloves etc. It's a Health and Safety nightmare!

Firefighters rescue boy from safe...

House fire, Jacobs Street, Lowestoft

I just hope nobody was around last night to witness my theatrical exit, enroute to the fire station!

Front door locked, I turned and built up a head of speed down our long concrete ramp. In an attempt to shave milliseconds off my journey time, I made to leap across the corner of the path and onto the driveway. Unfortunately, on takeoff, my foot slipped and I was flying through the air heading straight for the driveway and, if I didn't stop quick enough, a nasty looking rose bush! With arms outstretched, I demolished the brick edging to the path and ended up face down on my driveway...

A quick look around and I couldn't see anyone guffawing at my antics. With a few heartfelt "f**k its" I started a slow, loping run over to the fire station.

Cheesey was in ahead of me (he obviously had made a much safer exit from his house!) and took the drivers tally. With a crew of six we were second pump in to a house fire in Jacobs Street, Lowestoft. White Watch were riding with a crew of four so us having six meant we could provide two BA teams, if required.

To access Jacob Street there are some tight spots as you make your way in on the only route suitable for fire engines.

Two BA were already in the terraced house as Simon and I made our way to the house as the next BA team.

Thankfully the fire hadn't got out of control and our services weren't required. Oxygen therapy was given to the occupants who were being looked after by a neighbour.

With everything cleared away, we went door to door, checking that the homeowners had smoke alarms and advising them that they can request a Home Fire Safety Check from Suffolk Fire and Rescue. At a guess I would say that at least half of the properties did not have a smoke alarm fitted. These were supplied there and then and installed.

A fire at any time is a devastating event. Potential loss of life, damage to property, insurance claims and so much more. But a fire at Christmas seems so much worse...

That's it, job done, head back to Normanshurst.

Except that more people have arrived back home and struggled to find a parking space. In the space of 100 metres Cheesey had to slow to a crawl twice to squeeze through narrow gaps. If we had been going to the shout, this delay in getting there could so easily cost a life. Sounds dramatic but it's true. Sometimes seconds do really count. Unfortunately, when returning home and searching for a parking space, the last thing on most peoples mind is whether there's enough space for a fire engine to get through. Spare a thought though... if it was your house that was on fire, you'd want us there as quickly as possible, wouldn't you?

A taxi never retreats!

More about the headline later...

I was in the middle of my own version of Ready, Steady, Cook - preparing a mammoth stir fry when my alerter turns a cooking triumph into a dash to get things covered before rushing out of the door...

It's a two pump shout to a kitchen fire on Tedder Road in Lowestoft.

As we make our way along the rain-soaked, windswept roads, we hear an informative message go in to Control that the kitchen is well alight, 2 BA, one hosereel jet.

We round the corner into Tedder Road and can see Ladder 1 about 200 yards ahead. Al and Ben are in BA and head towards where Mark is now setting up the BAECO board. I run out a length of 70 into Ladder 1 to keep their tank topped up.

By now the fire was out and it was just a case of cleaning up, getting the kit made up and waiting for the off.

With Ladder 1 blocking our way forward, Billy directed me as I did a 3 (?!*) point turn in the road. By this time a taxi had dropped of its fare just behind where we were. Instead of him doing a three point turn or reversing out of the road, he waited for me to turn the pump around, advanced past me and then waited while Billy reversed Ladder 1 out of his way.

So, not only do taxi's have their indicators removed, their drivers are allowed to double park while they chat with their mates, they park over dropped kerbs and blocking parking spaces but it seems they have the reverse gear removed and a three point turn is beyond them! But, of course, I'm forgetting, they are professional drivers... Hey ho!

And then home for tea...

Ever had that sinking feeling?

There was no chance of a Saturday lie in as my alerter shattered the peace at half six this morning.

Green Watch were off to a boat that was slowly sinking on Lake Lothing in Oulton Broad. A quick call to Control confirmed that we were in on standby. But I had a feeling that we weren't going to be whiling away a couple of hours in the relative comfort of the station.

Sure enough, withing twenty minutes I took a call from Ben on Ladder 1 telling me that the job was now going to Make Pumps 2 for manpower and that we needed to bring the small Lightweight Portable Pump (LPP). Within a few seconds of finishing the call with Ben, the bells went for Ladder 2.

As it was blowing a hoolie outside and a tad cold too, I decided to add any extra layers I could. Before Green Watch had left they had all donned their romper suits (all-in-one fleeces), used with the water rescue gear. I had an extra t-shirt and was able to snaffle Ben's uniform jumper, which, with my smokehood acting like a balaclava, was all set to keep out the chill!

We changed LPP's and then headed off to Harbour Road.

Once on scene we had to start ferrying gear to the stricken vessel. In its own little way this was a re-enactment of the Gun Run, as seen at the Royal Tournament. We didn't have field guns, limbers and a ton of kit to get over walls and chasms but we did have the Fire Service equivalent - the LPP...

The standard LPP is neither lightweight nor particularly portable. It's a four person lift and we were headed down a steep concrete slope, through a narrow gateway (our whole in the Gun Run wall), across the uneven foreshore (starting to get nautical now), through another gateway, down a 'gangplank' onto a floating jetty, up a frost covered narrow 'gangplank' and onto the rusting hulk that acts as a floating mooring point for our vessel. And I was worried about being cold!

There then followed a procession of kit - eight lengths of hard suction, the smaller LPP, 2 lengths of 70mm hose, branch, lines, the short ex and much more.

The LPP was positioned near the wheelhouse with the hard suction going through the deck just forrard of this point. But the efforts of the LPP were to no avail. We were competing with the rising tide and the boat was already impaled on the jetty. There were a few jolts and thuds as our rusting hulk started to lift on the tide causing parts of the boat to crack and splinter.

After about an hour of pumping we had to admit defeat. And with that we repeated the Gun Run back to shore and up to the pumps.

I feel sorry for the vessels owners. They have spent a good deal of money buying and renovating the boat and, even though they still had a long way to go, the project has now suffered a major setback.

And, standing next to the boat as we were pumping, with the wind howling across Lake Lothing I reaffirmed with myself that I really am a landlubber!

We've reached a milestone!

Today sees the Alerter Blog notch up its 10000th page view!

Not bad for a blog all about a retained firefighter in Suffolk...

So a big thank you to all our regular readers. Keep visiting for all the latest new, gripes, groans, shouts and more from our little bit of Suffolk.

And don't forget that things are happening over at www.alerter.co.uk. You will find information about retained shouts at Normanshurst, the Normanshurst Desktop Alerter and, of course, a link back to the Alerter Blog.

More will be added to the website when time permits...

Thanks again.

Does the Fire Service issue Loyalty Cards?

If the Fire Service did issue loyalty cards I think this unoccupied flat in Shadingfield Close should receive one.

I've been to it three times now and there's at least one more shout for that address too.

This time it was some form of accelerant poured through the letterbox and then ignited. Nice!

The neighbour, slightly worse for wear, extinguished the flames with water from his bath and, after we had arrived, set about making himself a bacon butty and eating it while surveying the drama around him.

And that was it... Just sad that someone feels the urge to set fire to something. Could they be sure that no one was in the flat? And if the fire had taken hold you are potentially putting firefighters lives at risk because of someones penchant (good word) for arson.

Ah, well...