Alerter - the firefighters blog

Fire in tumble drier - Beckham Road, Lowestoft

You can't even have a Tom Tit these days without your Alerter making you shut up shop early and leave the paperwork till later! I think you get the idea...

Anyway it was two pumps to Beckham Road in Lowestoft for a fire in a tumble drier. Not much for us to do when we eventually got there in our old bus (we've got a reserve pump while ours is receiving TLC). In fact it's that slow that two mobility scooters and a learner driver overtook us on the way to the job!

Back just before 8am and time for me to rush home, get changed into uniform and back to the fire station in time to leave at 8.15 for a Learn and Live presentation at Benjamin Britten High School.

And this was only the start of what proved to be a long day with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service...

Chemical incident with firefighter 'injured' - it's just a training night!

We were all set for a talk from the police accident investigator but this was cancelled because, you've guessed it - he'd had an accident. Hopefully not a bad one but enough to mean the talk had to be called off.

So we attended a chemical incident instead on the front grass at Normanshurst.

Ladder 2 turned out first to reports of children that had collapsed close to some drums of chemicals.

A BA team from Ladder 2 (Rachael and Peter Read) carried out a snatch rescue while the rest of the crew started to prepare for the full chemical circus.

We arrived on the ERT and helped to cordon off the area - hot, warm and cold, put together the decontamination dam, laid out the hosereel, buckets, brushes, emergency air supply from 2 BA sets, four Gas Tight Suits (GTS), paperwork - the list goes on...

The first GTS team of 'Cheesey' Armes and Jason Balls were committed to the scene to get more information about the leaking chemical. They were closely followed by the second GTS team of Paul 'Nubbs' Newberry and Peter Read. The second team would be relaying the chemical information back to BAECO so that more details could be gleaned about the chemical and its potential dangers.

Part way through the exercise Jason, at a signal from Mel, collapsed in a heap with an Oscar winning performance. The other 3 GTS wearers initially just stood there and stared at the crumbled heap of yellow plastic on the grass in front of them. Then, galvanised into action, they reported back to BAECO that they had a 'firefighter down' and proceeded to drag Jason towards the decontamination area.

The rescue of Jason wasn't easy. For a start moving in a GTS isn't very easy let alone trying to grip a lifeless form in another GTS and carry him 50m to the decontamination area. The plastic viewing panels were steaming up as Cheesey, Nubbs and Peter burnt some calories lugging their casualty to safety. Every so often you'd see an arm swipe across the plastic window like a windscreen wiper just to give them a glimpse of where they were heading.

And finally they made it. With much hilarity for the onlookers, Jason was dumped, unceremoniously into the dam. And while he was being taken care of by the decontamination team we had to give the emergency supply of air to two of the rescue party.

Once all four GTS wearers had been washed down and stripped of their GTS suits we had a quick debrief before making all the equipment up.

Not sure what all the passing motorists thought of this spectacle unfolding before their eyes - Gas Tight Suits, decontamination, casualties... Perhaps they thought that we were rehearsing for when / if swine flu finds its way into sleepy old Suffolk!

It was a good drill, everyone enjoyed it and got something out of it and, more importantly, it makes the two hour training night go so much more quickly...

When will firefighter find time to blog?

Apologies to all my regular readers - yes, there is more than one of you!

It's been a busy few days both at work and with dear old Suffolk Fire and Rescue. So, bear with me, and I'll be posting soon with news of a chemical drill from Tuesday night, a tumble drier fire on Wednesday morning and a farm fire near Bungay that was a spotters paradise, with all sorts of fire engines from Suffolk and Norfolk and a few specials too...

And just a mini rant... I followed an Aston Martin DB9 in to work this morning. That's got to be worth around £100k. Bugger me... they don't even come with indicators! Perhaps they were an optional extra...

Have also started sneezing... Perhaps that bacon roll was feeling a tad peeky...

Firefighters rescue seagull...

We've been on standby today, covering for Green Watch as they spent the day in Sudbury doing a water rescue exercise.

So a motley crew was ready and waiting to save Lowestoft - Ian 'Billy' McMillan, myself driving, Greg Osborne, Jason Balls and Richard 'Shambles' Lambert.

Our planned tasks for the day were: standard tests on Ladder 2, remove all the equipment from Ladder 2 and give all the lockers a pressure wash, clean the gear and the pump, a Home Fire Safety Check and an RTC drill incorporating checks on the air bags.

The morning went as planned with the majority of standard tests done, all the lockers stripped, pressure washed and the pump sitting in the sun to dry off.

The reason for all this Spring cleaning was because we have taken delivery of a reserve pump as our vehicle has gone away for some serious TLC and pampering. The pump that was delivered to us, an old J-reg, was in quite a sorry state. White Watch had given it a good clean on the outside and now we were hitting the lockers and the crew cab.

After tea break we headed off for a Home Fire Safety check for an elderly lady who lives alone. Shambles and Jason did the honours and felt that the lady was well prepared and knowledgable about safety in the home - she just wanted to be reassured that all was well.

Just as we clambered off the pump and headed in the direction of our food the bells went. Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) at the Premier Inn on Yarmouth Road. Within a few minutes we pulled up close to the entrance with Billy and Jason going in to investigate. No sign of fire. The alarm had been caused by dust from cleaning - False Alarm Equipment 1. Either they've now got a very thorough cleaner or that room hadn't been dusted for ages!

Back on station for a late lunch and then back to Ladder 2 and its spruce up.

Wasn't long before the bells went again. This time it was to a seagull trapped in a tree by some fishing line. I drove Ladder 1 through the narrow gateway and past the front of the museum that sits in the centre of Nicholas Everetts Park. Then a traipse through the park with the 9m ladder, the 30m General Purpose line, bow saw and a salvage sheet.

It took a couple of attempts to pitch the ladder in the right place to allow reasonable access to the seagull. Greg took the line and the bow saw aloft and secured the branch the seagull was on before cutting it with the bow saw. The jiggling of the branch seemed to free the seagull and it then perched itself on a lower branch. By shaking that branch Greg was able to dislodge the seagull who then swooped down on to the grass. The RSPCA inspector was then able to corner the injured bird and get it safely into a cage.

Hopefully the small audience that we attracted were mildly impressed by our display of ladders, lines and cunning plans... If they were they didn't show it!

We'd just got the kit stowed back on Ladder 1 when Control called on the radio to see if we were available - a sure sign that we were about to get a Fire Priority. I then started to get us turned around while Billy waited for the Fire Priority message that was sure to follow. Instead Control told us we'd been called in error and that Clifton were attending.

By the time we got back on station we only had time to get all the equipment back on Ladder 2 before Green Watch rolled up in the Water Rescue van. So our best laid plans for the day had gone out of the window... or should that be up a tree?

Firefighters fight 'fire' in the fog...

Last night was one of those rare occasions when we get off station to do some drilling...

Two pumps headed down to the old North Denes caravan site to fight a simulated house fire - actually a boarded up toilet / shower block.

Ladder 2, with Ian 'Billy' McMillan in charge, were the first pump in and got a hosereel onto the 'fire'. Almost immediately Billy made up for another pump to assist with the water supply.

We turned up on Ladder 1 and set about running a line of 70 from us to Ladder 2, supplementing our tank from a hydrant that was about four lengths away. I think it was nine or ten lengths of 70 to get over to Ladder 2 - and as the line got longer firefighters were disappearing into the thickening fog...

With a reasonable supply, the Ladder 2 crew were able to get two main jets working, one through a monitor.

Then we had a 'failure' of the Ladder 1 pump. We made a dam at the midway point along the line of 70 and let this start filling from the less than adequate hydrant. Four of us then lugged the LPP (Lightweight, Portable Pump - neither lightweight or particulary portable!) the 150 metres from Ladder 2 to the now filling Fire Service paddling pool. We were then able to pump water on up the line to Ladder 2, but were quickly over-running the supply from the hydrant.

And after a few minutes of this we got the 'knock off' from Mel. A short debrief in the gathering gloom was followed by a pretty brisk make up, especially as the clock was moving swiftly towards 2100hrs and the end of drill night.

These simulated incidents / off-site drills make our training more realistic - not just squirting water at the drill tower with a good hydrant just feet away. We also get seen by the public, our customers, which generates interest and the chance to have a chat with them - again far better than us being hidden away on the drill yard. And, finally, the time goes much quicker. Two hours spent in the classroom on the Scottish Modules or fannying around on station really does make the clock stand still...

Firefighters receive Smurf hats

No this isn't an April Fool joke that's running late.

We've all been given these soft blue bags for storing our shiny helmets in. They have a little drawstring to pull tight and keep your helmet safe from all those nasty things that might scratch it or mark it in some way. There's even a little white name badge where we can write our names - just like in infant school with your plimsoll bag...

And, as we are meant to wear the helmets at all times, then it seems the logical move is to wear the helmet while it's still in the bag. Our heads are protected by the helmet and the helmet is protected by the Smurf hat - a simple yet effective interpretation of the latest edict eminating from Ivory Towers - sorry, Endeavour House...

To be honest, when we all traipse out holding our Man (sorry, Person) Bag, it looks like we're all off for a spot of ten pin bowling!

Retained Firefighters provide cover for Lowestoft

Last Wednesday a crew of five retained firefighters provided fire cover for Lowestoft - Red Watch had a day out in Sudbury for a Water Rescue exercise.

The town was in the 'safe' hands of Mel Buck, John Hubbard, Al Soards, Richard 'Shambles' Lambert and me.

We started off the day getting standard tests done on Ladder 2 and the PRT - weeklies, monthoes and quarterlies...

After tea-break Mel had lined up a couple of BA drills for us, ostensibly for us to get a BA wear in using the new helmets before we actually wear them at a job.

The first drill was just a simple moving in darkness wear following a guideline in the smoke house. The wear wasn't demanding but it did give us the chance to don up, adjust the new helmets and get a feel for how they differ from the old Cromwells when crawling, climbing etc in BA.

The second drill was set to simulate us turning up at a job. We pulled up at a derelict building and were informed that there may be children inside as they were known to build dens in there.

When Mel and John did their 360 of the building they found a casualty hanging out of a first floor window. We did a confined pitch of the nine metre ladder and Shambles 'rescued' the casualty.

Then it was me and Shambles in BA to do search and rescue on the ground floor, with entry through one of the front windows. Shambles went as Number 1 carrying the branch, with me follwing carrying the door enforcer. I pulled in a good length of hosereel and then we set off following the left hand wall. Fairly quickly we made our way right around the ground floor, back to our entry point. We then had a message from BAECO that there was a den in the middle of the building that would need to be searched.

We retraced our steps until we found an opening into the den. There then followed a tight maze of the metal cage walls. Entry to a section was either through a doorway or a 'window' section. Having weaved our way through most of the maze we informed BAECO that we were at our turnround time and were making our way out.

I think my arms were a couple of inches longer after lugging the door enforcer round with me!

With the smoke cleared we took at look at the route we took. It always seem so much further when you're shuffling along in thick smoke... And we'd been on a real twisting and turning route.

The new helmets with BA had worked well, so at least I know what to expect when we get a job.

And we wound down the day with some home fire safety checks, culminating in Al and Richard making the day of two old ladies - 'Oh young man!'

New firefighter helmets - coming soon...

An Admin message popped up on the turnout printer yesterday:

"New firefighter helmets to be worn as of 1800hrs on Tuesday 14th April..."

So, halfway through my bangers and mash, watching the six o'clock news, I'll don my Gallet helmet and finish my tea as the present Mrs. C looks on bemusedly.

I'll be glad to get the changeover out of the way. There's far too many white cardboard boxes kicking about at the Fire Station, either still with a shiny new helmet inside or discarded carelessly by the 'excited' recipient!

And the next time we turn up at a decent job, we'll be inundated with white helmets. No longer the preserve of the great and good (the officer class), all the watch managers will be topped out with a white helmet too...

From brass helmets, through cork ones and the outgoing Cromwells, we now move to the Gallet with its full cranial protection - possibly a bit late for most of us.

Keep your eyes peeled for self-conscious firefighters across Suffolk as they hit the streets in their new helmets - me included!

Take a look at what the Daily Mail has to say about Suffolk's new firefighter helmets »

Fire - Fir Lane, Lowestoft - persons reported

At 4:22am this morning I was fast asleep, pushing out the Zzzz's and dribbling into my pillow. Not a pretty sight I know but I bet you don't look any better at that time of the night either!

And at 4:23am I'm up and swearing like a trooper at that f***ing, p***ing alerter, trying to avoid getting two legs done the same leg of my jeans and fumble for the key in the front door.

As I open the front door the rush of cool air does little to rouse me from my semi-comatose state. With any luck the jog across to the Fire Station will wake me up. And if that doesn't then dodging the early morning traffic normally works a treat!

Ladder 1 with Blue Watch on board had already left the building when I arrived bleary-eyed in front of the turnout printer: Doorway - Fir Lane, Lowestoft.

As the guys start arriving in numbers the bells go for the ERT - our doorway on Fir Lane has now been escalated to Persons Reported.

I hang back and drive the ERT (my first shout as driver on NT06) literally just around the corner into Fir Lane. Two of the crew make their way to the BAECO board to join the BA team from Ladder 2. The door is causing some problems even with the best efforts of 'Cheesey' and the door enforcer. Mel got the Remsaw off Ladder 1 and started to cut at the transom. Then some gentle persuasion from me and the middle of the door was out of the way.

The BA team quickly made their way up to the first floor flat and were able to report that there were no casualties inside.

Now can anyone explain to me how a uPVC door can spontaneously combust at 4 in the morning? Or should I be a tad more suspicious and think that a person or persons unknown had helped the door in its quest to catch fire by adding some form of accelerant and then providing an ignition source!
That wouldn't be the first time it's happened and it won't be the last...

And a big "well done" to the driver of the double decker bus, enroute to Bernard Matthews, that squeezed his way past Ladder 1, Ladder 2, an ambulance and a police car. Rumour has it that the bus driver asked a firefighter if he could get through. The helpful firefighter replied, "Course you can mate. You could get a bus through there!"

House fire - Kirkley Run, Lowestoft - Make Pumps 7

When I went to bed last night I had a feeling in my water... Hopefully the antibiotics will sort that out...

No, honestly, I had a feeling in my water that we would have a shout last night.

And at 3.25am my waterborne premonition came true. My alerter shattered the peace and saw me fumbling my way into my clothes and heading out of the door, eyes still barely open.

As I ran across Normanston Drive I could see two lights up - Ladder 2 and the new ERT were required. Once in front of the turnout printer and with my eyes now starting to focus, I saw we were off to a Make Pumps 5 house fire on Kirkley Run, in the south side of Lowestoft.

Being first in meant I had the drivers tally for Ladder 2 and we booked mobile with a crew of five: Dennis Newton (OIC), me driving and Andy 'Cheesey' Armes, Greg Osborne and Peter Read in the back.

A couple of minutes later and the ERT followed with Gary Smart as OIC, John Hubbard driving and Simon Reeves, Pete Brown and Mark Saunders making up the crew. I'm not sure that John was too impressed at having to drive the new ERT, especially in the middle of the night when you're fumbling for switches and buttons that, in the dark, just never seem to be in the right place!

We arrived in Kirkley Run to find that the property in question was the same one that we'd been to on the 25th February. Again the fire was not confined to just one area - it was on the ground floor and in what was left of the roof. Swift work was needed by Green Watch and the Clifton Road crew to stop the fire from spreading to the adjoining properties.

Access via ladders was somewhat hampered by the all embracing scaffolding that had been erected after the first fire. This scaffolding went up the front and the back of the house and then right over the roof to provide a degree of shelter from the elements. Firefighting and roof tile removal was carried out from the scaffolding.

On Ladder 2 we got ready to supply water to Ladder 1 even though thet were already being fed from a hydrant. The ERT then connected to us, ready to dump their tank into us. It's a bit of a belt and braces job but, if the hydrant failed, we would be ready to supply 800 gallons straight to Ladder 1.

We extended our hosereel, allowing the full 120m to be fed around the back of the property and up on to the scaffolding at the rear of the house.

At 04:27 the incident was made Make Pumps 7 - bringing the Southwold and Beccles retained pumps to the incident. The ERT was made available from the incident so its crew were withdrawn from an direct involvement so that they could be ready to mobilise to another incident.
We also saw the arrival of a Yarmouth pump followed by its Hydraulic Platform and a support pump.

Seven pumps sounds a bit like overkill for a house fire but there was a continuous requirement for BA teams. They were working on the roof, on the scaffolding, in the property and the neighbouring ones too.

And that was that. Back at Normanshurst before 7am with BA sets to service and a nice cup of tea!

Having been up since the wee small hours, it now feels like it's time to go to bed. Must be getting old...