Alerter

The overweight fire engine...

It was brought to my attention by an informant that there was a blog post just waiting to be typed. All I had to do was search for the story on a certain newspaper's website and all would be revealed.

I duly headed off to the Evening Star website, searched for "fire engine bury" and the full, unbelievable story was there in front of me.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue have recently taken delivery of a new fire engine. It's a fire engine with a difference. It's called a CARP - Combined Aerial Rescue Pump and is to be stationed at Bury St.Edmunds to replace it's ageing Turntable Ladder (TL).

As the name suggests, this is a fire engine but with aerial rescue capabilities, albeit not as great as that of the TL.

But what do we find once the thing has been delivered. It's too heavy! And why? Well, when all the specs were being drawn up someone forgot to add in an allowance for the weight of water and the crew. Unbelievable but true.

I feel this quote from the Evening Star report says it all:
"A Suffolk County Council spokeswoman said the vehicle's weight issues had been discovered during “acceptance testing”.

She said the addition of water, firefighters and extra equipment had not been considered when the weight of the bespoke vehicle had been calculated.

Joanna Spicer, Suffolk County Council portfolio holder for public protection, added: “There have been design issues but we expected glitches.

“It is just heavier than we ordered. It is possible to reduce the amount it carries - even if it is potentially dangerous it can be corrected and we are seeking expert advice."

I like the phrase "we expected glitches". That has to the understatement of the year!

All this aside, it seems that CARP's haven't had too favourable a reception in other brigades.

Here's a quote I found on another website:
"Carps just keep falling over, breaking down or off the run."
[http://www.fire-engine-photos.com/picture/number3936.asp]

What will become of our CARP - the jack of all trades but master of none?

I expect right now, in the corridors of power, there's plenty of people fishing for an answer!

Suffolk Fire and Rescue at the cutting edge - me thinks not!

Last week rumours were rife. The story had got round the station like wildfire.

We were soon to be given training on stab vests! Stab vests - f**k me! Things must be getting rough in Lowestoft if we're being given stab vests. If I'd wanted one of them I'd have joined the boys in blue!

No, you dosey pillock. It's Stab-Fast.

That doesn't sound much better to me. Stab-Fast, Stab-Slow - whichever it is it's going to sting!

And then the penny drops a very long way indeed.

Stab-Fast is a new piece of kit being rolled out across Suffolk for use at RTC's (Road Traffic Collisions). In a matter of seconds these adjustable supports can be attached to a vehicle, giving excellent stabilisation. The kit is simple and virtually firefighter proof - although Al and Shambles haven't been let loose together with one of these.

I did say that this is being rolled out across Suffolk. And it is. Every fire engine in the brigade will have a Stab-Fast. All except dear old Ladder 2 at Normanshurst. Ladder 2 at Bury will have it. All the pumps at Headquarters will have it. But not us.

Is it because Lowestoft is a safer place than the rest of Suffolk (unlikely), is it because in the very near future we may be shuffling off to Norfolk (possible) or is it... Suffolk are just too tight to buy that one extra set?

I think I'm on the right track when we're told that Suffolk decided not to purchase a simple wedge that can be incorporated in the kit, adding to the stabilising effect. How much money did they save by not buying that? Obviously not enough to buy the kit for Ladder 2 at Normanshurst!

And are Suffolk at the cutting edge by introducing this kit? Not likely. Just a quick trawl of the Internet shows me that in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia it's been in use for over two years. And that's without the Germans, the Dutch and everybody else...

Better late than never I suppose.

One Suffolk... but minus Lowestoft

Ever felt that nobody loves you? Ever felt like the black sheep (or is it sheep of multi-ethnic origin - just trying to be PC) of the family? Ever been sent to Coventry? Or to Norfolk?

Well, we all know that dear old Lowestoft has its problems. Being a deprived area and being a little too far from Ipswich has got the Boundary Committee for England thinking that we'd be better off as part of Norfolk.

I've read the report from the Boundary Committee and, admittedly, some of it makes sense. The reason they are thinking about moving the border is down, basically, to failed attempts by Norwich and then Ipswich to become unitary authorities. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has asked the Boundary Committee to look at alternatives. The sad thing is that the favoured option for Suffolk is 'an Ipswich & Felixstowe unitary authority and a Suffolk unitary authority comprising the rest of the county apart from the Lowestoft area.'

Is it me or am I developing an inferiority complex?

But looking on the main Suffolk County Council website we see that our paymasters have actually been thinking about two ways forward to achieve their utopian dream of 'One Suffolk'. Here's what it says:

The Boundary Committee for England has today announced it sees merit in the 'One Suffolk' proposal. The Committee has backed the joint proposal from Suffolk County Council and Mid Suffolk District Council – ‘One Suffolk’ - as one of the proposals upon which it is consulting.

It will consult on two proposals for Suffolk:

The first is for two unitary councils: a North Haven unitary council, including Ipswich, Felixstowe and many rural areas; and a Suffolk unitary council covering the remainder of the county, excluding Lowestoft. Lowestoft is proposed to move into Norfolk.
The second proposal is for a single unitary Suffolk council excluding Lowestoft. Lowestoft is proposed to move into Norfolk.

Councillor Jeremy Pembroke, Leader of Suffolk County Council, said, “If people and local organisations support the ‘One Suffolk’ proposal, then the Boundary Committee will put that to the Secretary of State. Our 'One Suffolk' is the cheapest solution - it would save the equivalent of £100 for every household in Suffolk. It would make all services easier to use and give local people in each area a bigger say. Our task is to ensure that our residents don’t lose out through any changes. I remain convinced that a unitary Suffolk – one council for the county – would benefit the people of Suffolk.”

Well thanks a bunch mate! I'm alright Jack because we're getting rid of Lowestoft and that'll save £100 for every household in Suffolk. So it's not about whether it's the right option and the benefits it'll deliver, it's down to the old pounds, shillings and pence - yet again!

Mr. Pembroke may come to regret his boyish enthusiasm as the groundswell of public opinion looks set to go in the opposite direction. Time will tell.

Moving Lowestoft into Norfolk depends on five criteria laid down by the Secretary of State. These are (now stay with this. I read the whole bloody document so I'm sure you can manage a bit more...):

• attract a broad cross-section of support - LOOKS UNLIKELY
• provide for strong, effective and accountable strategic leadership - DOUBTFUL
• deliver the empowerment of citizens and communities, so that all communities have power and resources to influence the decisions that affect them in their localities - POSSIBLE
• provide value-for-money services – services should be provided effectively, efficiently and in an integrated and coherent way, ultimately driving up customer satisfaction - NOT SURE IF SUFFOLK HAVE ACHIEVED THIS YET, SO UNLIKELY
• be affordable – the change to a unitary structure should deliver value-for money and be self-financing, with transitional costs being capable of being paid back within a five-year period - EXTREMELY UNLIKELY

I'd say it will fall down on four out of the five criteria, meaning that on aggregate the idea gets binned.

Where does this leave Lowestoft with its new fire station about to be built, literally under two miles inside the new Norfolk border - Norfolk will extend down the A12 to just before the north end of the Kessingland bypass and cut back across the A146 at the westerly end of Rookery Park Golf Club?

Would Norfolk want a brand new fire station and the annual repayments on the PFI? Would they prefer to keep more pumps on 'the island' and therefore be happier to do a refurb on Normanshurst? That's just the tip of the iceberg on the fire service side of things... These changes extend into other services to - Police, highways, refuse, housing and so many more.

There are some merits about shifting the border but it does feel awfully like being sent to Coventry...

I'll stop now because you've read far too much in one go and probably need to have a lie down.

Feel free to post your comments. You may think this is a fantastic idea or you may think it's Norfolk and Good!

Here's how the local media are covering the story:

Suffolk Free Press - New look for Suffolk gets cool response

Bury Free Press - Councils unite against Suffolk proposals

EADT - MPs' anger over unitary proposals

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!

Scottish Modules...

Last night we had the joys of two RTC lectures - 4 and 5.

I've had a moan in an earlier post about the Scottish Modules and now it's time for some more!

These Modules are meant to be the mainstay of our training and certainly seem to take up a great deal of our limited drill time.

The first lecture was all about vehicle stabilisation and casualty extrication. Now, to say these modules were done on the cheap would be an understatement. There were just a couple of photos of RTC drills and the rest of the 'imagery' was made up of drawings seemingly done by the local nursery school!
From these pictures we are meant to be able to interpret the lecture notes (read out to us) and 'see' these depicted on the screen.

Is it beyond the collective means of all the individual Fire Service's to club together and get some decent films made of the various RTC themes we need to know? The films can be made of small segments showing, in detail, each of the areas that the lecture notes cover. Then put the whole lot together and show a mock RTC with all the individual themes rolled into the one drill.

Some of these Scottish Modules cover areas that we, as ordinary firefighters, will never encounter. Yet something that is our bread and butter is dealt with by a Powerpoint presentation that, quite honestly, doesn't cut the mustard.

We need to be able to put ladders up, pump water, extinguish fires, be competent BA wearers and be well versed in RTC procedures and techniques. These are the mainstays of the job. Knowledge of all these others areas is a bonus. Let's get the basics right first...

Hug a firefighter don't throw stones at them!

Is it me?

When did firefighters go from being the good guys to being targets for certain sections of our community to hurl sticks, stones, fireworks and even petrol bombs at?

Now, here in Suffolk, we're very lucky. I've not heard of any instances of this behaviour in the county and I hope it stays that way.

I'm trying to understand the reasons behind this upsurge in violence towards firefighters but can't. Is it that we represent figures of authority and are therefore fair game? Is it that all respect for others has totally disappeared? Or is it that these individuals know that there is little chance of being caught and, if they are caught, thay can claim that a broken home / family is to blame. They then get to visit a fire station, play with hoses and generally have a good day out as a form of 'punishment' to show them the error of their ways. What about the kids who never cause any trouble? When do they get the chance of a 'freebie' and playing firefighter for the day?

Anyway, that's enough from me. I could say more but to do so may upset too many people in different quarters.

So hop on over to the BBC which has launched a Have Your Say section on their website called What should be done to protect firefighters?

Loads of comments there, all make interesting reading...

So you're a part-time firefighter then?

Very few members of the public really understand what a retained firefighter is and what our role in today's Fire Service consists of.

This lack of knowledge is partly down to the media, the individual Fire Service's around the UK and all of us retained firefighters.

It doesn't help when the press, trying to explain the word 'retained', describe us as part-time firefighters or volunteers. We're neither. You can't get much more full-time than carrying an alerter around with you day and night, virtually 365 days of the year. And we're not volunteers. We get paid a retainer (hence retained firefighters). It's about £2500 per year or around £7.50 a day (if you take off leave entitlement). So for around 31p an hour we make ourselves available for any incident, 24 hours a day - now that's what I call value for money! Actually Pay and Conditions is a whole separate rant - so back to the plot.

The vast majority of UK Fire and Rescue Services rely heavily on retained firefighters to keep the fire service operational. Take Suffolk as an example. There are 35 fire stations of which only 4 are manned by wholetime firefighters, 24 hours a day. A few are day-manned, so retained firefighters take over at night but the majority are one or two-pump fire stations located in small towns and villages across the county.
In these small communities many of the local people understand how the fire service works in their area - it's likely that they know of someone that's on the local crew.

It's at stations in the larger towns that the public are blissfully unaware of how the fire service operates.

If there is a six-pump shout in Lowestoft, only one fire engine will be a wholetime pump. All the others will be crewed by retained firefighters from Lowestoft and the surrounding area (Beccles, Wrentham, Southwold etc). But to the public, when they dial 999 and ask for Fire, they don't actually care whether the fire engines that turn up are crewed by wholetime or retained firefighters. They've got an emergency and they need it dealing with. And it's right that there shouldn't be any distinction between us in the eyes of the public.

I just feel that the likes of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service are missing a PR trick here. All organisations whether they are public or private sector want and need good publicity. Across the county we are desparately short of retained firefighters - recruitment is always difficult. So why doesn't the Fire Service get its act together and proudly show off what is probably the best resource it will ever have - its retained firefighters. Its best resource will never be its kit whether it be fire engines, personal protective equipment or its organisational standards (these are ripe for rants of their own!).
If you've got it, flaunt it. Any turned on business knows that its staff are its biggest asset. They make or break an organisation.

So come on Suffolk, let's get those local authority wheels turning, and tell your 'customers' how good your staff are, all of them - retained firefighters, wholetime firefighters, control room staff and the myriad of people that keep the service going.

Do you know, I almost feel better for having a bit of a rant, a bit of a whinge. Well I'm at that age when I can officially claim membership of the Grumpy Old Men's Club. No doubt this won't be the last of these 'getting it off your chest' posts.
If there's anyone out there who'd like to rant, rave or whinge (not about the missus, the kids, the credit crunch or anything else), just let me know. Just send me your thoughts via the Comments link underneath this post.

The end. Phew!