I don't know where to start…
What an absolutely brilliant day was had by all – our visitors (in their hundreds), our guests from the other emergency services and for all of us at Normanshurst who worked their magic on the crowds.
The Open Day has been in the planning for months, gradually coming together and involving more and more people, most of them willingly. These last few weeks had seen the pace quicken as raffle prizes were sought, posters were printed and circulated, stalls were organised, the catering was planned and a thousand other things – all so important to guarantee a great day. The only thing that had to be left to chance was the weather, but thankfully Neil Henderson is on good terms with the Big Boss and he didn't disappoint!
The day started early for some with Green Watch finishing their final night with preparations for the day. Gradually more and more of the firefighters from Normanshurst arrived, many with their wives and children, all eager to lend a hand.
Time just flew by as everyone pitched in with the myriad of tasks still to complete. We were all set for our 1100 briefing which slipped to 1115 and finally got going at 1130, with everyone crowded into the mess room. The Police, Ambulance Service and Casualty Union were briefed on their part in the RTC drill, Norfolk's USAR team were given their slot in the proceedings and then it was time to ask for volunteers.
Now, anyone with a military background will say that you should never volunteer for anything and the same goes for the Fire Service. But there is one occasion when the urge to volunteer gets the better of all of us. Neil was describing the final drill – a fire in the drill tower with casualties to be rescued from all floors. He needed volunteers to be casualties and the casualties were to be women. Like a shot, a sea of hands went up for the honour of being rescued by Suffolk's finest, by a bunch of male firefighters, all wanting the chance to dress in drag! I'll come back to this later…
Bang on cue Woody Bear arrived to officially open the event by cutting a piece of Fire Service red and white traffic tape. There was already a small crowd in place to welcome Woody and then make their way through the front of the appliance bays and into the drill yard.
The next four hours was just a whirl of activities. My first drill was for a simulated car fire with me driving the PRT, Mel Buck in charge, Al and Greg in BA and Horney Ben as BAECO. With about ten minutes to go before our allotted time we pulled slowly out of the appliance bay, not wanting to have a close encounter with any of the visitors, and drove round to the rear entrance of the station. On cue, we pulled away with blues and two's for a quick sweep into the drill yard to be confronted not by a raging inferno but a knackered Fiesta with a few wisps of smoke coming out of its windows. Anyway, the drill was over in a matter of minutes, we made all the gear up and made a swift exit.
Before the next drill I took the opportunity to have a wander. There really was plenty for everyone to see and do. In addition to Fire, Police and Ambulance we also had the inshore lifeboat, Coastguard, vintage fire engine from Seething Airfield and stalls by the bucket full – all designed to part our visitors from their money.
Next up for me was an RTC drill involving two vehicles, one of which had two trapped casualties. We kept the same crew on the PRT and Ladder 2 was in line astern of us waiting to enter the arena. The drill seemed to go very well and quite quickly too. We even had the Ambulance crew there and the Police were landing a hand too. I think it's safe to say that the WPC's provided excellent casualty care and I would expect that their bedside manner would be second to none.
The front seat passenger was the first out on the longboard followed a tad more slowly by the driver. I'm convinced she had her feet wrapped around the steering column just to make the extrication more difficult!
And as quickly as the drill had started, it was all over. Time for a change of clothes as I was soaked – station wear, full fire kit and then the nice plastic hi-viz jacket just to keep all the heat in.
With time advancing it was the cue for the five damsels in distress to get dressed. And what a sight we were! It was a cross between a bunch of Pantomime dames and Emily 'I'm a Lady' from Little Britain.
With plenty of noise and not too much campness we climbed the drill tower. I was on the first floor and due to be rescued first via the short extension ladder at the hands of the Clifton Road crew. With my best impression of a Panto dame I hammed up the rescue until finally brought safely to the ground. Then, still in my party frock, I ran out a few lengths of 45 and connected to the hydrant. As each 'lady' was rescued they too joined in until Neil and Andy 'Begz' Jackson were plucked from the drill tower roof by the Turntable Ladder. Then it was 'water on' as five 45's soaked the drill tower and everyone taking part in the drill.
And that was it, the day was nearly over. The crowd started to disperse, all the kit was made up and in no time you'd never have known anything out of the ordinary had happened. But, actually, something extraordinary had happened. Firefighters and many others had given up their spare time to run a fantastic event. Just to see the look on faces, young and old, was enough to tell you the day had been a success.
I nipped home to pick up Karen (my wife) for the shindig organised for all the helpers and their families. It was a chance to unwind with a burger and a beer and chat about the day. It's been easy to forget that in the six years since joining as a retained firefighter, Karen has never seen inside the station and has only imagined the things we see and do. So here was my chance to show her around and, earlier in the day, to see what her old man gets up to when his alerter shatters the peace. I don't think we, as firefighters, always appreciate the sacrifices that our wives and partners make for us to do this job. We know and hopefully understand the dangers we face but they can only imagine them – that's got to be far worse.
I'm not sure how much money was raised but, judging by the queues for food and drink, it should be a tidy sum.
And just when we thought that was the final curtain for Open Days at Normanshurst it was realised that we may be able to sneak another one in next year, before the new station opens its doors. After this years success I hope we get the opportunity to repeat it all next year…
