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Month: November 2008
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Mumbai firefighters at work…
We've all seen heard of the terrible events in Mumbai, India. Many people have died in a set of co-ordinated terrorist attacks.And in the middle of it all the emergency services are just doing their job…
The picture below shows Mumbai firefighters pitching a 13.5 metre ladder to effect the rescue of people trapped in this hotel.
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Al comes up trumps with his CMMI drill…
Just a week ago myself and Nubbs (Paul Newberry) had a less then brilliant BA wear on board a disused naval vessel in Lowestoft Docks.
This Tuesday's drill night would give us a chance to redeem ourselves.
We were going to be drilling with Green Watch from Normanshurst, giving Al Soards the chance to take control of a drill, as he would have to in his upcoming CMMI (Crew Manager, Managing Incidents) course. The big difference with this drill was that Al would have three pumps under his command whereas on the CMMI you only ever use one pump.
Ladder 1 was mobilised to an AFA at a 'childrens home' (the smoke house) and everything else would unfold as a normal incident would. Once Al arrived with Ladder 1 he was able to quickly establish that there was a fire and that anywhere between 5 and 7 children were unaccounted for.
Al immediately escalated the incident to persons reported, which effectively makes the incident a Make Pumps 3 plus you would get an ambulance mobilised too.
A few minutes later Ladder 2 was mobilised (giving the sort of time delay that occurs when we get called in by our alerters). And straight after that we mobilised in the PRT.
When we arrived in the drill yard there was plenty of activity with hosereels out, a covering jet and BAECO being set up.
Myself and Nubbs were briefed that we would shortly be committed to the first floor of the 'childrens home' carrying out search and rescue. We set to work dragging a hosereel out to the base of the external staircase and then extending this to ensure we would have enough to complete our alloted task.
By this time the BA team on the ground floor had found and extinguished the 'fire' and had also located casualties. A second BA team (Andy 'Cheesey' Armes and Rachael 'Princess' O'Connell) were then committed to the ground floor carrying out search and rescue and then proceeding up to the first floor.
Now that the 'fire' was out, Nubbs and I made our way up to the first floor, ready to get on with our brief. We made sure we had at least two lengths of hosereel (40m plus) up on the external landing, enough to comfortably see us round the first floor. Then it was door entry procedures, a gauge check and then into the smoke and darkness. We were taking the left hand wall and Nubbs made his way into the gloom while I pulled in plenty of hosereel.
Within a couple of minutes we were in a room at the back of the property. While Nubbs stayed on the wall I moved out to his right to sweep across the middle of the room. Nubbs found a casualty behind a sofa which he offloaded to me, ready for us to make our exit. We did a quick sweep of the immediate area, just in case there was another casualty close by and then started to retrace our steps. I contacted BAECO to inform them that we had found a casualty and that we were heading out.
In no time we were out into the chill night air and making our way to the external staircase. Backwards down the stairs and report to BAECO with the casualty. It was then that we found out that BAECO hadn't received our messages – so a change of handheld radio and ready for a new brief.
Al instructed us to continue from where we had left off, still doing search and rescue, until we reached the head of the internal stairs. As we were about to enter the building we met up with Cheesey and Princess who were on their way out. They had searched up the stairs and round the other half of the first floor to what we were doing.
Back into the smoke and quck progress to where we had found our casualty. We finished this room and headed into a small bedroom containing a cot. Searching the cot, Nubbs found a 'small child' under the blanket. Again, a quick sweep of the room, under the cot, call up BAECO (they could hear me this time) and hotfoot it out of the building again.
Once down at BAECO the drill was complete. Five casualties (all of them) had been found and brought out of the building.
Everyone was upbeat and all felt they had performed fairly well. Once all the kit was made up and BA sets serviced, Al did his debrief of the drill. He told us of the scenario he was presented with and how the whole thing unfolded. Because of the number of persons reported he had put in an assistance message for Make Pumps 5 and also requested additional ambulances. The debrief was good, filling in the blank bits that we were unaware of and also explaining why things were done, when they were done.
Then it was over to Pete Gray for his overview of the drill. Both Pete and Andy English (Watch Manager of Green Watch) were suitably impressed with how Al handled the drill and for the way in which we all took a 'full and active part', showing good team work and plenty of enthusiasm. Al was also praised for the way in which he handled all the resources he had to hand. Normally, CMMI drills only use one pump. Al had three pumps at his disposal and used them very well…
Hang on a second while we all pat each other on the back. Ah, that feels better!
And after last weeks debacle, it was good to have a decent BA wear, complete our task and take part in a well run drill.
Almost made a Tuesday evening enjoyable…
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Flat fire in Lowestoft
Date: 15th November 2008
Time: 0101
Type: Smoke from flat
Address: London Road North, Lowestoft
Initial Attendance: Normanshurst 01 and 02
Final Attendance: Normanshurst 05My slumbers were shattered by the shrill call of that blessed alerter!
I made it across Normanston Drive, narrowly avoiding being mown down by Ladder 1 as it headed off into town.
We followed a few minutes later with the idea of going down Old Nelson Street as this runs behind London Road North and some of the flats have entrances from there. However, we could see Ladder 1 in London Road North and I doubled back to join them. There were no visible signs of fire or smoke in this area and we were getting conflicting reports of where the incident might actually be situated.
Ladder 1 with White Watch on board looped back through town one way while we went in the opposite direction towards Old Nelson Street again. We pulled up next to the rear entrance of the London Road flats and Dennis went off to investigate. Just a few seconds later and he was calling for two BA, BAECO and a hosereel. It was then PTO in for the pump, start running the hosereel out (and extending it from its normal 60m to 120m), laying out a covering jet (consisting of four lengths of 45) and water on to the hosereel.
The Watch had also arrived and lent a hand getting all the above done plus lighting, tool kits etc.Mel and Cheesey were committed in BA and found two separate seats of fire which were quickly extinguished.
The job had gone to Make Pumps 3, presumably to provide enough BA wearers should things have got out of hand.
And that was that…
Time to make up everything and head off home.
As is always the case, I never seem to be able to get back to sleep after a night-time shout. And last night was no different. I can guarantee that I'll nod off in the middle of England's rugby match this afternoon, probably the only thing on the box today that I want to watch.
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Charge of The Light Brigade
Today a car ended up in the river at Lowestoft – off the edge of the quay and into the dock.
Cue Armageddon, Charge of The Light Brigade or anything else mildly dramatic you can think of!
As I careered into the drill yard I could see lights up for Ladder1, Ladder 2, the PRT and the Unimog – a full house for Normanshurst. All those lights lit up at once was causing a drain on the National Grid!
There were firefighters heading in all directions and it took a while to find out that it was a water rescue in Lowestoft Dock. Normally water rescue will get a pump and the Unimog from Normanshurst plus the next nearest water rescue team – Princes Street, Ipswich on this occasion. But today the PRT and Ladder 2 were also being sent. Add to this a gaggle (is that the right collective noun) of officers and the scene is set for mayhem down by the river…
I was driving the PRT and we turned out directly behind Ladder 1 for the drive into town. I think I've mentioned in an earlier post that it's not very often we get two pumps turning out together – what a spotters delight that would have been to have seen that today!
And that's as exciting as it got. The car didn't have anybody on board and so the cavalry were returned to their various home stations.
At the same time as all this was happening Control were dealing with an incident on Felixstowe Docks and a cooker fire in Kelsale (near Saxmundham). I think they'd had a hectic half hour or so marshalling pumps and resources around the county.
Now it's back to work, brain in gear (now there's a joke) and try to get some work done…
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House Fire, Persons Reported
Date: 2nd November 2008
Time: 0052
Type: Fire
Address: Kingswood Close, Lowestoft
Initial Attendance: Normanshurst 01 and Clifton 01
Final Attendance: above plus Normanshurst 02 – persons reported.Another shout in the wee small hours. When you get to my ripe old age, you need all the beauty sleep you can get!
Hot-footed it over to the station and saw we were off to Kingswood Close, south of the river from us.
The tip sheet said 'persons reported' which always gets the adrenalin pumping. Having been into a flat and found a casualty, you know that these things can kick off and it all tends to focus the mind wonderfully!
We mobilised with a crew of four – Dennis Newton (OIC), Andy 'Cheesey' Armes (driver) and myself and Greg in BA. We're normally tight for numbers on a Saturday night hence going with just four. This should then mean we have enough to crew the PRT.
We were just about to commit to the incident when the Stop message went in, saying that all persons were accounted for, two people receiving oxygen therapy from the Fire Service and that the services of the third pump (us) were no longer required.
Back to Normanhurst, give Ladder 2 a quick rinse, have a brew and try to keep out of the way of the toxic farts that seem to be rife at this time of the morning!
Back home to lay awake for ages before sleep eventually (and I mean eventually) washes over me…
