Just before midday last Tuesday and my alerter signals yet another house fire in Lowestoft.
This confirms Lowestoft’s number one position for the most dwellings fires in Suffolk.
I was driving Ladder 2 as we headed into town via Norwich Road. As we progressed towards Stanley Street we could see a pall of smoke marking our destination.
As we turned the corner we could see smoke issuing from the broken front door and the upstairs bedroom window. Ladder 1 was round the corner in Wollaston Road, tackling the fire from the back of the house. We pulled up outside the house with Simon Reeves and Al Soards donning their BA sets. Richard set about opening up the front door with the door enforcer while I ran out the hosereel followed by a covering 45.
Simon and Al entered through the now smashed front door, with the remainder of it crashing down on Al as he made his way into the front room.
The fire was in the centre room of the groundfloor, caused by a heater.
As driver of the second pump I seemed to spend most of the time chasing my own tail… Getting equipment off the pump as and when its needed – short extension ladder, thermal image camera, wrecking bar, etc. Help to close off the road, put messages back to Control, liaise with the Police and a few other things besides.
And then it’s all over… A few minutes of frenetic activity and then pack everything up and book mobile returning.
Straight back to work and another missed lunch as I plough on with my day job. I’m sure the lack of food won’t do me too much harm.