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?