I know! It's been far too long since I posted anything on here about shouts.
No excuses really – work, life and couldn't be arsed all come into play.
So let's make amends now…
I was sitting chatting to the present Mrs. C, waiting the arrival of a health care professional to help us with Karen's ongoing care requirements. I won't bore you with the details suffice to say, if you don't already know, that Mrs. C broke her neck 27 years ago, uses a wheelchair to get about but leads a busy life that makes me knackered trying to keep up.
Enough of the back story.
So, with two minutes to go before the arrival of our 'guest' my little black number throws a wobbly and has me apologising profusely to The Boss before I head out the door and hot-foot it across to North Lowestoft Fire Station.
Archie, who's part of the South Lowestoft On Call crew is crossing the road with all his kit. To help keep pumps on the run, Archie has one of our alerters as his building work sees him working even closer to the fire station than me.
Just as we get in the front door the turn out alarm starts, changing what was obviously a standby into a turn out.
The incident is on Pinbush Road on the South Lowestoft Industrial Estate and it's now Make Pumps 3.
I'm driving and, as usual, it's an interesting drive through Oulton Broad negotiating the traffic and the drivers that seem blissfully unaware of the fourteen ton truck lit up like a Christmas tree and emitting a plethora of load noises – bull horn included. Such fun!
We pull up behind the two South Lowestoft pumps and immediately run hose from us to their second pump to supplement the water supply. They're using loads of water as the fire is well developed involving fuelled vehicles in a building and gas cylinders too. So hosereels, 45's and ground monitors are sending gallons upon gallons of water onto the fire.
Archie and I take our pump away to fill up at a hydrant that's not on the same main as that already being used. So, It's A Knockout style we rock up at a hydrant and set to to get the water into the tank as quick as possible and then back to the fire ground.
With plenty of hard work from the crews the fire was brought under control quickly.
It's interesting to note that today's fire may well reflect how things will be in Lowestoft if the proposed cuts to frontline fire engines goes ahead. At the time of the shout South Lowestoft were only able to crew one of their two pumps – that's why we were sent on the Make Pumps 3. But after the cuts, which I feel are inevitable, this is how it will be – only three fire engines in Lowestoft, not four.
Fire calls may well have dropped but the unique geography of Lowestoft, the large housing developments that are underway or planned plus the new wind farm business mean we're growing.
These cuts mean there's no spare capacity.
A person reported house fire gets three fire engines. That'll be all the fire engines in Lowestoft after the cuts. There'll be nothing left over for any incident – bin fire, RTC, whatever.
Sorry, I'm rambling. Told you it'd had been far too long since I posted anything. Think I just made up for that!
