Category: Training

It seemed like every man and his fire engine was at Normanshurst last night.

Beccles and Bungay crews were there for a risk critical BA session – simulated dwelling fire, persons reported, plus the added bonus of gas cylinders involved.

Meanwhile Clifton were dealing with an RTC involving two cars in the fire station driveway.

And finally two retained crews from Normanshurst were starting combination drills with confined pitches of the 135 ladder.

Each crew took a different face of the drill tower for their pitch followed by getting water to work from two lengths of 45 from the head of the ladder. Then we advanced into the tower, sending cascades of water down the inside of the tower to avoid soaking everyone else on the drill yard!

Not long after I'd hauled myself into the third floor of the tower, the station alarm sounded. Hoping for two lights up as I was on the next pump after the Watch. No lights so not sure what was going on. Carry on with the waterfall effect in the tower.

The bells go again just a couple of minutes later but it's only for Ladder 1. Then, over the handheld radios, the first retained crew is being called to crew Ladder 1. Pete Brown, Shambles and I do a nifty descent down three sets of vertical ladders, getting soaked by the remaining water on its way down…

We were off to M&H Plastics in Beccles for an AFA. Thankfully no fire as it would have had a chance to get a good hold in the time it took us to get out to Beccles.

Our arrival seemed to be the highlight for some of the ladies on the evening shift. Never really understood this 'thing' that certain ladies have for firefighters. It's just the uniform and the idea of being 'saved' – it certainly isn't about what or who is inside said uniform. If the ladies that go weak at the knees at the sight of a firefighter could hear the dawn farting chorus when we're all together at five in the morning, they'd soon go off the idea…

Anyway, a slow drive back from Beccles was called for and, with any luck, all the gear and ladders would have been made up.

Then we hear Ladder 2 book mobile to an AFA at Birds Eye which, like ours, is nothing to write home about. Still, they should be back before us, so we should be OK for missing out on the make up.

Just heading back through Worlingham and we get a Fire Priority to a garage fire in Spashett Road, Lowestoft. Pete picks up the pace and we race off back to Lowestoft, hearing Ladder 2 book mobile to the same job.

We make it all the way back to the Shell Garage in Oulton Broad before the Stop message goes in.

It seems it wasn't a garage on fire, just a very small pile of rubbish that succumbed to two buckets of water!

And all we had to do back at Normanshurst was get the two 135 ladders down.

Our night of combination drills is now being rescheduled…

It's funny how you find your self 'volunteering' for something. Sometimes you don't realise that you've done it and other times you're sold a pup. I think my 'volunteering' fell into the second category…

In the wee small hours of last Sunday morning we were getting ready to pull a rather large horse out of a rather muddy ditch. My brain was still mush and trying desperately to get itself in gear, when Gary Smart sidled up to me and asked if I'd like to be a casualty in an RTC district exercise. At that time of the morning it sounded more appealing than running around, sweating your bits off, cutting casualties from cars – so I said 'yes'…

And that's why I found myself and three other 'willing' helpers across at the fire station, an hour before drill, getting made up with all manner of wounds. Mine was a head wound with a lump, a cut and some blood.

The drive up to Jeld-Wen drew some odd looks from anyone who happened to catch sight of these four battered and bruised individuals being transported in the back of a Fire Service minibus!

The RTC involved three cars – one on all four wheels with two female casualties (the driver had been drinking…), another on its side with its roof up against a skip (Richard Belsey was in this car with a badly broken leg) and finally me, in an upside down Peuguot.

I'd picked the car on its roof because, being a lazy git, I thought I'd be able to make myself comfortable on the roof liner and have a nice little doze – keeping in the character of being semi-conscious. But when I looked at the car I couldn't believe the amount of crap that was in it. I think someone had been using it as a skip! So I got in and laid with my head just resting in the open window, trying to nestle down in all the rubbish that was all over the place.

First pump in was Wrentham and I could hear them surveying the scene, checking on the vehicles and the state of the casualties. I was deliberately incoherent and slipping in and out of consciousness, gradually giving information to the firefighter and then to the St Johns Ambulance staff. Could detect a rise in the voice as I slipped away – 'Ian, Ian, wake up!'

And so followed an award-winning performance as the car was dismantled around me and we waited for a long-board to become available. As time wore on I was getting more and more uncomfortable and started to kick out – hopefully emulating the effects of a head injury – while trying to get some feeling back into my legs!

I've decided not to 'volunteer' to be a casualty again. Sweating your bits off as a firefighter has got to be so much better than lying, helpless, having a car cut from around you – especially for Richard who had Al cutting a post just an inch or so from his head. I know the sound cutters make, the sound of glass being managed and the sound of a Remsaw. But, even so, it was unnerving being on the receiving end.

So, when volunteers are called for again, I shall be taking three steps back…

The retained firefighters at Normanshurst had a somewhat extended BA drill last night. We were also covering the town as Green Watch had taken the Water Rescue van (NT0V) and were off up the river having a paddle about.

The scenario saw Ladder 2 (NT02) followed by the ERT (NT06) tip out to a fire in a disused warehouse that was staging a rave. There were multiple persons reported and the added bonus of cylinders stored in an adjacent outbuilding.

I was driving Ladder 2 and we pulled up short of the drill yard which was already heaving with a Recruits Course (now known as Approved to Ride) and some of our guys playing with the new Tirfor winch (the TU32 for all you winching experts!).

First job was to get the ground monitor set up to deluge the outbuilding. Three lengths of 70 were run out to this and three lengths of 70 run out from the hydrant to Ladder 2. Water on to the monitor. At the same time as the monitor was being got to work the hosereel was being extended, giving us a working length of 120m – enough to get from Ladder 2, across the drill yard and right round inside the 'disused warehouse' – the smokehouse. Then it was the covering jet consisting of three or maybe four lengths of 45. And, if this was a real incident, as pump operator I'd have been putting back radio messages too..

I was somewhat detached from the action and could only watch from 100m away as BA teams were committed to the 'warehouse'. Then, right in my line of sight, one of the drill yard flashing red lights started up, accompanied by the turnout alarm. The four of us that were riding Ladder 1 – myself, Denis Newton, Pete Brown and Richard 'Shambles' Lambert – ran back to the appliance bay with me heading for the printer and the tip sheet. What feat of heroics were we about to perform? What blazing inferno were we about to valiantly extinguish? None by the looks of it. Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) at a local carpet warehouse. But you never know. Just because it's an AFA doesn't mean that it isn't, in Denis' vernacular, 'going like a Bastard!'

Within a few minutes we had pulled up at the carpet warehouse and there was no immediate sign of fire. Rather suspiciously, there was a van parked outside belonging to an alarm company. And, sure enough, an alarm engineer sheepishly stuck his head out of the door to see what all the excitement was. False Alarm, engineer working on system…

Back to Normanshurst and pick up where we left off.

The only two BA wearers still to go in were myself and Shambles. We were then starting to don up when the turnout alarm sounded yet again. While struggling to free myself from my BA set, the crew for Ladder 1 was rejigged so that we could get our wear in.

I went as team leader with a brief to enter on the ground floor, follow the right hand wall until we found the stairs and then take these to the first floor. From there conduct search and rescue off the left hand wall.

A gauge check just before we enter the smoke filled 'warehouse' and then in till we found the stairs. Made quick progress up the stairs and with enough hosereel on the first floor we started our search. The first room we entered was a bathroom – now what a bathroom was doing in this 'disused warehouse' I don't know. After a bit of fumbling and back tracking, we located the toilet door. I think this had previously been hidden behind a cupboard. But once that cupboard had landed on my foot the door to the toilet became more obvious!

And here was our first casualty, stuck behind the toilet door. Now why is it that it's always the big buggers that collapse in the bog? I squeezed into the toilet and started to push the casualty out to Shambles. A quick radio message to BAECO and we made our way out.

With the casualty outside we checked out pressure and were both on 140bar and made the decision to re-enter and continue the search.

We moved quickly back to where we had found our casualty and resumed the search. In and out of a number of rooms until we came to a room with armchairs and other items of furniture. Shambles had gone out to the side of me to maximise our search area and found a casualty on the floor, just below a window. Message back to BAECO and retrace our steps – Shambles carrying the casualty and me bringing out the hosereel and branch. Both of us were now down to 90bar so time to call it a day.

With five of our number out on Ladder 1 it fell to us remaining to make up all the hose, the hosereel and service the BA sets. Time for the more elderly amongst us to take a breather…

As usual when we are doing something practical, the time flies by. And it was a good drill, made to be a lifelike as possible, even down to the music blaring out at this rave gone wrong.

Next week we have a lecture to look forward to all about sewers and silos – I can just feel the excitement building!

We were all set for a talk from the police accident investigator but this was cancelled because, you've guessed it – he'd had an accident. Hopefully not a bad one but enough to mean the talk had to be called off.

So we attended a chemical incident instead on the front grass at Normanshurst.

Ladder 2 turned out first to reports of children that had collapsed close to some drums of chemicals.

A BA team from Ladder 2 (Rachael and Peter Read) carried out a snatch rescue while the rest of the crew started to prepare for the full chemical circus.

We arrived on the ERT and helped to cordon off the area – hot, warm and cold, put together the decontamination dam, laid out the hosereel, buckets, brushes, emergency air supply from 2 BA sets, four Gas Tight Suits (GTS), paperwork – the list goes on…

The first GTS team of 'Cheesey' Armes and Jason Balls were committed to the scene to get more information about the leaking chemical. They were closely followed by the second GTS team of Paul 'Nubbs' Newberry and Peter Read. The second team would be relaying the chemical information back to BAECO so that more details could be gleaned about the chemical and its potential dangers.

Part way through the exercise Jason, at a signal from Mel, collapsed in a heap with an Oscar winning performance. The other 3 GTS wearers initially just stood there and stared at the crumbled heap of yellow plastic on the grass in front of them. Then, galvanised into action, they reported back to BAECO that they had a 'firefighter down' and proceeded to drag Jason towards the decontamination area.

The rescue of Jason wasn't easy. For a start moving in a GTS isn't very easy let alone trying to grip a lifeless form in another GTS and carry him 50m to the decontamination area. The plastic viewing panels were steaming up as Cheesey, Nubbs and Peter burnt some calories lugging their casualty to safety. Every so often you'd see an arm swipe across the plastic window like a windscreen wiper just to give them a glimpse of where they were heading.

And finally they made it. With much hilarity for the onlookers, Jason was dumped, unceremoniously into the dam. And while he was being taken care of by the decontamination team we had to give the emergency supply of air to two of the rescue party.

Once all four GTS wearers had been washed down and stripped of their GTS suits we had a quick debrief before making all the equipment up.

Not sure what all the passing motorists thought of this spectacle unfolding before their eyes – Gas Tight Suits, decontamination, casualties… Perhaps they thought that we were rehearsing for when / if swine flu finds its way into sleepy old Suffolk!

It was a good drill, everyone enjoyed it and got something out of it and, more importantly, it makes the two hour training night go so much more quickly…

Last night was one of those rare occasions when we get off station to do some drilling…

Two pumps headed down to the old North Denes caravan site to fight a simulated house fire – actually a boarded up toilet / shower block.

Ladder 2, with Ian ‘Billy’ McMillan in charge, were the first pump in and got a hosereel onto the ‘fire’. Almost immediately Billy made up for another pump to assist with the water supply.

We turned up on Ladder 1 and set about running a line of 70 from us to Ladder 2, supplementing our tank from a hydrant that was about four lengths away. I think it was nine or ten lengths of 70 to get over to Ladder 2 – and as the line got longer firefighters were disappearing into the thickening fog…

With a reasonable supply, the Ladder 2 crew were able to get two main jets working, one through a monitor.

Then we had a ‘failure’ of the Ladder 1 pump. We made a dam at the midway point along the line of 70 and let this start filling from the less than adequate hydrant. Four of us then lugged the LPP (Lightweight, Portable Pump – neither lightweight or particulary portable!) the 150 metres from Ladder 2 to the now filling Fire Service paddling pool. We were then able to pump water on up the line to Ladder 2, but were quickly over-running the supply from the hydrant.

And after a few minutes of this we got the ‘knock off’ from Mel. A short debrief in the gathering gloom was followed by a pretty brisk make up, especially as the clock was moving swiftly towards 2100hrs and the end of drill night.

These simulated incidents / off-site drills make our training more realistic – not just squirting water at the drill tower with a good hydrant just feet away. We also get seen by the public, our customers, which generates interest and the chance to have a chat with them – again far better than us being hidden away on the drill yard. And, finally, the time goes much quicker. Two hours spent in the classroom on the Scottish Modules or fannying around on station really does make the clock stand still…

Before Normanshurst's ERT (Emergency Rescue Tender) could go 'on the run' all the Watch's and all the retained firefighters had to undergo training on the new appliance.

The retained firefighters here were the last group to be trained – Tuesday's extended drill session – allowing the ERT to go 'on the run' the next day.

During the three and a half hour drill session we 'played' with all the new fangled gear and equipment that the ERT carries.

First port of call were the high pressure and low pressure lifting airbags. The high pressure airbags lift at a far greater rate than their older counterparts, with the low pressure one looking like a giant bean bag inflating.

The HGV platform was then assembled at the front of the ERT, showing how quickly this glamourised decorators scaffolding can be erected.

And then it was getting the Powershore kit to work propping up an overturned car. This would normally be used to stabilise an HGV but it was felt more prudent to use the upside down Mondeo than to start stabilising the spanking new ERT!

Then we set to cutting, bashing, spreading and anything else we could think of to another scrap car. The hand-operated cutters / spreaders were put into use, together with the Hooligan bar, electric snippers, portable lighting and anything else that came to hand…

For the final part of the evening five of the retained firefighters that are turnout drivers took the ERT out for a refresher on how the vehicle handles.

And that was that.

The next time we drive the ERT it will most likely be to an incident. We'll be fuffing and faffing, trying to remember what's in which locker. So perhaps some locker drills are the order of the day. Failing that, when we turn up to an incident, open all the lockers to reduce the ripple effect of the shutters going up and down, up and down…

Tuesday night was Drill Night and, with a week to go before our new helmets go 'on the run', we wore ours for the ERT training session.

It's fair to say that, at the moment, there aren't any fans of the new design.

After wearing them for a short period, muggy heads were the order of the day – possibly due to the extra weight of the helmet mounted torch on the righthand side!

And being used to adjusting our existing helmets in a flash, we're finding it all takes that much longer to locate the right 'bits' on the new coal scuttles…

Loosening the helmet to accommodate a BA mask and smokehood should be fun until we're more comfortable with the whole process.

Anyway, next Tuesday is H-Day – April 1st. Keep your eyes peeled for self-conscious firefighters fiddling with their helmets…

Having only been needed as an instructor on the first day of the Firebreak course in Beccles, I was eager to get along to the passing out parade on Friday afternoon to see how the week had gone.

I had been impressed on Monday by the effort and will to learn displayed by the students.

And what I witnessed in their final drills was fantastic. They did themseleves proud – drilling as a team, barking out the orders, heads held high and chests puffed out.

As their guests arrived the youngsters greeted them, showed them to their seats and waited nervously for the proceedings to start.

A few words of introduction from the acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer and then each student was introduced. They ran on to the drill yard followed by the instructors. The squad was then split into two crews with the first crew doing a ladder drill to rescue a baby from the first floor of the drill tower.

The drill went smoothly, everything was made up and the crew fell in to be greeted by a round of applause from the invited guests and instructors.

The second crew ran out two lines of 45 consisting of two lengths each, connected to the hydrant. They then got water on and choreographed their branchs resulting in a bright rainbow effect in the spray. Again, this crew were rewarded by sustained and deserved applause.

To round off the drill section of the passing out parade, both crews joined to carry out a combined drill.

The ladder crew had to rescue Mel Buck (christened Melanie for the purposes of the drill – he was wearing a fetching blue dress – and on a weekday instead of the normal weekend outing) from the tower while the remainder of the crew started setting up a dam. They then filled the dam from the hydrant, set the LPP (Light Portable Pump) into the dam and got two lines of 45 to work from the LPP.
With very little assistance from the instructors, everything ran according to plan.

It was an impressive drill especially getting an LPP to work. I don't think an LPP is anyones favourite bit of kit but the young lad tasked as pump operator made it look simple!

With everything made up and the applause still ringing in their ears, the students received their course portfolio from Joanna Spicer and the Dep. The 'Most Improved Student' was then presented with a certificate and shield.

The guests, students and instructors then made their way inside for refreshments and a chance to mingle and chat.

And so, on its first visit to Waveney, Firebreak was a resounding success. With any luck it won't be too long before the course is run in this neck of the woods again.

With any luck the course will have a lasting effect on the students and set them up well for the coming years as they make their way into adulthood…

This week we had a BA drill with White Watch in the smoke house at Normanshurst.

This drill was ostensibly for two retained firefighters from Bungay who needed to catch up on some BA work.

The scenario was that the smoke house was a Youth Hostel and that there was a fire on the first floor with multiple persons reported.

The Bungay team were first in, taking the hosereel and searching off the right-hand wall. Not long after entering the building they located a casualty under the staircase and brought him out. They recommitted and worked they way round the groundfloor maze of metal cagework before going up to the first floor. Teams two and three followed, extending the search when team one were low on air.

I was in team four with Mark Saunders so we manned the BAECO board until White Watch returned from a shout and could do the honours. Mark went in a as number one and we made our way as quickly as possible to where team three were finishing their search. We received a quick brief from them as they made their way out with a casualty. We continued until we found the branch and soon after found a 'youngster' laying on a sofa. We did the customary 1 metre sweep around the area and then started to make our way out. I radioed BAECO to inform them of our find and that we were exiting the building.

And that was that. All casualties were found, which is good, and the whole evening passed quickly – also good!