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As always, when shouts have been thin on the ground, my alerter going into overdrive sends me up in the air like a cartoon character. Thankfully, as I hit the ground, my legs are spinning like Billy the Whizz!

Over to the Fire Station to find we’re going to a water rescue incident barely a few hundreds from the station, as the crow flies, but well over a mile by how the fire engine drives…

Within minutes we’re pulling up behind the ERT and water rescue van plus a gaggle of police vehicles, paramedic’s car and ambulance.

Now Slater’s Pit is best described as a large pond surrounded by plants and of indeterminate depth set in open ground on a housing estate.

Emergency services were called when a man that lives close by heard someone calling out from the direction of the Pit. On investigating her saw someone in the mud and went off to make the 999 call. When he returned the female had disappeared from view.

Two Swiftwater Rescue Technicians from the Watch got suited and booted and made their way to search the area. Four other firefighters including Ben Horne and Ollie Denby from S16P3 (North Lowestoft) dressed in floodsuits to enable them to search the edges of the Pit.

The Air Ambulance arrived and carried out a couple of slow passes to see if they could spot anything from their vantage point. They then set down on the open grassed area close to Slater’s Pit.

While the searching firefighters inched their way round the area we got the inflatable boat ready to launch. This then did a search of the water and surrounding vegetation – all to no avail.

Crews searched for well over an hour after which it was confirmed that the female had left the water before we all turned up.

Time then to decontaminate all the gear before making it up and heading back to the fire station.

For us at North Lowestoft Fire Station it’s unusual to get directly involved in a water rescue job. It was good to get hands on experience of the kit and how these incidents progress…

On a bright Saturday morning Lowestoft South Fire Station was transformed into a drive through car wash to raise much-needed funds for The Fire Fighters Charity.

Cars were queueing, the hoses were spraying, the suds were flying and the buffers were buffing the freshly washed cars with energetic enthusiasm…

As always, we're chuffed to bits that the people of Lowestoft come out to support their local firefighters. 

Welephant made an appearance, enticing motorists to come and have their car washed. Thankfully Welephant didn't get run over as he made numerous trips to collect money from the passing drivers… I took over as I wasn't too happy that a young elephant would be confident crossing the road by himself!

I also took the opportunity to show some of our younger visitors around our fire engine. It's great to see the big smiles as they clamber aboard 'Jupiter' and ask for the umpteenth time if my name is Sam…

With some of our crew having to get away we left Lowestoft South just after midday for a leisurely drive back to North Lowestoft. But things don't always go according to plan.

Edging slowly down Cotmer Road in the lunchtime traffic towards The Flying Dutchman and our Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) does its little doorbell ring. Now our MDT is slow at the best of times and we thought it was just updating our status after leaving Lowestoft South a few minutes back.

After a few more seconds and a couple of prods of the screen, Gary announced, "We've got a shout!"

I let the traffic in front move off as we waited to see to where and what we were now going to be heading to.

"Horse in mud, Flixton Road, Blundeston", said Gary…

Coming up > Firefighters rescue horse from deep mud in Blundeston, Lowestoft

Two teams from Normanshurst were entered in yesterdays Inter-Emergency Services Karting Competition at Ellough, near Beccles.

We had Swift to Swerve (Pete Brown, Mel Buck, Pete Gray and Gary Smart) and The Squirters (Ben Horne, Chris Randall, Al Soards, Chris Wallace and myself) representing the very best (*!?) in driving skills from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service.

After getting kitted out in racing gear, helmets and scaffolders gloves we all headed off for the safety briefing. This was a large gathering as there were fourteen teams entered in the competition, so around 70 drivers!

 So, with qualifying over, Swift to Swerve were tenth and we were eleventh on the grid.

Chris Wallace led our team off, followed by Al, me, Chris Randall and, finally, Ben.

We fluctuated between our starting position and eigth place but our other team made steady progress through the field reaching third for a while.

Halfway through the 3 hour race the refuelling 'window' opens for just ten minutes. All fourteen karts have to refuel in that period. Swift to Swerve with Pete Gray at the wheel, timed their refuelling stop to the second. Pete rounded the tyre wall into the pit lane just as the barrier was removed, signalling the start of refuelling. Our own Chris Wallace fuelled third followed by a driver change with Al.

Each team had to change drivers 11 times during the race. We had worked this out as roughly 15 minutes per driver which equates to 15 laps (we'd each get at least two drives).

It takes a few laps to get the feel of the kart and start to work out the best driving line around the circuit. Add to this slower traffic, spinouts and the odd bit of argy-bargy and you have 15 minutes of adrenalin-fuelled racing!

A few of the teams took the whole thing a tad too seriously, especially the one that ditched its two slowest drivers in favour of giving the final 60 minutes of the race to its fastest driver! I wonder if the team gave these two laggards a refund on their entry fee… Hmm…

With 3 hours over Swift to Swerve finished fourth and we climbed two places to ninth. Not bad for two teams that haven't put in any practice sessions at all!

All in all a great afternoon - stiff arms, a sunburnt face, some good racing and plans to run a Fire Service Karting Grand Prix…

I'll add some pics into a gallery just as soon as my PC feels a bit better.

Unlikely…

I been off sick for a couple of days, which seems like ages and there hasn't been any shouts. So, no one will have noticed I'm not there. In fact it's such a long gap between shouts that you often can't remember the last time you saw old so-and-so…

Hopefully I'll be back on the run early next week. I've done something to my intercostals - a muscle group that runs between your ribs. Hurts to breathe, move, lie down, anything. Put up with it for a couple of weeks but it got worse a couple of days ago so I paid a visit to our Aussie Nurse Practitioner. Hell of a journey but worth it!

She prescribed some meaty pain killers and anti-inflammatory tablets too. The painkillers work a treat.

Being of not quite sound mind and body I decided, inadvertently, to test the "can cause drowsiness, do not operate heavy machinery" warning. I got up this morning and, for some reason, took two of these painkillers on an empty stomach. Twenty minutes later and it was like the living dead. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I was literally falling asleep standing up! Things got so bad that I had to retreat to bed and have an hours kip. It wasn't till lunchtime that I felt normal (!?*) again.

Shan't be making that mistake again…

I think this is my first time off sick in around five years. My alerter had to be surgically removed from my hip. Feel naked without it. Sad git!

Date: 16th August 2008
Time: 1755
Type: Building
Address: London Road South, Lowestoft
Initial Attendance: Normanshurst 01, Clifton 01
Final Attendance: Normanshurst 01, 02, 05, Clifton 01, Yarmouth HP, Yarmouth support pump, FCV.

I had just started to cook my evening meal when I heard Ladder 1 go out on a shout. My alerter hadn't gone off so all seemed well for tonights culinary delight. Wrong!

With only a matter of minutes to go before the whole thing was to be dished up and… sod it, the bloody alerter goes off. Make sure everything is turned off on the cooker and the saucepans removed from the hob – would be a tad embarassing having a fire in your own kitchen!

Got over to the station to find Blue Watch turning out on the PRT. They were just about to take over from White Watch when the bells went (White Watch had taken Ladder 1). So, now it was Make Pumps four and the only thing left for us to ride was our trusty steed – Ladder 2.

I was driving with Mel Buck in charge and in the back we had Pete Brown, Greg Osborn, Les Farr and Ben Horne.

Traffic was a bit congested by the time we double-backed around the KFC in Marine Parade. The police hadn't, as yet, set up diversions so cars were being sent through the KFC and back out onto the southbound A12. I bet the KFC manager had hoped they would have been diverted firstly into his Drive-Thru!

I parked Ladder 2 along with the PRT in Mill Road, leaving space for the Hydraulic Platform plus support pump from Great Yarmouth.

The building that was on fire had smoke issuing from either the roof or the window of a flat – my view was obscured by the scaffolding at the front of the building. We already had a BA team in the building with a hosereel while others made their way up the outside using the scaffolding.

Luckily the fire had been caught early and it didn't have a chance to spread to the roof.

Being the driver on one of the last machines to arrive I found myself doing odd jobs – helping to check that all the flats were empty, ferrying BA sets between pumps and the BAECO board, forming the emergency BA team but nothing more exciting than that I'm afraid.

Refreshments duly arrived from the KFC in the shape of around 30 cups of coffee – thanks KFC… Unfortunately, they couldn't provide us with anything more substantial. Ah well, perhaps we'll try and get the pump through the Drive -Thru when we leave!

This gave us the chance to introduce ourselves to our new Norfolk colleagues, all of whom were blissfully unaware that Lowestoft is being given to them on some cheap Buy One Get One Free promotion. And Buy One Get One Free is about right – take a look on your Tesco till receipt and it says BOGOF. "What shall we do with Lowestoft?", said someone at the Boundary Committee. "BOGOF" was the reply…

And that was that. Everything was made up and we eventually headed back to Normanshurst.

I did get to eat my tea but over three hours after I'd planned too. A quick zap in the microwave and you never even noticed the skin that had formed on my chicken in white wine sauce!

I don't know where to start…

What an absolutely brilliant day was had by all – our visitors (in their hundreds), our guests from the other emergency services and for all of us at Normanshurst who worked their magic on the crowds.

The Open Day has been in the planning for months, gradually coming together and involving more and more people, most of them willingly. These last few weeks had seen the pace quicken as raffle prizes were sought, posters were printed and circulated, stalls were organised, the catering was planned and a thousand other things – all so important to guarantee a great day. The only thing that had to be left to chance was the weather, but thankfully Neil Henderson is on good terms with the Big Boss and he didn't disappoint!

The day started early for some with Green Watch finishing their final night with preparations for the day. Gradually more and more of the firefighters from Normanshurst arrived, many with their wives and children, all eager to lend a hand.

Time just flew by as everyone pitched in with the myriad of tasks still to complete. We were all set for our 1100 briefing which slipped to 1115 and finally got going at 1130, with everyone crowded into the mess room. The Police, Ambulance Service and Casualty Union were briefed on their part in the RTC drill, Norfolk's USAR team were given their slot in the proceedings and then it was time to ask for volunteers.

Now, anyone with a military background will say that you should never volunteer for anything and the same goes for the Fire Service. But there is one occasion when the urge to volunteer gets the better of all of us. Neil was describing the final drill – a fire in the drill tower with casualties to be rescued from all floors. He needed volunteers to be casualties and the casualties were to be women. Like a shot, a sea of hands went up for the honour of being rescued by Suffolk's finest, by a bunch of male firefighters, all wanting the chance to dress in drag! I'll come back to this later…

Bang on cue Woody Bear arrived to officially open the event by cutting a piece of Fire Service red and white traffic tape. There was already a small crowd in place to welcome Woody and then make their way through the front of the appliance bays and into the drill yard.

The next four hours was just a whirl of activities. My first drill was for a simulated car fire with me driving the PRT, Mel Buck in charge, Al and Greg in BA and Horney Ben as BAECO. With about ten minutes to go before our allotted time we pulled slowly out of the appliance bay, not wanting to have a close encounter with any of the visitors, and drove round to the rear entrance of the station. On cue, we pulled away with blues and two's for a quick sweep into the drill yard to be confronted not by a raging inferno but a knackered Fiesta with a few wisps of smoke coming out of its windows. Anyway, the drill was over in a matter of minutes, we made all the gear up and made a swift exit.

Before the next drill I took the opportunity to have a wander. There really was plenty for everyone to see and do. In addition to Fire, Police and Ambulance we also had the inshore lifeboat, Coastguard, vintage fire engine from Seething Airfield and stalls by the bucket full – all designed to part our visitors from their money.

Next up for me was an RTC drill involving two vehicles, one of which had two trapped casualties. We kept the same crew on the PRT and Ladder 2 was in line astern of us waiting to enter the arena. The drill seemed to go very well and quite quickly too. We even had the Ambulance crew there and the Police were landing a hand too. I think it's safe to say that the WPC's provided excellent casualty care and I would expect that their bedside manner would be second to none.
The front seat passenger was the first out on the longboard followed a tad more slowly by the driver. I'm convinced she had her feet wrapped around the steering column just to make the extrication more difficult!
And as quickly as the drill had started, it was all over. Time for a change of clothes as I was soaked – station wear, full fire kit and then the nice plastic hi-viz jacket just to keep all the heat in.

With time advancing it was the cue for the five damsels in distress to get dressed. And what a sight we were! It was a cross between a bunch of Pantomime dames and Emily 'I'm a Lady' from Little Britain.

With plenty of noise and not too much campness we climbed the drill tower. I was on the first floor and due to be rescued first via the short extension ladder at the hands of the Clifton Road crew. With my best impression of a Panto dame I hammed up the rescue until finally brought safely to the ground. Then, still in my party frock, I ran out a few lengths of 45 and connected to the hydrant. As each 'lady' was rescued they too joined in until Neil and Andy 'Begz' Jackson were plucked from the drill tower roof by the Turntable Ladder. Then it was 'water on' as five 45's soaked the drill tower and everyone taking part in the drill.

And that was it, the day was nearly over. The crowd started to disperse, all the kit was made up and in no time you'd never have known anything out of the ordinary had happened. But, actually, something extraordinary had happened. Firefighters and many others had given up their spare time to run a fantastic event. Just to see the look on faces, young and old, was enough to tell you the day had been a success.

I nipped home to pick up Karen (my wife) for the shindig organised for all the helpers and their families. It was a chance to unwind with a burger and a beer and chat about the day. It's been easy to forget that in the six years since joining as a retained firefighter, Karen has never seen inside the station and has only imagined the things we see and do. So here was my chance to show her around and, earlier in the day, to see what her old man gets up to when his alerter shatters the peace. I don't think we, as firefighters, always appreciate the sacrifices that our wives and partners make for us to do this job. We know and hopefully understand the dangers we face but they can only imagine them – that's got to be far worse.

I'm not sure how much money was raised but, judging by the queues for food and drink, it should be a tidy sum.

And just when we thought that was the final curtain for Open Days at Normanshurst it was realised that we may be able to sneak another one in next year, before the new station opens its doors. After this years success I hope we get the opportunity to repeat it all next year…

After too long a gap we are holding an Emergency Services Open Day at Normanshurst Fire Station, Lowestoft.

There'll be plenty to see and do… tons of equipment and fire engines from Suffolk Fire and Rescue including all three of our appliances, the Turntable Ladder and Operational Support Unit from Ipswich and much more.

We also look forward to welcoming our colleagues from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service with their Urban Search and Rescue team – their kit is well worth the journey to see!

We're also hoping to see Suffolk Police and the East of England Ambulance Service.

There will also be stalls, displays and, of course, Woody Bear to open the whole shebang.

Don't miss this chance to meet your local emergency services!

Yesterday the drill yard at Normanshurst was turned into a spotters paradise and would have sent shivers down the spine of all hardcore DIYers.

And the reason for all this – Norfolk's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team had made it over the border from Wymondham and set up camp in the most of the drill yard. Luckily they only brought four of their five trucks with their dismountable modules. The one that is basically a truck full of timber was left back on station in Wymondham.

All four modules were dismounted and opened up with plenty of the kit out for us to look at and 'Oooh' and 'Ahh' to.

These guys work 12 hour shifts, two days, two nights and four days off. A crew of seven is on duty at all times with another seven available at the beckoning of an alerter. Norfolk's USAR team is one of two such units in East Anglia (the other is based in Essex). Norfolk serve their own county as well as Cambridgeshire and Suffolk and are available for any national incidents. Their services were called upon at the tragic incident at Atherstone upon Stour where four firefighters lost their lives in a warehouse fire.

On their own admission they very rarely get turned out. They primary function is to provide USAR in the event of a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. These station visits are designed to raise awareness in neighbouring brigades so that we might call upon their services, especially now that we know what they are capable of.

It takes a lot to impress a bunch of firefighters but the kit is definitely not the cheapest available (makes a change), it's serious kit and the crew came across as very knowledgable and friendly (I had to say that, they may be reading this…).

Wouldn't it be nice if the Government put something nice and shiny our way? Please add your wishlist via the Comments link. If there's a clear winner I'll have a word with Mr Brown (Gordon, not Paul or Pete) and see what I can do…

Today I was asked if I wanted to visit Roman Hill Middle School to assist with the educational visit by White Watch. Not having done one of these before I agreed and rearranged my day job to fit around the visit.

Al Soards and myself went along as backup, just in case the Watch got a shout and had to shoot off.

The first part was done in the classroom of the Year 8 students and they certainly weren’t shy in coming forward with plenty of answers to our questions. They also asked some well-thought out questions with only a few references to how things are done on telly in America!

Then it was outside to the playground for a tour of Ladder 1 and to see me in all my fire kit and wearing BA.

Hopefully this hour with the children and, more importantly, what they learnt will stay with them and may, one day, save theirs or some one else’s life…

By the time Al and I got back on station, White Watch had received a Fire Priority for burning undergrowth in the local churchyard. And then minutes later the bells went for Ladder 2 and the PRT to go to a disused boat shed in Oulton Broad…

This just in from the BBC:

A new emergency text service for deaf and speech-impaired people is being launched by Sussex Police.

The new 65999 text number will enable those who cannot use a voice telephone to access the emergency services.

People can send a text starting with the word "police", "fire", "ambulance" or "coastguard", followed by their message, and get immediate help.

It will be dealt with by Sussex Police Control, who will reply to confirm receipt and then deal with the issue.

Ch Supt Chris Amber said the new system would ensure users could alert the emergency services quickly and effectively.

The launch of the new text service coincides with Deaf Awareness Week.

A similar service, using a different text number, was set up by Kent Police earlier this year.
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How long do you think it will be before some muppet abuses this system by putting in hoax calls? For those that can text faster than they can string a few words together, I’m thinking it won’t be long! Every brigade has got their fair share of hoaxers, let’s hope this doesn’t bring them out of their dark  little corners…