I had just managed to last the morning at work and was contemplating food and the afternoon when my plans were hurriedly altered by the strident calling of my alerter.

Traffic, for once, didn't hold me up getting to the new slim-line Normanshurst Fire Station and I was able to grab the drivers tally. The tip sheet showed we were off to a factory fire at Birds Eye in Lowestoft.

We pulled up outside Denes IV barely a minute after White Watch who had had to negotiate the lunchtime traffic in their dash from the new Lowestoft South Fire Station.

An Assistance Message had just been put in as two people were unaccounted for - so we'd now be getting a third pump crewed by the retained firefighters of Lowestoft South (the old Clifton Road crew). Thankfully the two people were found outside the building and the added urgency of searching for casualties removed.

  BA teams were being committed in to the roof space to check the ducting - looking for fire, smoke, overheating ducts. Because of the distances the BA teams were having to travel they were sent in as teams of four taking hosereels extended to 120m.

Our pump from Normanshurst and Ladder 1 from Lowestoft South were the firefighting appliances so Mel and myself stood by the pumps, like coiled springs (!?*), ready to deliver water to the BA teams.

And that's about as exciting as it got for us. We were joined by pumps from Beccles and Bungay, the Command Support Vehicle from Beccles, the Operational Support Unit from Ipswich and the Hydraulic Platfrom from Yarmouth accompanied by three Norfolk pumps.

All that kit and firefighters may seem like overkill. But if the fire had developed it would have spread quickly and its no good deciding then that you need extra resources. Get everything rolling, you can always turn it back...

And the highlight of the whole job...

Being well fed and watered by the catering staff at Birds Eye. Thanks guys - firefighters are a happy bunch when they've had food and drink and your hospitality really hit the spot!

At 10am this morning Lowestoft South Fire Station became operational.

It will seem strange for me not to see all the pumps and specials waiting behind the closed appliance bay doors as I pass the fire station.

The existing Normanshurst Fire Station had been serving Lowestoft for 37 years and before that the station was based at the old house that stood just behind the mess room. I can remember visiting the station on what was probably its very first open day and sitting in the drivers seat of a fire engine. Never did I imagine that some 30 years later I would be driving one of those things for real!

And soon the builders will be moving to this side of the river to start on building the new Normanshurst. Except it won't be Normanshurst, more likely we'll be known as North Lowestoft.

It will be a single bay fire station and is designed to serve North Lowestoft for the next 30 odd years. I'll not get into arguments now as to whether it should have been designed with two bays or any of the other things that will get me into trouble.

I'm just looking forward to seeing the new station being built and moving in sometime in the Summer of 2010.

And for now Normanshurst must be the largest single pump fire station in the UK!

 

Rumour has it that, in an effort to cut costs, greenhouse gases and appeal to the younger computer-literate generation, UK Fire Services are to trial a new technique in driver training.

No longer will drivers need to pass an EFAD (Emergency Fire Appliance Driver) course. Instead they will be required to take a computer-based test.

If you think you've got what it takes to drive a fire engine on blue lights through heavy traffic, why not take the test now...

Just follow this link...

New EFAD course

Note: For the gullible please note that this is a wind-up and that UK Fire and Rescue Services are not, repeat not, using this to teach their turnout drivers. Or are they?

Follow me on Twitter 

Well, that's a first...

There I was, wandering through Lowestoft town centre, heading in the general direction of the bank when a familiar smell assailed my nostrils. No, it wasn't the smell of alcohol on someones breath or the tang of an unwashed body but something that I felt I should instantly recognise. Bugger, what is it?

Smoke, that's it!

Right in front of me were wisps of smoke wafting up from a bin. A man was slowly circling the bin with his mobile pressed to his ear. He then stood in the doorway to Clinton Cards looking at the bin.

"Have you called the Fire Brigade?", I asked the man.

"Don't know if it's worth it", he replied.

"Well I think I'd better call them", I mumbled as I tried to remember the number to call (only joking!).

9-9-9

"Emergency, which service?"

"Fire, please."

"Fire Service"

"Er, hello, it's Firefighter Carter from Normanshurst. There's a fire in a bin outside Clinton Cards in Lowestoft", I stumbled through, feeling slightly odd being on this end of events.

"Rubbish fire outside Clinton Cards in Lowestoft... What road is that on?", queried Fire Control.

Bloody hell! That was like the £1m question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire... What road is that? It's not even a road, it's a pedestrianised area... Is this a trick question?

"Er, erm... London Road North", I blurted with complete conviction (!?*)

"And who did you say you were?"

How many more questions can there be?

"It's Firefighter Carter from Normanshurst".

"Thank you..."

Phew, glad that's over. And by now flames are licking out of the bin...

I then rang Ladder 1 and told them the best way to come into the traffic free area before ambling over to where they would appear.

"Bloody typical, just having me dinner", was the only welcome I received...

It can be a big commitment but it's the sort of job that just gets under your skin - it becomes a part of you, a way of life.

Generally there are two types of cover that you can offer your local Fire and Rescue Service - full cover or three quarter cover. Full cover, as its name suggests is pretty much 24/7 but in reality you have to offer cover of a minimum of 120 hours per week. Three quarter cover is usually 80 hours to 120 hours and can be suited to those working shift patterns or with family commitments.

Early on in your career as a retained firefighter there will be a number of training courses to attend - basic training (5 - 10 days), two Breathing Apparatus courses (5 days each) plus others like First Aid, Road Traffic Collision and Marine Firefighting - much dependent on your location and the Fire and Rescue Service that you are working for.

To find out if your local fire station is recruiting just turn up on their drill night (there's usually a sign outside the fire station that will tell you when this is) or contact your Fire and Rescue Service.

How do Retained Firefighters get called out?

Every retained firefighter carries an alerter (a pager or bleeper) that is activated by Fire Control when their station is required to respond to an incident. They then have around five minutes in which to make their way to the fire station and mobilise whatever fire appliance(s) are needed for this incident. And don't forget, the alerter can go off anytime, day or night. You may be at work, at home watching the telly, in bed (sleeping), out with your mates or any one of many situations when you wish that thing just hadn't gone off!

The retained firefighters then turn out, ready to use the same equipment, procedures and techniques used by their wholetime colleagues.

And when the incident has been dealt with the retained firefighters can go back to work, swear about missing the footie on the TV or try to get back to sleep, ready for their day job in just a few short hours.

What type of incidents do Retained Firefighters have to deal with?

You name it and retained firefighters have to deal with it! We are expected to deal with the same types of incidents as wholetime firefighters. In the eyes of an Incident Commander we are all firefighters and must be able to deal with whatever emergency we are faced with.

Incidents attended by retained firefighters include:

• Fires - house, car, ship, aeroplanes
• Road Traffic Collisions
• Train crashes, air accidents, industrial accidents
• Chemical incidents
• Terrorist incidents - including CBRN capabilities, mass decontamination
• Water rescue
• Animal rescues
• Flooding
• Major incidents - Buncefield Oil Depot, Lockerbie, Selby train crash, national flood rescues, etc.
• Urban Search and Rescue
• Lift rescues
• Co-responding - providing support to the Ambulance Service. A fire appliance may be nearer to a person requiring attention due a heart attack than the nearest ambulance. Defibrilation and basic life support can be provided until paramedics arrive.
• and sometimes, just sometimes, a cat stuck in a tree!

What training do Retained Firefighters receive?

Surprisingly this varies enormously depending on which Fire and Rescue Service you serve with. In Suffolk new recruits undergo a seven day 'Approved to Ride' course which takes in basics such as running out hose, hydrants, ladders, knots and lines, pumping. And tagged on the end of the seven day course is a three day basic RTC course. Having successfully passed this course the new recruit is issued with their alerter (pager) and can respond to calls.

There are then two Breathing Apparatus (BA) courses, each of five days duration, normally a few months apart. The first course is all the BA basics - donning and starting up procedures, set cleaning and cylinder charging, moving in smoke and darkness, search and rescue, hose and hosereel management, etc. The second course moves on with more advanced search and rescue drills, using guidelines, confined space drills and working in nil visibility (hi-ex foam).

Add to this RTC course, first aid, LGV driving, EFAD (Emergency Fire Appliance Driving), Marine Firefighting and many others and you can see that there's quite a bit of training required.

Retained firefighters need to achieve the same level of training as their wholetime colleagues. When we turn up at an incident the public won't be too chuffed if we stand back and wait till a wholetime crew arrive because we haven't had the relevant training. A fire engine turns up and the public expect results…

However, all of this has to be achieved in just 2 or 3 hours training per week. And when you consider that you also need to attend lectures, do routine checks and carry out Community Fire Safety commitments, it is something of a tall order!

Retained Firefighters and the local community

Community Fire Safety

Retained firefighters take an active part in Community Fire Safety initiatives from Home Fire Safety Checks to educational visits to local schools.

This is part of a concerted and sustained programme to drive down the numbers of fires that need to be dealt with.

Because retained firefighters live within the community they serve, they are well placed to know and understand local risks and are known and trusted by the local community.

Road Safety

All Fire and Rescue Services run their own initiatives aimed at reducing the number of deaths on our roads.

In Suffolk we have Learn & Live and Too Young To Die. In the Waveney district of Suffolk we have now delivered Learn & Live to over 4000 students and young adults in the most at risk age group - 17 to 24 year olds.

Fetes and Open Days

In villages and town across the UK you will often see the local retained firefighters attending fetes, galas and carnivals. It's a great way to meet the public and, let's face it, a fire engine always attracts a crowd of small boys, Dads and a fair few ladies too!

Many fire stations also hold their own open days, often teaming up with the police and ambulance service to make it an alround Emergency Services open day.

How to become a retained firefighter

Most Fire and Rescue Services around the UK have retained firefighters and there always tends to be vacancies needing to be filled.

You need to contact your local Fire and Rescue Service and find out about the vacancies they have. All the contact details you will need can be found on the main Alerter website.