Wash day a few pictures for JP1 ,DaveJ and any other firemen part 1

[DaveJ]

We had a 4 pump house fire Friday night. Well it was made up to 4 pumps and a bowser, unfortunately the 3rd slid off the 1/2 mile lane leading to the property and bogged properly, blocking everything else from coming up. Including our pump which was ferrying water. Had to go old school with featherweight pump into a ditch. Took 2 tractors to extract the truck .

 

[jamesy]

We had a 4 pump house fire Friday night. Well it was made up to 4 pumps and a bowser, unfortunately the 3rd slid off the 1/2 mile lane leading to the property and bogged properly, blocking everything else from coming up. Including our pump which was ferrying water. Had to go old school with featherweight pump into a ditch. Took 2 tractors to extract the truck .

Oooooof!!

 

[JP1]

We had a 4 pump house fire Friday night. Well it was made up to 4 pumps and a bowser, unfortunately the 3rd slid off the 1/2 mile lane leading to the property and bogged properly, blocking everything else from coming up. Including our pump which was ferrying water. Had to go old school with featherweight pump into a ditch. Took 2 tractors to extract the truck .

Bet that made a few run and sweat then

Count it as a good drill night

Did you bother with the wicker basket in the rush

 

[DaveJ]

Bet that made a few run and sweat then

Count it as a good drill night

Did you bother with the wicker basket in the rush

Ours is very posh, has an integrated basket, but there wasn't enough depth of water to use it. Had to use the elephant's foot.

 

[JP1]

Ours is very posh, has an integrated basket, but there wasn't enough depth of water to use it. Had to use the elephant's foot.

Dead posh

On a different tangent (may be it should be on the LFB training thread), I cannot believe how many YouTube videos exist with (mostly US) firefighters falling through burning roofs. Certainly in Suffolk, you'd never be allowed on there without suitable precautionary steps

 

[DaveJ]

Dead posh

On a different tangent (may be it should be on the LFB training thread), I cannot believe how many YouTube videos exist with (mostly US) firefighters falling through burning roofs. Certainly in Suffolk, you'd never be allowed on there without suitable precautionary steps

We've probably both seen the same one doing the rounds on FB currently. Crew on the roof of a timber construction house, above the fire, without so much as a roof ladder. Then the inevitable happens.... Apparently it's SOP over there to make holes in the roof for ventilation.

 

[7740 man]

Yanks are mad, their way is to vent the fire by going up on the roof and putting a hole in it, normally leaving the front door open to get a good draft going through....

 

[DaveJ]

Yanks are mad, their way is to vent the fire by going up on the roof and putting a hole in it, normally leaving the front door open to get a good draft going through....

Principle is sound, in fact they are in the process of training us up to go further and blow air in with a portable fan. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but those who've done the training say the result is amazing, you could virtually go in without BA. We put in an upstairs window rather than make a hole in the roof though. We've carried the fans to clear smoke for years, but the service has only recently decided to start using them offensively.

 

[7740 man]

Hmm I'd be careful! I'm no expert let's get that straight but they used two fans to ventilate a house fire in our area that was nearly out, it ended up reigniting the fire, burnt the house down & the one next door! The OIC gained the nickname 'Johnny two fans.' Like I say probably not the correct use that caused it, but we aren't allowed to use them now unless the fire is completely out

 

[DaveJ]

Hmm I'd be careful! I'm no expert let's get that straight but they used two fans to ventilate a house fire in our area that was nearly out, it ended up reigniting the fire, burnt the house down & the one next door! The OIC gained the nickname 'Johnny two fans.' Like I say probably not the correct use that caused it, but we aren't allowed to use them now unless the fire is completely out

Oof. I had guessed something had gone badly wrong for someone, as we've had the fans for nearly 10 years but despite initial enthusiasm from senior management have been restricted to post fire smoke clearance until now. To be honest giving us one was daft as we almost never use it, and the space on the truck would be better used for something else.

 

[7740 man]

I suppose it's a good tool in the right hands!

 

[JP1]

Hmm I'd be careful! I'm no expert let's get that straight but they used two fans to ventilate a house fire in our area that was nearly out, it ended up reigniting the fire, burnt the house down & the one next door! The OIC gained the nickname 'Johnny two fans.' Like I say probably not the correct use that caused it, but we aren't allowed to use them now unless the fire is completely out

I'm with you on this

 

[jamesy]

We now have tactical ventilation training on a 3 yearly rotation in amongst BA, entanglement & Fire Behaviour refreshers, only thing is the equipment for entanglement & tac vent aren't in place at the training facilities so we just get BA instead! Typically good joined up thinking!

 

[Xerion]

Survived the first week !!!! just about
day off tomorrow then practice my plan spiel all day on sunday then into 2 days practicle monday tuesday !!!

Max

 

[JP1]

Survived the first week !!!! just about
day off tomorrow then practice my plan spiel all day on sunday then into 2 days practicle monday tuesday !!!

Max

Well done. So you have the assessment Wednesday and you know straight away?

 

[Xerion]

Friday is the big day JP
Written exam followed by a presentation to prove your ability to train others , then the dreaded plan spiel .
Plan spiel is a model city ,where you are given a incident to command , you have to recognise all hazards and bring the einsatz to a happy conclusion as regards to victims and crew
Monday tuesday is a practicle assesment on your ability to lead your group in an incident .

 

[The Son]

Sounds like we have something similar, but its called XVR, a bit like a video game, where you have an incident in front of you on the screen in real time that you can move around using a joystick, and you then have real people coming in as bystanders, casualties, police and other fire officers, as well as a radio to contact other firefighters and officers on the fire ground as well as control.

It does get a bit chaotic, but is as realistic as you can get to an incident in the classroom, we are even filmed and it is played back so you can see how you performed.

Good luck next week!

 

[7740 man]

Wow think I'll stick to rolling hoses out for now!

 

[DaveJ]

What we were up to this afternoon. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-38615373 One of the (big) pipes from Lake Vyrnwy which supplies Liverpool burst.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Had to go old school with featherweight pump into a ditch.

I was rather alarmed a few years ago when the Fire Service came round checking that ponds and other non-mains water sources were still as mapped, to learn that if the pond had great crested newts in it they wouldn't touch it. And we know that our mains is cr*p as when neighbour had a barn fire (lightning strike) they had to bowser water in.
Practically every pond in this area has GCN in in the breeding season.