Shouts I've ridden this year.
Skip the waffle and go to the list of shouts!
Before I start I have to set out a couple of ground rules. The first is that anything written here is for interest only. Nothing I write or say on this site is meant to infer official Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service policy. I do not wish to include any details which could be embarrassing to any individuals, or which could land me in hot water with any organizations. The page is only intended to give you, the reader, a taste of the life of a retained fire fighter.
Glossary of terms.
A/C Alarm Caused. -- Normally indicating that what was thought as a fire was in fact something quite innocent.
AFA -- Automatic Fire Alarm. (Sometimes known as Another False Alarm!)
BA -- Breathing apparatus an air tank worn on the back, and a facemask (guess where we wear that) which enables us to breath and work in smoke.
Branch.-- The nozzle on the end of a fire fighting hose.
C/B -- Controlled Burning (bonfire or the like)
CPS Chemical Protection Suits. A coverall suit, worn with BA on the inside to protect the firefighter from chemicals when dealing with a chemical incident.
F.A.G.I -- False Alarm Good Intent.
F.A.M. -- False Alarm Malicious
HPHR. -- High Pressure Hose Reel. A very useful fire fighting tool. We tend to tackle all but the biggest fires with them. The hose is only about 30mm or so in diameter, and is easier to handle than the 70mm main hose we would have to use with a main jet. The water is pumped at high pressure ( up to 50 bar) and so the water coming out of the end of the branch is very effective at fire fighting, but as there is only a small amount of water (relative to a main jet) the water damage is reduced, and the tank on the pump lasts longer.
ICS. -- Incident Command System. This is a management system that is put into operation at large incidents, it ensures that all personell are accounted for, at all times, and that the proper risk assesments are in place. It could be thought of as a BA control, for the entire incident, and not just for those actually inside the fire.
MRV. Multi Role Vehicle. A large four wheel drive lorry, with a HI-AB crane on the back. Several "loads" are available to the MRV, including incident support ( lots of hose BA cylinders etc) Chemical spill ( spill control equipment) Water load ( a tank full of water) and Animal Rescue ( slings and other usefull kit). Before the MRV leaves it's home station, the load can be changed to a load appropriate to the call, using the self driven crane.
OOA. Out on arrival.
PDA. -- Pre Determined Attendance. All shouts will have a PDA, i.e. the number of pumps etc. which will be sent in the first instance. The PDA will probably be different for the same address if the call comes in as Fire, or AFA. Known addresses such as hospitals etc. will probably get two pumps sent, for an AFA. Property fires will get two pumps, for persons reported in a domestic property the PDA will go up to three pumps (with the possible addition of the SEU.)
Persons Reported -- People are trapped in fire situation. This will be given the highest priority, and fire fighters will do there level best to arrive at the scene as fast as is humanly possible.
PPV - Positive Pressure Ventilation. A damn great fan used to blow smoke, fumes, and even fire out through the back of the property
RTA Road Traffic Accident. Now called an RTC- Road Traffic Collision
RTA Washdown No person trapped, but are help is needed to assist making the scene safe, disconnect the battery, hose way and spilled fuel or oil etc.
Running Call This is when a fire call is notified to the fire brigade by word of mouth rather than by telephone. The term comes from someone literally running up to a pump, or fire station to notify us. (Can be slightly confusing as some fire stations have "running call phones" at the front of the station for members of the public to contact us direct.)
Pump. -- The "in house" term for a fire engine. The radio message "Make pumps four" means four fire engines are required at this incident.
SEU. -- Special Equipment Unit. A special fire engine with an enormous amount of rescue gear, and other really useful large toolage, that is unable to be carried on a normal pump.
Stop: -- Stop message sent back to control. Indicated that the situation is in hand (fire may not need to be completely out by then) and that no further assistance is needed at the incident.
Short Stop Codes. In 1976 the long hot summer stretched the radio system to its limits, consequently stop codes for incidental fires were introduced. Fires which would not have warranted a fire report were given a letter code (always spoken in the form of the phonetic alphabet) and a figure. The letter indicated what was on fire, the following number, what was used to extinguish the fire. On 1/2/99 this was replaced by a three figure code. The first number replaced the first letter of the old stop codes, the second number is unchanged, the third indicates the supposed cause.
TIC. Thermal Imaging Camera.
Victim Support Unit. -- This is a unit run by volunteers from the Red Cross, who tip out when requested to provide any help or assistance that emergency victims may need. The van is equipped with a toilet, and shower, a mobile phone, a kitchen, and spare clothing, as well as all sorts of other stuff. The volunteers are trained in counseling to help the victims deal with the tragedy.
55 Mon 09/06/08 21:34 Car leaking petrol, outside of a private address just north of the centre of Totton. Stop: FAGI, A/C by water leaking through the chassis from an open bedded pick up truck.
54 Fri 06/06/08 04:01 AFA at a large building companies offices and workshops, on the Rushington Industrial Estate. Stop: A/C by fault on intruder alarm system.
53 Mon 2/06/2008 03:31. Fire, Persons Reported, at a guest house in the Ashurst Area. Stop: FAM.
52 Sat 31/05/08 15:20 On return to station, and as we were completing the paperwork, we were called to an AFA at a commercial premises on the Millbrook Estate. Stop: A/C by fumes from cooking.
51 Sat 31/05/2008 13:57 Shed fire, involving cylinders, at a private address on the Rushington estate. A gas leak had occurred on the pipe work of a stove being used to melt lead, for fishing weights, the leak was impinging on the large LPG cylinder, and on arrival the occupants had extinguished most of the fire with garden hoses, and were cooling the cylinder, unable to shut of the gas supply, or redirect the flame. Having employed a hose reel to assist cooling the cylinder the gas supply was isolated, and the cylinder then cooled with water.
50 Wed 21/05/2008 18:58 Report of a hedge fire, to the rear of a property on the Rushington Estate, near to a railway line. It is possible that the fire was caused by kids playing with matches. A main jet was used to deal.
49 Sun 18/05/08 10:39 Post Box fire, Ringwood Road. 1 HPHR used to deal. Cause was probably not accidental!
48 Sun 11/05/2008 01:00 Report of Fire, at a local well known video rental store. Stop: A/C by operation of intruder smoke-cloak.
47 Sat 10/05/08 03:33 Following the previous incident, we were sent to stand by at Redbridge Hill Fire station, as the guys were out dealing with the incident, that had triggered ours! No further call.
46 Sat 10/05/08 03:13 Report of a bin shed on fire, at the base of one of the high rise block of flats on Millbrook Estate. A nearby bonfire had kicked up a lot of smoke, and a resident of the flats had thought the smell of smoke was rubbish burning. Stop: FAGI, A/C by smoke from other incident.
45 Sun 04/05 20:34
44 Sat 03/05/08 11:31 AFA at a convenience store to the west of Totton town centre. We were turned back by control, as we were not required to attend. (a second call had probably informed control that it was a false alarm.
43 Fri 02/05/08 06:09 Tanker lorry with overheated brakes, M271 motorway. Overheated brakes can lead to a tyre catching fire, which can spread to the lorry, and the load. When the load is a tanker full of petrol........ On arrival we found the overheated brakes had been discovered early, and so there was no danger of fire. Stop: no action HFRS.
42 Mon 28/04/08 18:07 AFA at a home for the elderly, in the Pikes Hill area of Lyndhurst. Stop: A/C by electrical fault on AFA system.
41 Mon 28/04/08 17:41 AFA at a block of sheltered flats for the elderly, in the Eling area of Totton. Stop: A/C by fumes from cooking.
40 Sat 26/04/08 16:19 Car fire, Calmore Road, Totton. Steam from a burst radiator hose has sparked the scare. Stop: FAGI no action HFRS.
39 Tue 22/04/08 22:57 Fire, Persons Reported, in a flat above a shop, Lyndhurst High Street. A kitchen fire had trapped a man in a room above the fire. An off duty fire fighter, returning from drill night happened upon the incident, and entered the property, he was able to close the door to the affected room, thus allowing the occupant to be rescued by bringing him down the stairs, past the affected room. Two BA and 1 HPHR were used to bring the fire under control. The cause was thought to be accidental.
38 Tue 22/04/08 21:22 Report of a domestic boiler smoking, at a private address on the Rushington Estate. Stop: A/C by overheated boiler, no action HFRS.
37 Fri 18/04/08 16:29 AFA at a block of sheltered flats for the elderly, in the Eling area of Totton. Stop: A/C by fumes from cooking.
36 Sun 13/09/08 17:06. Report of a pole smoking, in the middle of a quiet residential area of Totton. On arrival we found an electricity pole well alight, with the the fire spreading to the overhead cables. Soon after arrival the insulation of the main feeder cable melted, and the cables fell to the ground amidst an impressive shower of sparks. Unable to prove if any of the cables remained live or dead, and pretty certain that the fires would burn themselves out, we stood back, and protected the scene by keeping everyone away from the affected area, and requesting the urgent attention of the local electricity board. On arrival the board took control of the scene, and as the fire had burned themselves out, as expected, we handed over to them, and returned to home station.
35 Wed 09/04/08 14:03 Fire, at a disused farm building, in the Nursling area. This was at least the second of a series of fires, probably started by kids, who were playing in and around a n abandoned set of farm buildings. 1 jet and 1 HPHR were used to deal with the wooden shed.
34 Sun 06/04/08 20:29 AFA at a large supermarket's large distribution warehouse, on Nursling Industrial Estate. Stop: A/C by drop in pressure on sprinkler system.
33 Sat 05/04/08 15:37 Lift Trapment at the same local authority run block of sheltered flats in the water Lane area as the previous shout. On arrival no one was in the lift!
32 Sat 05/04/08 11:59 AFA at a local authority run block of sheltered flats in the water Lane area of Totton. Stop: A/C by fumes from cooking.
31 Wed 26/03/08 23:27 RTC involving a van, Test Lane Totton. A single vehicle RTC involving a van, which had lost control, and had ended up on its side, laying across the fence to the railway line. Whilst the trains were put under caution, the driver, who was stood in his rolled over cab, was released by the simple move of cutting out the glass in his windscreen. The area was then handed over to RailTrack and the driver probably had an interesting chat with the police!!!
30 Wed 26/03/08 17:43 AFA at a local authority run block of sheltered housing, in the Calmore area. Stop; A/C by fumes from cooking.
29 Sat 22/03/08 02:29 RTC trapped, in the Windsor area. On arrival no one was found with the vehicle, it was assumed that the driver had left the scene, possible to avoid being breathalysed!
28 Thu 20/03/2008 17:59, Fire, type unknown, to the rear of the Red Lion Public House in Totton. Stop: C/B
27 Wed 19/03/08 08:09 Report of a camper van on fire, in the Trotts Lane area of Marchwood. Although we trawled the area, no fire was located. Stop: FAGI, unable to locate vehicle, assumed to have moved on.
26 Mon 17/03/08 06:26 RTC trapped, on the A31, at Picket Post. On arrival we found a single car in a ditch, with no one trapped, so we returned to home station.
24 Sun 09/03/08 09:15 AFA at a block of sheltered flats not very far from the station. We were turned back by control, after booking mobile, as they had received a call stating this to be a false alarm,.
24 Sun 09/03/08 00:54 Report of a fire, possible persons reported, at an address in the Lower Canterton area of Brook. On arrival we found nothing happening, however the police told us that there had been numerous malicious calls from this premises. Stop; FAM.
23 Thu 06/03/08 18:02 Report of a bonfire out of control, at a Travellers site, in the Bury Brickfields area. The bonfire was deemed to be under control on our arrival, so we took no action.
22 Mon 03/03/08 08:17. SSC, man trapped upstairs in house, (lock-in) an elderly gentleman complaining of back pain, which meant he could not descend his stairs had attracted the attention of his neighbours. As they held a key, it would have been an easy task for them to gain access, and render any assistance, however the gentleman in question had left his key in the lock on the inside of the door, thus precluding a simple rescue attempt. We ran a ladder to the open first floor window, and a firefigher climbed inside and unlocked the door from the inside. By this time the ambulance service were in attendance, and the scene was handed over to them. Stop: SSCC, entry gained.
21 Thu 28/02/08 21:20 Report of a roof fire in a reasonably new wing of a local hospital specialising in psychiatric patients. The report described a rapidly developing fire, and so three pumps were despatched to the scene. On arrival no signs of fire were located. Stop; FAM.
20 Tue 26/02/2008 Report of a fire, type unknown, in the Calmore area of Totton, On route to the incident, we were told of a further call to a bonfire in the garden of a house in the area. We attended the site and checked the area. Stop: A/C by C/B
19 Sun
18 Tue 19/02/08 05:35 RTC Trapped, A31. A collision between a small lorry and a commercial van had left the passenger of the van trapped by the dashboard. The passenger was successfully removed from the vehicle by removing the passenger seats into the loading bay.
17 Sun 17/02/08 19:34 Stand by at New Milton Fire Station. Three separate incidents had taken up all local machines in the area. No further cal, we returned home after about two hours.
6 Sun 17/02/08 15:11 AFA at a large factory unit on the Calmore Industrial Estate. On arrival staff were already on site, tracing why the sprinkler system had operated, it was thought that ice melting had triggered the system.
15 Sun, 10/02/08 17:51 By radio, we were called to smoke in the area of Hanger Farm, we could see a plume of smoke, but could not trace it before we lost it in the darkening sky as night fell. As we recieved no further calls we assumed it to be controlled burning.
14 Sun 10/02/08 17:15 Children lighting fire, in the proximity of a central car park in Totton. These kids had led us a merry dance all day, and admited to starting fires, when question by the police. The fire they had started on this occasion was easily dealt with, using 1 HPHR.
13 Sat 09/02/08 16:42 Car, parked outside of a house, in the Eling area of Totton. On arriving home, the driver was alarmed by the cloud of what appeared to be smoke coming from the car, On arrival the onlly evidence we could find was the fluid from a burst radiator.
12 Sat 09/01/08 14:42 Chimney fire, at a private house in the Eling area of Totton. The chimney responded well to the rods, and although the Hyraulic Platform was called for, it was only really used for observation.
11 Sat 01/02/08 02:42 Stand By St Marys Fire Station, a couple of shoults had emptied the city of pumps, but we had no further calls, and returned home in just under an hour.
10 Sat 26/01/08 21:21 Report of a fire in the open, seen from Southampton Container Port. We found a bonfire, lit by a group out fishing. The fire was in the middle of nowhere, and doing no harm, so we left it alone. Stop: C/B no action HFRS. (ici)
9 Sat 26/01/08 18:37 Bin shed, outside of a block of flats in the Redbridge area. The Redbridge Hill pump was in attendance end decided they could deal with the incident without our assistance, and so we returned to home station. (icp)
8 Sat 26/01/08 14:28 Report of a gas leak, in the no public areas of a convenience shop in the Salisbury Road area of Totton. No trace of gas discerned. (d)
7 Wed 16/01/08 07:17 Fire, Persons reported, at a block of flats in the Marchwood area. A fire had broken out on the public stairway, causing concern to the residents in their flats. The fire was quickly brought under control, and no one was ever in any danger. The fire was thought to have involved rubbish and other materials stored in the public areas. (d)
6 Mon 14/01/08 18:04 bin fire, reported in a car park to the rear of a shop in Totton Town centre. a very small smouldering fire, which was quickly dealt with using one HPHR. (ici)
5 Mon 07/01/08 20:43, whilst out in the yard drilling, during the normal drill period, we received a call to :- Car fire, Rushington Lane. A private car was well alight on arrival. From the state, placing and damage on the car, we thought that it was a stolen car, and informed the police. Stop: 1 car, 2 BA, 2 hosereel, cause not thought to be accidental.(ba)
4 Sun 06/01/08 16:38 Car Fire, in the "White City" area of Totton. A gentleman had just bought a second hand car, and was driving it home, when it caught fire. 1 HPHR and 2 BA used to deal (ba)
3 Sun 06/01/08 11:17 AFA at a block of sheltered flats for the elderly, in the West Totton area. No apparent sign of an alarm, no one answering at the address. (d)
2 Wed 02/01/08 22:00 Chimney fire, at a cottage in the Deerleap area. A chimney associated with a wood burning Aga. Fortunately there was an access point outside, so we dealt with the problem from there. Rods and water used to extinguish. (moc)
1 Tue 01/01/08 13:35 AFA at a block of sheltered flats for the elderly, in the Eling area. A small fire, invoving food in a microwvw was the cause of the scare. The fire was OOA. (d)