Long Jobs

[OscarTango]

We have an incident in the far east of the county that is now entering its fifth day .

I'd say its up there with our Channel Tunnel fires as being one of the "big un's" that's had more or less every pump in the county go to it, including our westernmost pump attending on the some of the first reliefs to Margate over 70 miles away at the other end of the county.

It's an industrial unit 100x40m containing compacted bails of waste used for waste to energy incineration. Fire loading is chocker. At the moment we are still on a three pump watching brief through out the night, and up until today has been seven pumps and a height vehicle during the day. Most of the weekend it was at makes pumps 14, 2 height vehicles and the hose layer. I had a good slepless saturday night with a stinking cold topping up two LPPs with petrol.

While it's common for big jobs to fissile down into watching briefs for 48 hours or so, this has remained very resource intensive.

What holds the records in other brigades for long, difficult incidents?

[Carl]

Considering we have just had over 6 weeks on the moors and used pumps from as far as LFB, Id say that puts 5 days in its place  I spent over 4 weeks on the Somerset Levels too a few years back which I am sure went on longer for the local FRS. 

[OscarTango]

Yes should have added the caveat "apart from wildfires" ?. That's a whole order of magnitude different!

[TandA]

Can’t compete with moors or large scale floods but very very large piles of wood awaiting recycling can run and run.  This one ran for nine weeks so you have a way to go yet. Thoby Lane, Mountnessing

[Jet]

It amazes me how risk averse we’ve become yet we have had our resources slashed. It’s literally twice as much work (pumps and personnel) vs half the resources and they wonder why we are struggling ?

[Luminoki]

Before i was retained there was a job at a recycling plant in Kidderminster that ended up going on a bit. My CC tells me that for three weeks solid the WT crew were at it every day and the retained had one day time shout the whole time. 

Funny thing is the same place had another fire the previous during the depth of winter but that only went on for 3 weeks, im told a MP6 message went in within 30 seconds of the first truck leaving the station

[Becile]

I'll go with Carl for the flooding..where Carl was introduced to our southern ways. And many wildfires, let's See Swinley forest should do it ! Sleep, who needs it !

[Messyshaw]

Cricklewood Trading Estate burnt for several days as I went 3 times across two tours.

But Sabeys dump in west London burned for many years. A huge underground landfill site burned for 5 years +, popping out and setting fire to grass from time to time. Engineers pumped Welsh slate slurry into borehole over many months before it went out

 

[Bob]

I am also as per Carl with the recent Wildfire on Winter Hill I spent best part of 3 weeks up there, also previously extended deployments with HVP to St Michaels on Wyre and Croston floods a couple of years ago.

I must admit most prolonged deployments have been with special appliances rather than relief crewing as a pump just the odd recycling/industrial  unit being the exception. 

[Crog]

On 19/09/2018 at 21:47, OscarTango said:

We have an incident in the far east of the county that is now entering its fifth day .

I'd say its up there with our Channel Tunnel fires as being one of the "big un's" that's had more or less every pump in the county go to it, including our westernmost pump attending on the some of the first reliefs to Margate over 70 miles away at the other end of the county.

It's an industrial unit 100x40m containing compacted bails of waste used for waste to energy incineration. Fire loading is chocker. At the moment we are still on a three pump watching brief through out the night, and up until today has been seven pumps and a height vehicle during the day. Most of the weekend it was at makes pumps 14, 2 height vehicles and the hose layer. I had a good slepless saturday night with a stinking cold topping up two LPPs with petrol.

While it's common for big jobs to fissile down into watching briefs for 48 hours or so, this has remained very resource intensive.

What holds the records in other brigades for long, difficult incidents?

Current estimate for conclusion of this is late October. Down to 3 pumps during the day, with assistance from demolition company and 2 watching brief overnight. 

[RedAlix]

I spent a few evenings up at Margate towards the end so not really much to do. Wondering if we will be going to the one up in Dartford. What is it with these huge warehouse fires?

[Luminoki]

Saw a funny comment on social media as to why this was taking so long

”Lets leave it to the night shift”

”Lets leave it to the day shift”

“Lets leave to the night shift”

”Ahh we’ll just leave it to the retained”

[Crog]

3 hours ago, RedAlix said:

I spent a few evenings up at Margate towards the end so not really much to do. Wondering if we will be going to the one up in Dartford. What is it with these huge warehouse fires?

Spent day at Dartford already, relief plan in plan for the next week, so chances are you’ll get the joy of it.

[OscarTango]

I'm drinking tea by the CSU as we speak!

[Crog]

Have you missed out on the burgers? 

[Luminoki]

59 minutes ago, OscarTango said:

I'm drinking tea by the CSU as we speak!

Bet youve only been there 10 minutes!

[AJo1084]

With regards to long jobs, how does the relief work? Do the day shift work until the usual clocking off period then the other shift come and take over, or do they work overtime until someone in charge lets them go?

Same applies for jobs like half hour before the end of your shift, I worked with the police once and Sod’s law you would have a call ten mins before clocking off which added hours onto your day. Just wondered if it was the same kind of thing? 

[Luminoki]

Usually if the job comes close to change of shift, say 5:45, you might have to to suck it and see for things that are life critical, you might get the oncoming watch come out to you but it depends if the IC can forsee a time when a handover will be possible i.e. at a house fire, youre more likely to get relieved once the fire is confirmed out and all persons accounted for. At an RTC PR then you’ll possibly be there until the end

As for reliefs, its around the 4 hours mark but is usually longer when you factor in a handover to an oncoming crew, making up the gear youve used and then trying to get away from the job if its turned into a fire engine carpark

[Luminoki]

Ive been to a few jobs recently on reliefs and found that one of the first things a crew mentions on arrival is “when are we getting reliefs” 😂

[HoldFast]

I’d agree I think the standard is 4 hours but it doesn’t always work out that way. Reliefs after 2 hours?! Must be nice.

I once did about 18 hours at a job with the HVP because there was no one to relieve us. I was RDS at the time and we didn’t have a backup for the HVP and there was no other crew available on call. We arrived while the night watch was on... they went home and day crew came on... then they went home and the night watch came back on and we were still there. Seems even more ridiculous looking back at it now.

[Becile]

My response to that if that's the first thing they ask is "when does your shift finish" this normally let's them know I'm not impressed !

[Noddy]

Reliefs? What are they? 😉 As the only FI on Duty im there for as Long as it Takes (and our shifts are 24 hours long!).  A decent one room Fire will take approximately 12 hours to do so I can typically see 2 or 3 different crews while I’m there... but hey I love it 😬

[Jupiter999]

A few long shifts on this one.

Welfare van stock decimated by Thursday. 😡

[Becile]

Welfare van...theres a novelty !

[277DizzyFred]

Ah OscarTango that warehouse fire was so close we got a smoke warning from our local, it was down star lane by westwood cross, ex-cummins factory, as far as I know they arrested some for arson.