A Day or Two in the Life

[Becile]

After reading one of our members week one / two blog, I though it might be enlightening to show some thoughts / info of the day in the life of various ranks/roles.

So here’s mine. This covers a 24 hr duty and the two following (supposedly 9 hour management days ) on the Flexi rota weds/thurs and friday last week.

Wake at 07 get ready and on the road for 7.45 to travel the 20 odd miles to my base (office at station) available for calls during this time.arrive at 8.30 to find the oncoming crews getting ready to relieve water carrier crews that had been at the Hampshire Ocado job.60 miles away over the border, quick chat with the guys before they parade and do their checks,. Log in to pc and check emails etc ...I’d been off for a few days so quite a lot of stuff even though I had deleted a few via phone over my “time off” .

Pager goes off telling me I am duty NILO , grab a cup of tea, respond to some national resilience stuff (am hazmat lead) arrange with WC to sit down with him a bit later to discuss some of our prevention activities.

10.00 meet with county council rep over some works that are required at station,11.00 bells go down and the ALP is mobilised to Ocado, immediately phone the Duty commander to offer liaison /welfare officer for our crews (it is my station after all !) no reply so request control to page them. Crack on with some more emails, starting to get peckish now. Grab a cup of tea.

14.00 duty commander gets back to me, and after some toing  and froing am mobilised to Ocado, nilo duties handed to another officer. Follow sat nav to incident location however didn’t need it as you could see the smoke from about 15 miles away! Book in with control unit just to hear the evacuation whistles and everyone is evacuated to a nearby location due to fears of explosion from ammonia tank.

Speak with crews and liaise with oic and water sector to discuss using our alp to its best advantage...4800lpm, the smoke appears to be getting thicker and fire increasing...it starts to rain hard.getting rather hungry so grab a coke, double decker and monster munch from the catering...very healthy, sit in my car and dry off a bit. Relief crews arrive for ALP, and iC discusses plan with me to use our alp for acccesing and firefighting, agree plan and go to the only sector now working..it’s still peeing it down and I’m very wet, try to arrange to get a relief crew , but it’s not happening. Task completed at 23.30 hrs, return to command point and grab a bacon roll and a cup of tea. A few other bits then drive home arriving at 02.30 hrs.take back nilo duty.

Jump into bed and luckily nothing else that night apart from a nilo call at around 04.00, forget to set alarm , wake at 08.00 to find the rest of the family have disappeared to work/school. Go to shq to brief the CFO and ACO on the incident, and arrange for the 2 dams we left to be collected. A few more emails then back to my other other station to deal with some personel issues mobilised to 6 car etc on motorway..stop comes back before I get there. Leave at 18.30 to get home for 19.00. Time to book off for the night. Feeling rather jaded.

Arrive at shq for 08.30 as the dep is briefing middle managers on proposed service changes .12.00 meeting with logistics to sort a new branch for the ALP. 14.00 return to station to catch crew and discuss some of the proposals, catch up on some emails, cup of tea. 17.00 drive to my other station to talk with them re proposals, leave at 19.00 (should have booked off at 18.00) get home at 19.30 . Sit down with the family for tea for the first time in 3 days, 

Luckily I have duty weekend off, let’s see what next week brings.

Over to you! (sorry about the grammar/spelling, it’s on my phone)

Ocado fire

[Noddy]

Good idea mate 👍 busy week for you by the sounds of it.

Ill post up when I’ve done a full week back at work as this week has been different.  Up every day at 0545 hrs to be at moreton as the Course Director for a 5 day FI Course.  Finished yesterday.  It’s now my duty weekend but no shouts so far 😁😁🤞🤞

[Carl]

I would love to open the Blogs up to a whole host of options, but would people seriously follow them through? A week in the life of a Flexi or a week in the life of a Hazmats Officer. I guess the list would be endless really, but half completed is worse that none at all?

As you can see, many (not all) recruits have insisted they would do one but some fall short when it comes to delivery? Modern day recruits perhaps?

[Becile]

@Noddy yes a bit busy, but I love it that way.

@Carl maybe not all weeks eh..it can be a bit boring just doing the paperwork all day.

i think it’s just interesting when people say “what did you do today” you don’t actually think about the amount of work and diversity of work we all do.

[OscarTango]

Good to hear from the sharp end, half my day was on standby reading about a) what you were up to in Hampshire on Yammer and b) hearing rumors about that meeting you went to (Chinese whispers we are all going day crewed 😂 )

 

[Lummox]

I was at the Ocado job Tuesday into stupid o’clock Wednesday morning. What a job it was, saw some really really awesome work by people and I’m so relieved that when it went south the first time (Tuesday night) everyone did exactly as we’re taught and trained and were accounted for and back at it within 15 minutes. Couldn’t believe all the resources called in, great multi service and agency job.