Things Are So Different Now

[Kinmel]

Imagine a four storey block of modern brick built flats with a unit well alight on the first floor, severe fire visible at two adjacent windows.  Many residents already on the roadway, no-one visble at any windows in the affected block.

Certainly a wholetime city station's ground, - 2 WRLs and a TTL all arrive within 1 minute of each other.

Back in my day of riding pumps ( 40 to 50 years ago !! ) this was a bread and butter job, you did it so often that the OiC would simply say "here we go again" as he opened his door and went off on his Recee.

The first pump stopped well past the building - extra marks for being close to a hydrant.    Two B.A. wearers, already on air and on the board, select their hose line and make an entry towards the affected floor.

The TTL parks clear of the pump, wherever gives it the best reach if called for.

The second pump stops short and deploys to the building's entrance and awaits orders.

Edinburgh have a different strategy...   The first pump stops under the windows of the involved unit and in the centre of the roadway No thoughts of B.A, just attack the fire though the windows with 2 hose reels. Let us hope the unit's front door had a good self closer !

The TTL parks close behind the first pump, too close to get the 13.5 ladder off the back and in a position that it's own set of ladders are useless too.

The second pump then parks close to the back of the TTL.

I know I am old, I know everything is really, really different now, but is this really the "new" way?

[Keith]

On a positive note though, at least they still got 2 x WRL's and a TTL arriving within a minute of each other.

[Madhatter]

From what I’ve seen and heard from bigger “bread and butter” jobs. Officers seem to be apprehensive about putting BA in, just in case it’s goes tits up 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Messyshaw]

Whilst this sort of external firefighting  is not what used to happen back in the day, this example perhaps demonstrates the more risk adverse times we live in.

The days of rushing in have gone and been replaced with more considered actions determined by the OIC's dynamic risk assessment.  Indeed many FRS do not allow entry in BA until a second pump arrives. 

It's also worth mentioning the old days arguably saw more FF injuries and deaths at incidents,  so maybe this cautious approach is a better way?

I have no idea how any OIC applies these rules and holds back crews. It takes a certain sort of discipline, a trait I do not possess 

[LFB92]

Why would you ever turn up to a fire first without BA sets on? What if someone was in there?

[Br9mp81]

Take it your retired then ,the new system is called clean cab, ba sets are on sliding trays in a locker behind the cab, dirty fire kit and ba set must be bagged up to prevent exposure to cancer causing contamination,(righty so and over due) however like many i cannot see why you could not have kept 2 sets in the back and swopped out, maybe i'm just a old fart

[C_Iain]

Just for some additional context, believe it’s quite common in Edinburgh for the 2nd pump to provide the initial BA team. 1st pump crew can get to work gaining entry, running out hose, establishing entry control, information gathering, 360 etc, allowing BA team from 2nd to be briefed and deploy immediately on arrival.

I gather this obviously wouldn’t be the case for confirmed persons reported or where the 2nd was some time away.

[Kinmel]

I understand "clean cab" and totally agree with it, knowing then what is known now would have saved many lives, I too have been to a lot of funerals over the last 30 years.

This shout was an ideal opportunity to show the pre-planned use of the second crew to provide the B.A. wearers, but the first crew did nothing to support that idea.   No entry control point, no attempt to lay out hose to the entry point, no 360, not even a check of the staircase.

Nothing about that first minute suggested a "trained for" arrival and deployment.

[Vema11]

I’d of personally used a 45mm with a smooth bore branch straight into the window, knocked it down quicker. HRJ were struggling at the start. then sent a crew in with a HRJ to extinguish it fully. 

Also can’t believe no BA was on. I would really like to think people would be tripping over themselves to get first into that job considering they are pretty rare.