Community Protection newsletter Apr 2014

April 2014
edition 25
email: [email protected]
Spot the early
warning signs
to reduce fire
fatalities
Hertfordshire Fire
and Rescue Service
has launched a
campaign to reduce
fire fatalities and
casualties among
vulnerable people.
Caring Together is an educational
awareness campaign to reduce the
number of vulnerable people killed
and injured in accidental house fires.
The fire service is asking all
professionals who visit the homes of
vulnerable people to take part in this
new training to help them to identify
fire hazards and reduce risk.
Following the death of a 77-yearold woman in a house fire in 2012
Hertfordshire’s Coroner Edward
Thomas called on authorities in the
county to work together to “prevent
this happening again”. Fire
investigators at the scene found
although smoke alarms activated
during the incident, early warning
signs had been missed that could
have potentially prevented the fire,
which was the result of a carelessly
discarded cigarette.
Training sessions are already
taking place at fire stations
countywide to help carers identify
risks.
Particular risk factors include:
• Smoking
• Age
• Mental illness
• Learning difficulties
• Sensory needs
• Mobility problems
• Living alone
• Hoarding and clutter
• Home oxygen
• Alcohol and drug dependency
The training sessions have already
begun with eight carers from one
agency receiving training at
Cheshunt, on 15 April. The session
began with a brief introduction,
explaining the importance of the
carers and what a key role they will
play in being able to identify and
report high fire risk among
vulnerable people.
Following the presentation any
questions were answered and
discussions took place, in
particularly about one vulnerable
person that two of the carers knew
about. It was mentioned that this
elderly person ticked many of the
danger signal boxes, due to the fact
that they were a smoker. One of the
carers was visiting the particular
individual later that day and was
going to have a chat with the lady
and then get her referred through
the process they had been showed.
Overall the session was very well
received and will lead to more
vulnerable people getting referred
and lives being saved, due to the
new awareness the carers now
have.
If you provide care to vulnerable
people in their own homes and
would like more information on this
training, please email
[email protected]
Director’s
View
As I prepared to write this column I
was extremely disappointed to learn
that the Fire Brigades Union had
announced three further periods of
strike action and a period of action
short of a strike. The experienced part of me was unsure the
dispute would be resolved but a part of me did hope that we
had seen the last of the damaging industrial action. I truly
believe that further strike action will benefit no-one and will
just provide further ammunition to the growing chorus of
people and organisations claiming that the Fire and Rescue
Service can be downsized to a much greater extent than has
already been experienced in the last few years.
So for me the announcement of further strike action meant a
poor end to what has otherwise been another outstanding
month for the Directorate and Fire Service. Successful
Princes Trust and Long Service Medal presentations
demonstrated the best and most enjoyable parts of our job. I
was able to thank and congratulate many recipients including
officers such as Gerald Busby, Sally Coyston and David Heard
who have all worked with us for 40 years. Certificates were
also given to the Hoddesdon Fire Station, plus firefighters
Jamie McIntyre and Robbie Cooper for separate incidents
involving injury and resuscitation. Demonstrating the high
level of Immediate Emergency Care we pride ourselves on in
Hertfordshire.
On Sunday evening 27 April Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue
took part in a multi-agency exercise at Hatfield Galleria to test
joint blue light resilience and capability in the event of a
marauding terrorist firearms attack (MTFA) in a shopping
centre. It was also an opportunity to test our Fire Special
Operations Team capability, working alongside the East of
England HART and the Police Firearms team. Fire and
Rescue worked closely with our blue light colleagues and the
exercise provided a perfect opportunity to evaluate our inter
agency joint command capability and further hone our multi
partner approach and structure to deal with this kind of
scenario.
I of course hope that we never find ourselves in a position
where we are faced with an incident such as this, but it was
reassuring to observe this resilience exercise and know that
we are in an excellent position to deal with it.
I also know that we all pride ourselves in making
Hertfordshire a safer place, at all times.
Muntjac
trapped in
car grill
On 8 April 2014 at 08.05am the
Potters Bar DCP crew were called
to a very unusual incident in
Cuffley. A young woman driving a
Peugeot 307 on her way to work
collided with a Muntjac deer.
Thinking the deer was dead in the
road she regretfully continued to
work. However, on arrival at her
place of work she went to inspect
the damage, only to discover that
the deer was actually trapped
inside the engine compartment
Firefighters worked closely with
the RSPCA officer on scene to free
the animal from the engine bay.
Once removed it was clear that the
Muntjac was miraculously
unharmed.
CC J Wordsworth
Potters Bar DCP
Helping to build a safer
Hertfordshire
The fire protection department
helps deliver one of the three core
strands of fire service work;
Prevention - Protection - Response.
The work of the Fire protection team
mainly falls into two distinct areas
that cover both pre-build and post
occupation.
sheltered housing)
• Haileybury School, Hertford. (New
Music and Dormitory Block)
• new Hospital in Dacorum (Elms
Project)
• new Student Village, Hertfordshire
University, Hatfield
• new Next store, Hatfield
Firstly, all applications to build,
alter, extend or refurbish any
commercial building must receive
building regulations approval
through either the local authority
building control or an Approved
Building Inspector. Whichever route
the applicant chooses they must
consult us on matters of fire safety
for the premises. Also, if the
building is new then they consult us
on matters relating to access for a
fire appliance and water supplies for
fire fighting.
Our second role is to enforce fire
safety legislation in the 50,000+
commercial premises in
Hertfordshire. We concentrate on
High Risk Premises identified
through Building Risk Profiling and
resulting in the Risk Based
Inspection Programme. Along with
work by operational crews we also
sample medium and lower risk
premises to ensure that compliance
with the legislation is maintained
and provides an opportunity to
gather intelligence.
Our advice ensures buildings are
safe for people to use. We can also
give best advice on the most cost
effective way of achieving our
commendations/requirements,
which if incorporated at the building
stage can result in considerable cost
saving to the applicant.
Looking to the next twelve months,
projects that are in the planning
stage with a value in excess of
£1 million include:
We are currently working on projects
with a total value in excess of £300
million pounds, which brings much
valued work to the local economy.
Some of the projects currently
ongoing around the county which
have a value of between £1million
and £150 million are:
• Lister Hospital, Stevenage (Major
refurbishment and extensions)
• the new QE II Hospital, WGC
• new Kingsley Green Hospital,
Harperbury, Radlett
• Bentley House, Hertford (major
alteration of office building to form
• Extensions to existing warehouses
for Stevenage Wine Society.
• the Health Campus, Watford
• two new Rail Stations for the
London Underground extension,
Watford (Croxley Green).
• new two storey Debenhams store,
Stevenage.
• Charter Place development,
Watford.
• sports village, Hatfield University.
Our inspections are in part based on
intelligence gathered from incidents
both nationally and locally, and
influenced by significant national
events, for example this year we are
inspecting sheltered housing schemes
(high risk sleeping accommodation)
and licensed premises.
During our audits, amongst other
things, we check that:
• the fire risk assessment is
appropriate for the premises,
• the fire alarm system is working
and regularly tested and
maintained,
• emergency lighting, where
installed, is tested and maintained,
• fire fighting equipment (fire
extinguishers) is provided, located
correctly, tested and maintained
and that responsible persons are
trained in their correct use.
Whilst onsite, if required, we give fire
safety advice on any area the
responsible person and residents
wish to talk about, such as arson
prevention or types of extinguishers
etc. and this year, working with
trading standards, we are also
providing information on distraction
burglaries, hoax calls and scams.
The protection team are also on the
consultees list for licensed events
which include all the festivals held in
the county from Sonisphere at
Knebworth House to new licensed
premises opening in the county.
A crucial link between the work of
the protection team and stations is
carried out by the Station Liaison
Officers, whose role is to keep
station personnel informed of
progress of the above projects. This
allows a smooth transition from
building work to occupation and the
transfer of operational intelligence
and information about the
engineered systems within
premises.
Paul Bordoni
Group Commander
Fire Protection
Noteworthy incidents
Hemel Red Watch
rescue dog from fox den
On the afternoon of the 25 March Red
Watch Hemel Hempstead received a
distressed call from the owner of Jack
Russel called Colin that was trapped in a
fox’s den. Colin had been trapped for over
an hour and the owner was concerned as
she (yes she!) was very quiet.
After clearing stinging nettles and
jumping fences the entrances and
exits of the den were identified,
locating Colin was made difficult due
vast size of the den. Colin was
eventually located by splitting crew
members to each of the holes and
listening for any whimpering or
barking. She was approximately two
House fire in Letchworth
In the early hours of 31 March, crews from Baldock
and Stevenage were called to a house fire with
persons reported in Maddles, Letchworth Garden City.
On arrival crews were faced with a severe fire at the
front of the property spreading out from the front
hallway, door and porch area. Crews managed to force
entry via the rear kitchen door using the enforcer. A BA
crew from Baldock entered the property and very
quickly found the resident unconscious on the kitchen
floor. She was rescued to the rear garden and crews
started administering first aid until paramedics
arrived. Two BA crews from Baldock, one wholetime
and one retained went back into the property to
extinguish the fire and ventilate.
A fire investigating officer attended the scene the
following morning to establish the cause.
It is thought that the fire was either started deliberately
or from discarded smoking materials. All three crews
worked very professionally and their prompt actions
undoubtedly saved the occupant’s life. There was good
liaison with both ambulance and police to bring this
incident to a close.
WC Nash
Blue Watch
Baldock
meters below the ground and the
tunnel leading to the main chamber
was very steep. After making a
clearing we began trying to dig Colin
out but due to the nature of the ground
we feared the hole would collapse and
cause unnecessary damage to the den.
We decided instead to clear the
internal tunnel of debris, make it
wider and change the gradient of the
tunnel she was stuck in hoping it
would aid her trying to climb out.
This worked a treat and with some
prompting Colin jumped from the
chamber she was stuck in and clawed
herself out to safety assisted by the crew.
Marc Cavaciuti
Hemel Hempstead Fire Station
'Sprinkler Save' at large laundry
in Watford
At about 9.30pm on Saturday 15 March a fire started in
a 7.5 tonne delivery lorry within the enclosed loading
bay of a large laundry in Sydney Road, Watford.
The fire started in some freshly laundered 'health spa'
towels which were stored in a large wheeled cage
within a delivery lorry. The lorry was parked in the
delivery bays of the factory building, below office
accommodation and parked alongside several similar
vehicles.
The fire quickly spread inside the vehicle and once the
fire had broken out of the lorry, heat from the fire
caused the operation of sprinkler heads in the loading
bay. The sprinklers quickly controlled and suppressed
the fire stopping it spreading to other large commercial
vehicles.
Thanks to the sprinkler system our crews only needed
a one fire fighting jet to ensure the fire was fully
extinguished.
Penny Ross, Managing Director of the business
confirmed that "due to the swift operation of the
sprinklers in the loading bays and the work of the fire
service, there was only minimal disruption to the
business. The adjacent vehicles were not significantly
damaged and at 5 am on Sunday morning the
deliveries were made to the customers as normal".
Noteworthy incidents
Welwyn Garden City HVP
Welwyn Garden City crews were called upon last
month to assist with the severe flooding that swept
the country and filled the media. As part of the
National Resilience framework Hertfordshire’s High
Volume Pump, crewed by Welwyn Garden City, is one
of a number of national resources that can be called
upon in difficult times to restore and maintain the
smooth running of the country.
Requested by Berkshire on the 8 February, the High
Volume Pump was required to assist in the removal of
water at an Electrical Sub Station. At this stage only
the uncrewed pump was required as Berkshire crews
were available to deploy and operate the machinery.
Due to the immensity of the floods, once this initial
task had been completed the HVP was kept at an
Enhanced Logistic Support base (ELS) for a potential
re-deployment.
Strategies were formulated by National Flood Tactical
Advisors highlighting potential areas at threat from
further downpours, or areas that could be protected
from rising water due saturated water tables.
Formulating a strategy on how and where to move
flood water, Welwyn Garden City HVP crews were
deployed with an accompanying Welfare Officer on the
16 February to stables at West Ilsley, Newbury.
Located in a wide geographical basin, West Ilsley
stables were being inundated with water. Not just from
water running off from fields miles around, but also
from run off from a reactivated spring that had burst
up in the nearby village further up the hill. With all of
these elements combined the ground had become
completely saturated. A dried up river bed that
followed a path through the stables, arid for decades,
had now become a full running river with an estimated
flow of over 180,000 litres per hour. Flowing through
the multi million pound equestrian business and
surrounding buildings, the torrent posed a massive
risk to cause significant damage and financial losses
in the area.
Becoming evident that it was to be an ongoing
deployment, a system was devised by WGC fire station
management team to use Fire Controls’ “Text
Anywhere” system to contact all crews and alert
personnel of the future relief crews. Crews rotated
shifts and continuously pumped 24hrs a day until 6
March when the floods subsided and the
Environmental Agency dug trenches through the
stables to carry the remaining water away.
With all crews returned to station and the HVP
returned back to county on the 11 March fully
decontaminated, the incident was deemed a success –
not just for the property saved and reduction in
environment damage but in the successful way crews
worked alongside Berkshire, the host Service, and
other HVP crews from around the country who were
also deployed to assist.
.................................................................................................................
attendance and on arrival scene fitted two
terraced, tenanted house
An early
it was quickly confirmed
replacements within the
containing multiple
morning fire in that all five persons were house before leaving and occupants.”
Green Watch completed a
St Mary’s road safely out of the property. Quick
Lee Haward
Strike to the
The
cause
of
fire
was
a
Watch Commander
Watford
neighbouring properties
fault to the main gas
On the morning of
Wednesday March 26,
both Watford appliances
were mobilised to a house
fire in St Mary's Road.
powered boiler in the
kitchen of the link
terraced property, which
was extinguished using a
hose reel.
The time of call was 08:37
and as you can imagine
there was a considerable
volume of traffic on the
ring road. That being said
there was no delay to the
The occupants were
fortunate that one of
them raised the alarm as
the only smoke detector
present had the battery
disconnected. Crews on
that day.
The owner of the property
on St Mary’s Road wrote a
letter of thanks thanking
the firefighters for the
“admirable
professionalism, quickly
assessing the fire and the
potential grave
consequences of a
burning domestic
Watford Fire Station
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
at St Albans Fire Station
Pupils from Sandringham School in St Albans have recently participated in and completed a 10 week Duke of
Edinburgh Award (D of E) at St Albans Community Fire Station.
11 candidates in total took part in the course, which ran from January this year to March. The candidates
completed their Bronze award, which covered many different aspects of firefighting, including BA, RTC, fire
science and fire safety.
The candidates came to the fire station for weekly 1.5 hour sessions, which were led by firefighters from all of
the 4 watches. The course was led by Ff Williams from Blue Watch. The candidates thoroughly enjoyed the
programme and worked well with each other and the crews on duty.
The course culminated in a pass out parade on station and the completion of Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.
Ff Jones
Red Watch, St Albans
.......................................................................................................................
Hertford Fire Station car wash a Pupils from Wheathampstead
success
school enjoy firefighting lesson
Hertford Red Watch On a bright and sunny day on 8
March, Hertford Red Watch Station Commander
Mckenzie and family and friends held a charity car
wash at Hertford Fire Station . The day started at
11am and a queue had already started to form with
dirty cars just waiting to be washed. The flow of cars
was steady throughout the day with a sizeable
amount donated to the Fire Fighters Charity. I would
like to thank the Plymouth Brethren Church for all of
their help on the day as they served food and drink to
all those that attended and also helped with washing
some of the cars.
On Thursday 27 March a crew from Wheathampstead
visited Kimpton Primary School. The visit was to help
year 1 and 2 pupils with their project entitled 'Local
Heroes'. The children were intrigued to learn about
the role of a firefighter and what the job entails. They
were told about the equipment that we carry and how
it works, even the teachers tried out the fire kit much
to the amusement of the children. The children were
given some literature on fire and road safety. Then
came the bit they were all waiting for, they were
allowed to squirt some water and sit in the fire
engine.
I would also like to thank Barclays Bank for sending
down some of their employees to assist us with the
day and the bank generously matched the amount of
money we collected which then meant that the
station raised £1,138 on the day for the charity.
Tracey Folds
Watch Manager
Wheathampstead Fire Station
WC Shilston
Red Watch, Hertford
Residents of
‘Sunrise Living’
the building has an impressive list of in-built fire
safety features including full sprinkler coverage,
smoke extraction and ‘held open’ fire resisting
compartmentation.
receive a visit from the
Rickmansworth crew
One of the largest demographic groups in the
Rickmansworth area is the older people and all
residential homes in the Rickmansworth area have a
scheduled visit by a crew from Rickmansworth Fire
Station bi-annually. The first visit to Sunrise Living in
Chorleywood was extremely well received by both
staff and residents.
I gave residents and staff advice on ‘fire safety in the
home’ and emergency evacuation procedures
particularly for the less ambulant occupants and
those with dementia.
Following the presentation we were given a tour of the
modern care home. Built less than seven years ago
Sean Good
Watch Commander
Richmansworth Fire Station
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pupils from
Hemel
Hempstead learn
about fire safety
On 2 April Hemel Hempstead Red Watch played host to
18 school pupils from Collette School for children with
special needs.
The pupils held a discussion with the crews about fire
safety and the rescues undertaken by the fire service.
The pupils of Collette were then given a tour of the
station and its appliances. All of Red Watch got
involved demonstrating the kit and joined in the fun
when the pupils got their chance to use the hosereel.
All the pupils and teachers had a great time and left
the station happy and drenched
FF Dan York
Red Watch, Hemel
Students in
Stevenage
investigate
heat loss
Red Watch from Stevenage Fire
Station joined Year 9 Science
students at The Barclay School to
investigate the heat loss through
the old, rusting, single glazed
windows and a roof without
insulation. Firefighters
demonstrated how a thermal
imaging camera works before
setting students off around the
building on their own
investigations.
supported by Hertfordshire County
Council.
Headteacher, Debbie Upton said: 'I
am delighted that we have been
able to work closely with HCC over
the last 18 months to secure this
major overhaul of our Grade 2
listed building. This will transform
the appearance of the school
throughout and improve the
comfort for students and staff
throughout the year. It will support
the fantastic success we have had
over the last two years and we
would like to thank HCC for their
support and interest in our
educational transformation
programme.'
HFRS will pay their second visit to
the school in the Autumn term as it
begins to get colder so that our
Science students can see for
themselves the significant
difference that this project will
make to Barclay becoming a more
efficient user of energy and moving
towards a more sustainable future.
Students were able to locate a
hidden group of students in the
pitch black of the drama studio and
were amazed at how quickly this
could be done. Red Watch were
invited to the school to compare
the difference between the old and
new windows and roofs. Work
started on Monday 10 March right
through to the end on August and a
major £2.5M window and roof
replacement works at Barclay
Hatfield station alerting holiday
campers to dangers of carbon
monoxide poisoning
With the camping season fast approaching, Ff Gifford from Hatfield Station has taken a direct approach to
alerting the public to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning in a number of different ways.
Following the success of the 1st Annual VW Transporters “meet” last year, preparations are well under way for
this year’s event on 22 May, where more than 50 VW vans are expected to descend on the station
Once again, the theme of the meet is “Where there’s a flame, there’s fumes!” as well as general road safety
advice being offered, supported by the Fire Bike team.
Box Cleva
Cheshunt awards
Coffee event
raises money for
charity
Cheshunt’s young boxers have been presented with
medals at a Box Cleva awards ceremony. 13 young people
were presented with bronze medals, three recieved
diamond metals and another three received platinum
awards.
CC Ross Kane took the lead in attending
a McMillan coffee in March, using the
time to meet new people and help out in
selling cakes for a good cause. Ross
used his initiative to ensure that leaflets
were handed out with the purchase of
every cake and he used the chance to
gain more home safety checks for the
station. The crew enjoyed their time
here and some money was raised for
charity.
The awards were presented by Former Commonwealth
games gold medallist and British feather weight champion
Sean Murphy (who brought along his Gold Lord Lonsdale
belt), Councillor Ray Hannam and Station Commander at
Cheshunt Fire Station Paul MacDonald.
This initiative has been running since 2012 with close to
100 different children coming through the doors.
Outstanding results have been recorded regarding
improved behaviour, weight loss and attendance at school.
The trainers are Mark Bliss (Former Professional Boxing
Champion and 2012 Active Broxbourne sports coach of the
year) and Steve O’Hara (Shortlisted nomination for
Broxbourne coach of the year 2014).
The sessions now have a waiting list due to demand. The
next Box Cleva Cheshunt Awards will take place on
Monday 15 December 2014 at the Cheshunt Club, Albury
Ride, Cheshunt,
Car wash mayhem
March saw Baldock & Letchworth open
its drill yard to the public to raise money
for the Fire Fighters’ Charity. Members
of White and Red Watch along with their
retained colleagues donned
waterproofs, soaped up and got the
Marigolds on in an effort to raise as
much money as we could.
The crews were kept refreshed by a
constant stream of tea and sausage
sandwiches. The day went really well
helped by the weather of course. In total
we raised just over £600.
SC Frank Gollogly
Stevenage and North Herts District
SPARKS fire safety
training for local
school children
calls, fire plans, stop-drop and roll and hazards in
the home. The hour is divided into different
scenarios and is designed for approximately 30
pupils.
On 26 and 27 of March Green Watch Hertford spent 2
hours with years 4, 5 and 6 pupils at St Catherine’s.
Both mornings were a great success hopefully
heightening the awareness of the students whilst
having fun learning.
Kaitlin Yorkston from year 6, explained: "Today we
met some firefighters from Hertfordshire fire
service. We learnt what to do in case of a fire and
what to say when calling the emergency services.
We learned that is important not to make hoax calls.
At the end we had a quiz and it was really good fun;
we had a great time."
Fire crews from Hertford delivered important fire
safety messages to children at St Catherine’s school
in Ware. SPARKS (Schools Programme And
Resource Kit) is a package designed for operational
firefighters to deliver a 60 minute lesson for key
stage 2 children in years 5 and 6. It addresses hoax
Thanks go to the children for their enthusiasm and to
Head Teacher Hazel Wing and her staff at the school
in particular Mrs Millard and Miss Baker for being
great sports and dressing up in the crew’s fire kit as
part of the quiz at the end. Watch Commander Ian
Youngs said: “SPARKS is a great learning tool
especially designed for these young people, it
provides an important Fire safety message and is
very hands on and interactive.”
......................................................................................................................................
Garston crew at Abbots Langley
Police Station event
Garston Blue Watch visited the Abbots Langley Police Station community day on Sunday 6 April.
Last year the event was apparently attended by one man and his dog, but this year saw a much larger event
with very large crowds. As ever the fire engine and Fire Bike stole the show! The queue for the fire engine was
constant for over two hours.
Blue Watch Garston, Chris Williams and several Fire Volunteers gave fire safety advice and collected details for
home safety checks.
Pure Stoves and
Fireplaces Open Day
On Saturday 5 April the crew from Hitchin, assisted
by Ff Nick Hoepelman, attended an open day at Pure
Stoves and Fireplaces to promote the safe use of
solid fuel burners and provide information on the
very real dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The information we provided focused on the need for
regular sweeping of chimney flues, the maintenance
and correct installation of this sort of heating
appliance, together with the provision of a carbon
monoxide detector. Home fire safety visits were also
generated throughout the event.
During the day we were introduced to bioethanol
burners which range in size from a small container up
to a full-sized room heater, using a bioethanol liquid
or gel. The advantage of these burners is that a flue is
not required, because no carbon monoxide gas is
produced. After further research, however, we
discovered that there are some concerns over the
safety of this style of burner and a number of fire
services have attended serious incidents involving
these burners.
We observed that the flame burn is very clean and
clear, which has apparently led to some people
suffering serious burns when they have refilled these
burners with bioethanol, believing that the flame had
burnt out, when it was actually still alight.
Pure Stoves and Fireplaces were unaware but very
concerned regarding these incidents and asked us to
compile a safety advice sheet that will be provided to
any purchasers of bioethanol burners.
WC Graeme Cheshire
.......................................................................................................................................
Gateway to independent living
Green Watch Hemel Hempstead have created a link with the local
Mencap Gateway club. The group are very diverse and have
difficulties supporting independent living due to physical and
learning needs. This month, in advance of National Home Safety
Week, we have been talking to the group about how to be safer in
their homes, encouraging, promoting and supporting better
independence. The session was also supported by local PCSO’s
further enhancing our joint working approach to our community.
Exercise Roebuck
On 20 March WC Graeme Cheshire and
CC Adam Jennings attended “Exercise
Roebuck”, an emergency planning
tabletop exercise. The exercise is held
jointly between North Herts District
Council and Stevenage Borough
Council as a cost effective and efficient
method of testing emergency plans and
procedures for a major incident.
The exercise scenario was that a
Boeing 737 aircraft had crashed across
the railway line adjacent to Kimbolton
Crescent in Stevenage and then broken
apart. Adam and Graeme attended
along with representatives from the
Police and Ambulance Services, as
“professional friends”. Their roles
were to provide information on actions
and procedures during such an incident
and to answer any other questions the
delegates had.
The exercise was thoroughly enjoyed
by all and, from the feedback received,
was a real success.
Home safety week at Baldock
and Letchworth
Baldock and Letchworth personnel were kept busy during this
year’s CFOA Home Safety Week. Focusing on the theme of having
a working smoke alarm, watches and volunteers undertook a
variety of activities including:
• safety talks to vulnerable groups at sheltered housing schemes
• School visits
• safety talk to a parents group
• Assisting with a multi-agency Environmental Action Day
• Numerous home fire safety checks
• Volunteer led arson patrols with the local Police safer
neighbourhood teams
• Targeted safety activity at a mobile home park
To highlight the importance of such work the station
unfortunately turned out to two serious residential fires during
the week where persons were either rescued or led to safety.
Quick strike prevention advice was provided and the crews at
Baldock continue to aim towards reducing such occurrences in
the future.
Frank Gollogly
Station Commander
Ariel ladder platform
training at Stevenage
red watch
Recently Stevenage Red Watch has made an effort to
take training exercises out into the real world. Firstly
the watch has taken the chance to use the ALP at the
disused Fujitsu Building in Stevenage town centre.
This gives the watch a great opportunity to avoid
obstacles such as railway overhead lines. Further to
this Ff Harris arranged a drill in Stevenage town
centre at night. This allowed Ff Ciepiela to operate the
ALP in the tight confines of an urban environment.
St Albans use new
rescue struts
On 4 April, St Albans Red Watch set up and took part
in a practical training session aimed at utilising new
Paratec twist lock rescue struts, as part of the
ongoing new Rescue Support Unit working group
which was set up to investigate and source new
equipment to help HFRS respond to future incidents.
With the types of incidents we are responding to
changing in nature the aim is to have a modern more
dynamic capability in technical rescue.
Paratec twist lock rescue struts are designed to be
strong and simple in operation, primarily for use at
RTC’s involving LGV vehicles, building collapse as well
as vehicle stabilisation.
Ff Drysdale
Red Watch, St Albans
.
In stark contrast to this the watch also took the ALP to
Knebworth house for a practical pumping exercise to
test the hydrant capabilities and the use of the ALP as
a water monitor at this location. This was a useful drill
as the early consideration for the HVP would be
imperative should a fire breakout at this location.
....................................................................................................................
During March and
April Dacorum and St
Albans fire stations
took part in a district
development session
focussing on highrise incidents.
High rise district training
The aim of the scenario was
to test HFRS procedures for
dealing with a high-rise fire
with a failed rising main. It
was a good opportunity for
personnel from different
stations to work as a team,
with crews across the four
watches working well to
gather the necessary
resources to the correct
floor. Some good practices
as well as discussion points
were identified.
....................................................................................................................
IEC exercise
Green Watch Hertford undertook Immediate Emergency Care training in early March four days 4 days.
Three days input and practical training followed by an evening of assessments.
The crew learnt a huge amount and found it very enjoyable; many thanks to Ff Russell Ward for his expertise.
....................................................................................................................
Dementia
awareness
in St Albans
At the end of March Red Watch St Albans took part in
a dementia awareness session held on Station,
delivered by Fiona Harrall. Fiona who works on a
voluntary basis delivered a package to help assist
crews in recognising and assist dealing with
members of the public who may be living with
dementia. The watch found it very useful and Fiona
explained how dementia affects the body and
individuals differently, that although often
associated with elderly people it had been diagnosed
in individuals as young as 30, and gave some useful
tips on how to best deal with dementia patients.
Fiona can be contacted via email at
[email protected] should any other
crews wish to arrange a similar session. Fiona looks
after the St Albans and Harpenden area but will
happily sign post crews to volunteers in their area.
Much Hadham flood recovery
RTC exercise
..........................................................................................................................................................
Much Hadham has dried out from the February floods but the river terrace gravel remains along the length of
Watery Lane as a reminder to those who use it as a 'rat run'. Much Hadham Parish Council has been in
contact with the crew as the wish to float the idea (pun not intended) of setting up a 'secure compound' (shed)
at the parish council Recreational Ground to hold emergency flooding equipment such as sandbags, rakes
and submersible pumps that would be available to those households vulnerable to and affected by flooding.
The parish council has asked whether the fire service could help with their initiative by providing any surplus
operational equipment. In addition the PC will be reminding everyone to be vigilant of the state of their local
watercourses and to deal with or notify the Local Authority of potential blockages.
On 24 March, White Watch Baldock held an RTC
exercise at the Training and Development Centre
(TDC) predominantly for local retained crews
(Baldock, Hitchin and Royston). The exercise was
set up with the help of the TDC instructors with
the scene involving a multi-vehicle collision
including a motorcycle, mini bus and an LGV. The
main purpose of this exercise was to assess the
crews casualty care and extrication techniques. To
assist with this we had organised for five of our
local Red Cross volunteers to play the role of the
casualties using make up and fake blood to make
their injuries as realistic as possible. They were
very convincing and played their parts with
enthusiasm. The casualties were assessed and
extricated from the vehicles in a timely and
effective manner.
WC Springett
White Watch Baldock
Stevenage station kick
starts home safety
week
In March Red Watch Stevenage used a multi
agency event in the Westgate Shopping centre to
kick start the National Home Safety Week. The
watch generated home fire safety visits and used
the opportunity to not only converse with the
public but to build further relations with the police
and ambulance service and Stevenage's
Neighbourhood watch organisers. The district
volunteer Kath Watt also helped out and was very
helpful generating a lot of home safety checks and
promoting the fire service. Ff Dawe said: "This
was a great opportunity to engage with our target
audience and also give an opportunity for the
public to meet us".
Volunteers get
busy in
Baldock and
Letchworth!
Over the last two months the volunteer team at
Baldock and Letchworth have undertaken several
arson patrols in conjunction with local Police and
PCSO’s. This joined up approach is organised by
HFRS Volunteer team leader Vicky Usher and in
addition to highlighting potential arson risks it
allows the Police Officers to identify security
issues or signs of anti-social behaviour.
During these patrols several problems have been
identified including overflowing skips and LPG
cylinders being incorrectly and unsafely stored. As
a follow up to the patrols crews at Baldock and
Letchworth have undertaken business safe visits
and advised the responsible persons accordingly.
Commenting on this work Station Commander
Frank Gollogly said “This year has seen a slight
increase in deliberate primary and secondary fires
and the good work of the volunteers, Police and
crews helps us in our aim to reduce these
occurrences”.
.............................................................................................................................................................
UKRO Rope Rescue Practitioners workshop
On 4 April, Nick Croudace (Red Watch Watford) ran the first UKRO (United Kingdom Rescue
Organisation) Practitioners workshop. The event was aligned with CFOA Working Safe Working at
Height group meeting and hosted by DSFRS (Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service) Headquarters.
The aim of the Workshop was to promote the ethos of UKRO, which is to advance professional rescue
within UK Fire and Rescue Services.
During the workshop delegates received a presentation that gave information on UKRO Protocols. This
was then followed by practical demonstrations. Nick delivered a master class in rope access and rescue
techniques that offer solutions to technical problems.
It is hoped that information received will not only be useful for future challenges, but will also enhance
current operational rope rescue team’s capability. The workshop was well attended with most UK Fire
and Rescue Services being represented.
On 5 April DSFRS also hosted a Rope Rescue challenge that was run by Nick and his team of Assessors.
The challenge was centred on DSFRS bespoke multi-level rope rescue tower and USAR rig, and
undertook realistic scenario based exercises. This gave the Rope Rescue Teams an opportunity to put
into practice techniques, safe systems and team work using existing skills and those gained from the
workshop on the previous day.
Blue light experience in Hitchin
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and
Hertfordshire Police took part in another extremely
successful ‘Blue light Experience’ on Saturday 29
March, as part of North Hertfordshire’s Community
Safety Partnerships reassurance events, which run
throughout the year around the district.
‘The Blue Light Experience’ was held in Hitchin Market
Place between 10:30 and 15:30hrs and attracted
between 800 and 1000 people, with crews from Hitchin
Fire Station engaging with people of all ages. It gave
the public the opportunity to see what the emergency
services can do in the event of a road traffic collision,
but also to receive advice on a number of topics,
including personal safety, road safety and pedestrian
awareness. The fire crews also allowed children to use
the cutting equipment used by the emergency services
at road accidents, and have a look at the appliance and
other emergency vehicles.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Watch
Commander and Community Safety Co-ordinator Mark
Burgess said:
“This was another successful event in Hitchin, and has
become a regular fixture in Hertfordshire Fire and
Rescue Service and Hertfordshire Police's Community
Safety calendar for North Hertfordshire. It shows how
well the emergency services can deliver messages to
the public in a coordinated and entertaining way
“A fun event like this also helps break down the barrier
between the 'Blue Light' services and the general
public. We were able to show people the various things
we have to consider as emergency services, but also
deliver a safety message in a fun environment.”
“It gave both the emergency services the opportunity to The event also saw Volunteers delivering a number of
messages in line with the ‘Summer Safety Campaign’
show the general public what we do in the event of an
booklets, on behalf of the Fire and Rescue Service.
emergency, be it on the road or in a fire.
Run the New York Marathon
LSGC awards ceremony
Firefighters; have you got what it takes? On 2
November 2014, Team Operation Florian runners
will be running alongside over 50,000 runners the
challenging New York City Marathon. This will be 5th
year the charity has run the exciting NYC marathon
to raise funds for Operation Florian’s valuable
humanitarian work across the world.
Here is the current list of recipients for the next LSGC
awards ceremony. If you believe you should be
receiving this award and your name does not appear on
the list below please notify Alison Clinch in Business
Support, SHQ on 01992 507551 (57551) or
[email protected]. The next awards
ceremony is due to take place in March 2015.
Operation Florian is a UK Fire Service Humanitarian
Charity
working across
the globe by
training,
donating
equipment
and improving
fire fighting
capabilities to
deprived fire
service
communities
thus saving
human lives.
For the 2013
marathon
our running
team had
the unique
opportunity
to join FDNY’s entourage in a blue light escort to the
race start line, and an invitation to join FDNY’s after
marathon bash celebrations. FDNY also treated team
Operation Florian with a visit to The Rock, the FDNY
Training Academy on Randall’s Island, located
between The Bronx, Queens and Manhattan.
For further information, please contact Cathy Clark,
[email protected] or
07508865459/01304 617859.
Search on twitter for Operation Florian @opoflorian
and tweet your challenge!
.............................................................................................................................................................
Setting the bar
If you need that extra bit of inspiration to sign up for the
marathon Neil Pluck certainly showed the dedication and
commitment required. At the age of 54 the firefighter of
Potters Bar DCP, has managed to achieve yet another
marathon in Paris, making this his tenth in total. With a
respectable time of 4hrs and a few minutes, he has done
the service proud. Neil has still not decided if there will
be another marathon in the future but we will watch this
space very closely.
CC Henderson
Potters Bar DCP
Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
Ff Mark Hailes of Green Watch Hemel Hempstead collected an award from ACO Robinson on behalf of all at
Hemel Hempstead Fire Station this month. The Greenpeace “above and beyond the call of duty” award was
given due to the station’s continued efforts to reduce it’s carbon footprint.
The station has become the first county
council building to reach the target of a 25%
reduction. They have actually managed a
reduction of 27.7% in emissions for Electric
(a saving of at least £6442.98) and 17% for
Gas (a saving of at least £4689.46).
Ff Hailes received the award as carbon
champion for Green Watch, who were the
most energy efficient over the last 12
months. WC Jim Attenborough has driven
this initiative and must be congratulated for
its success.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HCC stars
recognised
‘You are a Star’ award winners were
guests at a reception in the
Chairman’s Room at County Hall in
April in recognition of their
outstanding performance.
The event was attended by Chief
Executive John Wood and Chairman
Richard Smith.
John Wood said: “We have 8,500
officers delivering brilliant service
to the people of Hertfordshire, and
these awards recognise the
valuable contribution you are
making. More than that they are
voted for by your colleagues and in
the citations they use words like
brilliance, courage, inspiration to
describe those of you who deserve
to receive these awards.”
He thanked each of the winners for
their enthusiasm and commitment
to doing a good job and making a
difference to the residents and
service users of Hertfordshire.
Winners invited to this event (not all
pictured) were:
Elaine Moore,
customer co-ordinator
Kirsty Dowton,
Youth Connexions volunteer
Admissions and transport
integration team
Laura McGrath,
professional assistant
Jessie Edwards, LEP apprentice
Sue Meehan, group manager
business systems and customer
support
Mark Harvey, area manager for
community learning disability and
autism services
Library management team
Jackie Riley, Northwick day centre
Nigel Harden, the LiFE course
manager in the youth engagement
team
Karen Greely and Sheetal Shukla
Michelle Abraham, Contracts
Officer
If you know someone who deserves
recognition for their excellent work,
why not nominate them? They don’t
have to be in the same team or
department as you – it can be
anyone who has demonstrated
outstanding performance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------in the first quarter of 2014 with
Retained stations
99% resource availability from the
1 January 2014 – 1 April 2014, an
aiming for 100%
Retained stations across the
county are chasing perfection in
availability after reports run from
Rappel for resource availability
revealed just how close several
retained stations now are to
achieving that goal. Kings Langley
topped the rankings for availability
enormous rise for the station from
76% for the same period in 2013.
With 98% availability, Hoddesdon
and Harpenden continue to provide
a high level of resource availability,
helping to push the overall
Retained resource availability up to
92% for the first quarter of 2014.
Spring is here!
Now is the time of year that the sun
shows up the dust and we all feel
the need for a spring clean.
Desks - A good start is tidying our
desks and ensuring that dust has
not accumulated on any electrical
equipment or sockets and cables
are not trapped under chair legs or
are overloaded. It is also a good
time to review workstation
assessments. Guidance can be
found on Compass and a selfassessment form is available from
the Health & Safety Executive which
is utilised by HCC. Please follow
this link:
http://compass.hertscc.gov.uk/pp/resa
ndperpolproc/healthsafepols/hsstand
meta/hscoordsrole/dseassessfm
Equipment -It is everyone’s
responsibility to ensure that the
equipment they use at work is both
suitable and safe by visually
inspecting it before use.
Portable items such as kettles,
vacuum cleaners or heaters which
may be used on a daily basis should
be checked for signs of overheating
and the cables and plugs inspected
for any damage.
If equipment appears damaged in
any way they should be defected,
repaired or replaced.
The Service Information System
document: HS10 – Use of
Electricity at Work
http://compass.hertscc.gov.uk/com
pdocs/compadobe/h/hs_10v2.pdf
provides guidance on both
operational and non-operational
electrical equipment.
The county council has a schedule
for Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
which can be found on Compass, it
is of course reasonable to assume
that new electrical equipment is
safe to use and does not need to be
PAT tested prior to initial use.:
http://compass.hertscc.gov.uk/area/
hcc/resperf/hlthsafety/articles/pat/
The Health & Safety Executive have
also published some useful
information about Portable
Appliance Testing and would like to
dispel some myths:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/f
aq-portable-appliance-testing.htm
Slip and trip hazards
Unfortunately, due to a lack of
electrical sockets, multi-gang
extension cables and sockets are in
use across the service and these
should be kept free from dust and
potential damage and not trailing
across walkways or between desks.
They are mostly used for IT
equipment but the transformers for
speakers can get quite hot and
could post a fire hazard if people
don’t keep under their desks tidy
and clear of papers, bags or other
items. Ideally managers should
request the installation of
additional sockets but
pragmatically this may not always
be possible. Bags, briefcases and
storage boxes should be suitably
stored away both for security
reasons and to avoid trip hazards.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety Event Feedback Table
Issue
Findings
Outcome & progress
A contract cleaner
was using a vacuum
cleaner when it
developed an
electrical fault.
• The condition of the vacuum was checked and
found to be faulty, it was removed from use and
the cleaner advised to get the vacuum serviced by
qualified technician or replaced.
• The cleaning company confirmed that annual
PAT testing takes place but it was subsequently
discovered that the vacuum was used outside on a
pathway, potentially picking up moisture and
contributing to the failure.
• The cleaner was instructed not to do this
anymore and will be monitored by staff on site.
• This is the second occurrence at this location
in 2 years and highlights the need for daily
inspections and regular servicing of
equipment by the contract cleaners.
• All staff should also ensure they check
electrical equipment for defects before use,
immediately report damage and remove the
item from use if it is faulty.
During fire behaviour
training at a facility
out of County, a
firefighter sustained
slight steam burn to
their hand.
• No time off resulted and there was no
blistering.
• It was believed the injury was due to too much
water being introduced during the training
causing the gloves to get wet, producing the
steam burn.
• The temperature of the facility is monitored as
part of the training exercise.
• The gloves worn meet the current standards
and correctly fitted the firefighter.
• This is the second occurrence at the same
facility although previously the fit of the gloves
was not adequate so a refitting took place.
• All crews attending training at the outcounty venue are reminded
− to ensure their gloves fit correctly and
− to notify the BA training instructor if their
gloves become very wet during training.
• Anyone with ill-fitting gloves should contact
Technical Services.
A near miss occurred
at a station when a
metal plate/keep fell
from the top of the
bay door frame whilst
the door was being
closed, narrowly
missing a firefighter.
• This could have caused a serious head injury.
This occurrence has been reported to the
Buildings Manager for consideration of the risk
• On closer inspection it was found that the
retaining screws had fallen out allowing the metal at other stations.
plate to fall.
• An inspection was immediately carried out on
the plate serving the other door and was also
found to be insecure. Both were refitted securely
by the crew.
HFRS Coarse
Angling Section
1st quarter
report
If anyone is interested in upcoming fixtures (listed
below) please contact Dave Rees at Royston Fire
Station or Clive Bailey at Garston.
The Service Coarse Angling Section has been
involved in three matches so far in the District
competition.
The year started off with a match at Lake John,
Waltham Abbey on 21 January. Dave Rees, Royston
retained and Clive Bailey, Garston were 2nd and 3rd
individuals respectively.
The next match was on the Old Nene in the
Cambridgeshire town of March which took place on 25
February. Hertfordshire came 2nd behind the local
Cambridgeshire team which was expected as they
were all from the area.
The latest match was at Rayne Lodge just outside
Braintree Essex. This saw a good turnout and an
exceptional match with one weight over 100lb and three
weights in the 90’s. Clive Bailey was 4th overall with just
over 91lb and Dave Rees was a section winner.
Hertfordshire had an exceptional team result winning the
match.
So with a quarter of the series already completed
Hertfordshire are sitting on top of the District League,
but with more matches to come staying there will be
the challenge.
Y u are
a star...
Do you know someone who goes that extra
mile to make a big difference?
Please send your nominations for the You
are a Star award to
[email protected]
2014 Matches
Wednesday 21 May - Chestnut Pool, Langford,
Bedfordshire
Tuesday 10 June - Colemans Cottage, Witham Essex
Tuesday 15 July - River Yare, Norfolk
Tuesday 12 August - Decoy Fisher, Wittlesea,
Cambridgeshire
Monday 22 September - Alders Farm
Monday 20 October - Shearsby Lakes, Leicestershire
Tuesday 4 November - Lake John, Waltham Abbey
Monday 8 December - Old River Nene, March,
Cambridgeshire
Carewell
Do you need someone to talk to in
confidence?
You can call the Occupational Health Unit on 01438
847316 or Carewell on 0800 731 0905, seven daysa-week, 24 hours a day.
Information and advice is also available online at
http://www.ppconline.info
You will need to enter the username and password
to access the site

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