Fire Buffs promote the general welfare of the fire and rescue service and protect its heritage and history. Famous Fire Buffs through the years include Edward VII, who maintained a kit at a London fire station.

January 31, 2008

CHANCE THE FIRE DOG

Modern fire dog

The first canine officially documented as a fire dog was ``Chance'' of the London Fire Engine Establishment in 1828.

In a letter to the The Fireman magazine published in the 1800s, an old London fireman recalled: ``Fire after fire he attended until he was well known in London as 'Chance, the watermen firemen's dog.' Chance remained a faithful friend of the firemen for many years. He ultimately went nearly blind; even then he used to follow the engine,'' according to the book The Firefighters Best Friend.

While Chance wasn't a dalmation - his breed was never determined - ``he was known for following the crew to every fire and rescuing several people,'' the book said. ``He rotated throughout the firehouses in London, spending a few days at each house. As a result, every firefighter in London knew him.''

What's more, firemen took a collection to buy a brass dog collar with the inscription: ``Stop me not, but onward let me jog, for I am Chance, the London Firemen's dog.''

When he passed away, London newspapers published obituaries, and ``one paper reported that while on his deathbed, Chance tried unsuccessfully to rise up and follow the men one last time as they rushed to a fire,'' the book said.

After his passing ``his favorite house at the Central Station of the London Fire Brigade paid a taxidermist to stuff him and place him in a glass case,'' the book said. ``After the taxidermist completed his work, he decided to instead sell the famous dog to a showman on the other side of town, who let visitors glimpse the dog for a penny. The showman unknowingly allowed a fireman in for a viewing. Several hours later, the entire squad returned to retrieve their dog.''

The firemen mounted the case in the fire station, and placed a memorial plaque nearby that read: ``Chance, well known as the firemen's dog. Died October 10, 1835. This is humbly inscribed by the Committee of London Fire Establishment and their obedient servants.''

WIMBLEDON BROADWAY

Photo: Wimbledon Fire Station

Fire gutted the Woolworths store on Wimbledon's Broadway in 1981 - claiming the life of a member of the London Fire Brigade.

According to the Wimbledon Fire Station web site, Firefighter Tony Marshall died in the line of duty on April 30, 1981.

Sadly, less than a month later on May 24, 1981, Firefighter Barry Trussell was killed at a fire at St George's Hospital on Blackshaw Road, according to the web site.

January 28, 2008

MAKE PUMPS 500!

From Times Online, Feb. 15, 2007:

``Cyril Demarne was a sub officer in the West Ham Fire Brigade instructing the Auxiliary Fire Service when war was declared. On the the first day of the London Blitz, September 7, 1940, he recalled a `lovely sunny day. There were about 300 German aircraft. Some flew along the waterfront from North Woolwich to the tidal basin and bombed the big factories. [They] had thousands of people in them and there were horrendous casualties.'

``Three miles of the waterfront became a continuous blaze, and Demarne ordered 500 pumps to the scene. The commander thought this exaggerated and sent someone down to see. The man reported back that 1,000 engines were needed. ''

DeMarne survived the war and died Jan. 28, 2007. He was 101.

January 17, 2008

HEATHROW CRASH




Photos: BBC and Press Association

British Airways Flight 38 from Beijing crash-landed short of a runway at London’s Heathrow Airport on Jan. 17, 2008. The airline said 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped on emergency slides. There were more than a dozen minor injuries. Airport firefighters applied blankets of foam to the wreckage to prevent leaking jet fuel from erupting in flame.
-
INCIDENT REPORT
12:43
G56 HEATHROW
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT
HEATHROW AIRPORT, RVP SOUTH
1 Boeing 777 crash landed adjacent to runway. 136 passengers and 16 crew safely evacuated via escape chute. 11 casualties suffering minor injuries removed by L.A.S. 30-35 persons being assessed in triage at survivors reception centre. Foam blanket laid by Airport Fire Service and LFB. 1 Hose Laying Lorry, 3 Bulk Foam Units, 3 Airport Fire Service Foam Tenders,6 Foam Branches, 3500 litres of LFB foam used.
-
INITIAL DISPATCH
MOBILISE MOBILISE MOBILISE
INC. 9164081
TOC 12:43:43
TEL. REF MG AIRCRAFT CRASH, E3
@ AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT
@ RVP SOUTH
SOUTHERN PERIMETER ROAD
HAL
HOUNSLOW
MIDDLESEX
TW6
58.Q/98 G56 TQ 07468 74189
RUNWAY 27 LEFT
G561 @ G56 AS PA, 135, RTA, WMR, RT
G392 @ G39 AS PA, RTA
G401 @ G40 AS PA, 135, RTA, WMR
G382 @ G38 AS PA
G381 @ G38 AS PA
H431 @ H43 AS PA
G242 X RT @ G24 AS USRS
SR15 @ A34 AS USR
G306 @ A40 AS USRC, HRTA
H276 @ H27 AS USRC
E216 @ E21 AS USRC
H429 X RT @ H42 AS HLR
CU6 X PAG @ H43 AS CU
H387 @ H38 AS BFU, PM CARRYING BFU3
M20 @ H31 AS USM4, PMU CARRYING S044 USAR MODULE 4
M21 @ H31 AS USM1, PMU CARRYING S041 USAR MODULE 1
O20P X PAG @ O20 AS MRU
G104 X PAG @ G38 AS GM
G40 X PAG @ G56 AS SM
G23 X PAG @ G23 AS SM
G24 X PAG @ G24 AS HZ
E79 X PAG @ H39 AS UA
H42 X PAG @ H42 AS PR

January 14, 2008

SMOKE ACROSS LONDON


Photos: BBC
On Nov. 12, 2007, 85 firefighters battled a blaze in an abandoned warehouse on on Waterden Road in East London. At the height of the fire, the warehouse was completely alight. Dave Brown, the fire brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Service Delivery, said: ``We had 150 calls into the brigade’s control room about this incident, with a large plume of smoke seen over the capital.''

January 10, 2008

FIRE COVER




"You belong to a force which has a long and honourable tradition of gallantry and devotion to duty ... your duties remain arduous and difficult and call for a high standard of physical fitness ... I am confident that the London Fire Brigade will maintain these qualities to the highest degree"

 - HRH Edward, Prince of Wales
Speaking at review of London Fire Brigade at Victoria Park in August 1929


FIRE COVER
The London Fire Brigade provides ``fire cover'' according to a system of risk categories traditionally used across the United Kingdom. The risk category determines the minimum number of appliances dispatched to an incident.
  • "A" risk - Areas with high density of large buildings and/or population, for example office blocks or factories. Three fire engines to be sent within eight minutes, the first two to arrive within five minutes.
  • "B" risk - Areas with medium density of large buildings and/or population, for example multi-storey residential blocks. Two engines deployed, one within five minutes, the second within eight minutes.
  • "C" risk - Low density suburban areas and detached properties. One fire engine to be sent within ten minutes.
  • "D" risk - Rural areas. One fire engine to be sent within twenty minutes.
PUMPS

The Dual Purpose Ladder - DPL - is the standard type of firefighting, with about 170 in operation across London. The brigade took delivery of a fleet of 216 Mercedes-Benz Atego pumps with new Plastisol bodywork between 2002 and 2007. According to Wikipedia, the standard engine has 13½m and/or 9m ladder extensions, eight 18m lengths of hose, four 25m lengths of thinner hose, cutting equipment, a portable generator, a lightweight portable pump, water-packs, inflatable air bags, road signs, floodlights, a medical kit, hose ramps, general tools, chemical suits and breathing apparatus. DPLs weigh in at around 11.2 tonnes, and are approximately 7.7m long, 2.3m wide and 3.2m high, carry 1,365 litres of water, and have a pumping capacity of 3,910 litres per minute.

RADIO SIGNALS
Code1 - Small structure fire
Code 2 - Small rubbish/outdoor fire
Code 3 - Chimney fire
Code 4 - False alarm due to AFA
Code 5 - False alarm, good intent call
Code 6 - False alarm malicious
Code 7 - Special service

Status 1 - At station
Status 2 - Enroute
Status 3 - Arrived
Status 5 - Mobile to cover another station
Status 6 - Mobile and available for a call
Tactical Mode OSCAR - Offensive (interior attack)
Tactical Mode DELTA - Defensive (exterior attack)
Tactical Mode TANGO - Transitional

COMMAND LEVELS
INCIDENT ... OFFICER IN CHARGE
Pumps 1 ... Crew Manager
Pumps 2-4 ... Watch Manager
Pumps 5-6 ... Station Manager
Pumps 7-8 ... Group Manager
Pumps 9-12 ... Deputy Assistant Commissioner (formerly known as Area Manager)
Pumps 13+ ... Brigade Manager (Senior officers)


ENHANCED MEDICAL RESPONSE

In November 2007, Camden firefighters became the first in London to carry improved first aid equipment - including defibrillators, suction devices to maintain open airways, cervical spinal collars and improved wound dressings. Primary responsibility for emergency medical care remains with the London Ambulance Service.

January 03, 2008

ROYAL MARSDEN - 2008


INCIDENT REPORT
G34 - CHELSEA
25 PUMP PERSONS REPORTED FIRE
ROYAL MARSDEN HOSPITAL, FULHAM ROAD. SW3.
STOP MESSAGE: Hospital of 5 floors 100 metres x 50 metres, 50% of roof containing plant equipment and research labs damaged by fire. 79 patients and approximately 200 staff evacuated from building. 5 jets, 2 hosereels, 2 turntable ladders ,2 aerial ladder platforms, dry riser, extended duration breathing apparatus, turntable ladder monitor, thermal image camera, all persons accounted for, same as all calls.

By Vinny Del Giudice
London Fire Journal

On Jan. 2, 2008, a spectacular fire swept the roof and upper floors of one of the world's leading cancer hospitals - the Royal Marsden Hospital in central London. Twenty-five fire engines along with special units attended the blaze.

Founded in 1851 by Dr. William Marsden, the hospital treats 40,000 patients annually. In the 1920s, the Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research discovered that cigarette smoke was carcinogenic. In the 1950s, the hospital developed the first forms of chemotherapy.

Watch Manager Kevin Walpole, of the Chelsea fire station’s Red Watch, said: "There was fire in the left section of the roof and it was spreading rapidly because of the wind. One of our crews helped with the evacuation of the fifth floor while the other crew started tackling the fire and we quickly increased attendance to eight fire engines and other specialist equipment.”

Kensington Station Manager Martin Freeman reported: “The fire had spread into the roof space and was severe. Crews were working in arduous conditions and worked extremely hard. We do train for incidents like this and prepare evacuation strategies so we had a clear idea how to tackle this incident.”

Seniors fire officers worked with London water board ``turnkeys'' to ensure an adequate supply of water. The turnkeys respond to fires requiring six pumps or more.

In nearby Dovehouse Street, nurses attended to several patients on mattresses while others were led to safety wrapped in blankets and pushed in wheelchairs, according to a dispatch in The Scotsman newspaper.

Martin Gore, the hospital's medical director, said: "There were two patients having surgery at the time. They have been safely taken off their anaesthetic and ventilators. They were taken to recovery and are now in a neighbouring hospital. Some of the operations were partly interrupted and there may need to be some further surgery but the patients are safe."

Most everyone remained calm, evacuees said.

According to The Scotman newspaper, chemotherapy patient Paul O'Byrne, 50, reported: "We could see the smoke going past the window – it was really billowing past." Carole Williams, 55, standing in the street in a dressing gown, said: "There was no panic whatsoever."

Still, in an interview with BBC Radio 4, Valerie Shawcross, chair of London's fire and emergency planning authority, which oversee the fire brigade, was critical of the National Health Service. Enforcement notices have been served to almost two dozen NHS trusts since firefighters were given responsibility for hospital fire inspections across the U.K., Radio 4 said.

``I think it's very important that the rest of the health service looks at what's happened with the Royal Marsden,'' Shawcross said.``I think Fire Brigades up and down the country feel that they have been grappling to get the attention of the health service to improve their fire safety records and this really is the last chance warning to get on with it.'' Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his wife Sarah and Health Secretary Alan Johnson visited the Chelsea fire station the next day, and the prime minister told firefighters: “I was just at the Royal Brompton and all the patients thank you for your efforts.” Earlier, Brown said he had “nothing but the fullest of praise” for hospital staff and the emergency services.

The Salvation Army said its canteen was sent to the hospital as ``part of the official incident response'' and situated within the police cordon on Sydney Street, where it remained through the night. The canteen provides crews with refreshments and ``a listening ear.'' Said one patron: ``The little red van is like an oasis.''

The hospital reopened to outpatients on Jan. 7.

FIREFIGHTER ATTACKS

UPDATED FEBRUARY 2008


The Fire Bridages Union released an independent report entitled ``Easy Targets'' that said there are at least 40 gang attacks on fire crews every week in the UK - and that under-reporting could mean the figure is much higher.

Firefighters are ``being pelted with bricks, bottles, and stones as they fight fires,'' the union said in a press release. ``Other incidents include ambushes, booby traps and being attacked with lumps of wood, knives and a petrol bomb.''

What's more, in some communities, ``abuse, threats and attacks are so frequent they are no longer reported,'' the union said. The Tyne and Wear fire authority, for example, issued ``spit kits'' to fire crews to collect DNA from gang members.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the union, said: “Frustration, boredom, alcohol and drug use can all fuel the problems of youngsters living in communities and on estates they feel are on the margins of society. The outcome can be recreational violence.''

-0-

Evening News of Edinburgh - Feb. 29, 2008

``FIRE chiefs today hit out at 'mindless and idiotic' yobs who have hurled burning missiles, glass and bricks at crews in four separate attacks this month.

``In one attack, a firefighter was so badly injured by a brick he had to be stood down for the night, forcing the entire crew off duty due to safety regulations.

``On another call out, the firefighters were chased from one retreat position to the next.''

CUTTY SARK - 2007

UPDATED MARCH 2009


On May 27, 2007, flames damaged the 19th Century ship Cutty Sark - the historic tea clipper at its dry ock in William Walk, Greenwich. Forty firefighters, eight pumps and an aerial ladder battled the blaze. Built in 1869, Cutty Sark was the last clipper constructed as a merchant vessel. She went on public display in 1954. Investigators determined the fire was caused by an electrical fault in a vacuum cleaner.