After an early session in the gym at the station to set me up for the day, I make sure my uniform is in top condition and my shoes are polished.
Before my shift starts at 8am, there is time for a cup of tea and a chat about the day ahead with the rest of my Watch. Then it’s time to go to the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) room and prepare our kit. We have to be ready from very start of the shift to respond to any incident, as we could be called at any time.
The Watch then assembles in the muster bay for inspection. We line-up and stand to attention as the Officer in Charge enters. During this time, details of the day’s duties are relayed to us. These vary from shift to shift, and it is the unpredictability that helps keep things interesting, and the formality that instils a sense of professionalism.
After the parade, we carry out the safety checks and inventory on the fire engine. You never know who may need to use what equipment at an incident, so we make sure it is all present and meets the high standards needed. When we are done we inform the OIC that we are ready to go.
Training is a hugely important part of the job, and drill time is an important part of station routine. We put on our PPE and prepare the training yard. This year, we have entered the Road Traffic Collision (RTC), Trauma care and Breathing Apparatus competitions, so we spend a lot of time practicing these skills and procedures.
These competitions are invaluable to the service as they are an effective way of focusing our training and preparing us to deal with the unexpected in the real world.
As a team, we discuss theory and then put it into practice. We run advanced routines and the basics time and time again. It can drive you crazy, but we all appreciate the need for intensive training and to keep going over what you think you know.
The training creates an instinctive response in a firefighter. It gets to the point that when the pressure is on at an incident, you don’t have to actively think about things, instinct takes over.
One recent incident that sticks in the mind is a flat fire in a 15 storey block. As a crew we knew the building well because we visit note-worthy sites in our patch to study the potential risks and how to deal with them.
We boarded the fire engine in full PPE and put on our BA sets en-route, while discussing tactics to tackle the fire, taking into account Fire Service procedures.
We knew which floor the fire was on, so made our way to two floors below this. We came across members of the public in visible distress and were told that people were still inside the flat.
Dynamic risk assessment is a vital element of emergency response. From our training, we identified that the need to facilitate a rescue outweighed the risk involved with going into the effected area.
With the appropriate safety measures and procedures in place, myself and my BA partner forced entry to the flat, carrying a hose and thermal imaging camera. We entered the flat keeping low whilst I called out. There was no response. We cleared the rooms as we advanced down the corridor in line with our training. We reached a left hand turn and discovered a casualty there, an unconscious woman.
The severity of the smoke and heat meant that there was no time to stabilise her before removal. I picked her up whilst my partner covered me, all the time keeping as low as I could, and carried her to safety. At the relative safety of the lobby another firefighter helped me pass her to the casualty carer. The teamwork was seamless.
As soon as the handover was complete my partner and I re-entered the flat. The heat was very intense. I scanned the room and located an unconscious man by the glow of a television set. We attacked the fire to allow us access to him. Due to the dangers of radiated heat injuries and smoke inhalation, there was no time to waste. I grabbed him and was pleased that I had worked so hard on my personal fitness as he was very heavy. He needed to be resuscitated immediately so I carried him quickly to the corridor where we met another team who grabbed his legs and together we got him out of the flat. It was at this point we handed him over to the casualty carer.
By now my air was low, but there was just enough to allow another entry. I re-entered with my partner and 
we cleared the flat - all persons were accounted for and we completed putting out the fire. At this point I felt a sense of euphoria that my team and I had made a real difference, and much of that was down to how well we train.
Back on station, after the drill session comes an opportunity to expand our theory knowledge in the station’s lecture room. This usually takes the form of table-top exercises and Powerpoint presentations. Theory sessions are really important as they allow us to brainstorm, discuss new ideas and learn together as a team.
After a lunch prepared by the station cook, the afternoon is filled with an array of duties. It is at this time that a good proportion of our Prevention Based Activities (PBA) are carried out. This involves activities like school visits and attending community events.
Firefighters and a fire engine seem to draw in members of the community and being out and about allows us a level of engagement with the public that few, if any, other agencies can achieve. This means we can talk to them and educate them about fire safety and community safety.
Home Fire Safety Checks are an important part of our work. They involve visiting people’s homes to give them advice on fire safety and to fit smoke alarms where required.
Once these aspects of our work are complete, we carry out the cleaning routine on station and parade off at the end of another busy day.
As a firefighter I have a diverse response base that encompasses a wide variety of duties and that is all part of what makes the job such a rewarding one. I take great pride in what I do. This job is the most enjoyable and rewarding I have ever held or could ever imagine holding. The response from family and friends is gratifying as the job carries a high degree of respect and they are generally envious of my role. People admire what we do as an organisation - and they don’t even know half of it.
