Role of the Fire Service Emergency Calls To accurately list the full range of incidents that we attend would be impossible. However, they can be broadly divided into fires, special services and false alarms.
Fires
Fires can occur anywhere, at anytime and firefighters need to be trained for a wide variety of situations. For example, fires can occur in chemical plants, in electrical substations, in derelict buildings (that may collapse), or in buildings with asbestos or gas cylinders. A fire could start in a fireworks factory or on a lorry carrying ammunition or explosives. In some situations, there may be radioactive materials or biological hazards. Practically anywhere that you can think of a fire could occur and, firefighters need to deal with the fire and the additional dangers that are present.
When we arrive at an incident, if the dangers are too great, it is necessary to stay at a safe distance. However our primary role when attending any incident is to save life either by rescuing people who are trapped and getting them to a place of safety or, if they are injured, treating them with first aid until the ambulance arrives. This means that our firefighters often need to wear Breathing Apparatus and are sometimes sent into very dangerous situations.
In addition to the well publicised incidents that we attend we are called-out, on a regular basis, to deal with hundreds of smaller fires. These range from rubbish, grass and bush fires, to car fires.
Special Services
We have two main categories of fire engine, these being a Rescue Water Tender Ladder (RWrL) and a Water Tender Ladder (WrL). WrL carry some rescue equipment, a ladder, lines and breathing apparatus for rescue from fires. However, RWrL carry more specialist equipment to deal with road traffic accidents and incidents where people may be trapped.
Some examples of Incidents which we attend include:
- Road traffic accidents;
- People trapped in machinery;
- People trapped down shafts or at height;
- Floods (calls to floods have increase over recent years probably due to climatic changes);
- Animals trapped;
- People trapped in lifts;
- Body recovery;
- Petrol and chemical spills;
- Fingers trapped in bowling balls; and
- Rings to cut off fingers.
If the call is classified as providing a 'humanitarian service' then the service is provided free of charge. However, some services incur a cost, and this is at the discretion of the Officer in Charge and members of management at Fire Service Headquarters.
False Alarms
False Alarms can be categorised into three types:
- Good Intent - A genuine call to the Fire Service for help when the caller believes there is a fire when there is not.. For example, the caller may see steam coming from a building and mistake it for smoke or, see smoke and it later turns out to be controlled burning.
- Apparatus - A call which is triggered due to a sprinkler system or automatic fire detection system actuating . When we arrive and investigate we discover that the alarm has been activated by other means than fire. For example, cooking fumes, electrical faults etc.
- Malicious - A call to the Fire Service when the caller knows that there is no fire. This is very dangerous as it means that the fire appliance is not available to attend any other call until it has fully investigated the incident and confirmed that there is no need for help. If there is another call to a genuine incident during this time, which may involve someone's life or property at risk, then another fire appliance from a neighbouring station will have to attend. This will obviously increase the time taken to reach the incident and, greatly increase the chance of loss of life or property. A number of measures are currently in place to catch and prosecute malicious callers. We are continually trying to prevent malicious calls through new methods of educating the public about the dangers involved.
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