Fleetwood Fire Station

The Wyre Pensioner Forum have recently been guests of Fleetwood Fire Station for a guided tour. Fire Prevention Officer Rob Skipworth welcomed members and then handed us over to Steve Cheetham and Shane Jones for an in depth description of the many roles expected of today’s fire officers.
The modern fire engine is capable of carrying over a thousand gallons of water giving the crew up to 10 minutes of water until hoses are connected up, but the sophisticated on board “Sat Nav” will highlight the nearest fire hydrant within seconds.
Standby crews are expected to clear the station in thirty seconds once the alarm is sounded. and this was put to the test during our visit and achieved comfortably.
Crews don their breathing apparatus in the engine cab while routes and relevant technical information are displayed by the on board computer system. Breathing gear has a time limit and a board containing details of all crew members and their remaining air time is carefully monitored.
The recent fires at Yate’s Wine Lodge in Blackpool and Poulton trading estate were large operations involving crews from the rest of Lancashire. These units also provided back up to local stations while their crews were at the major scene.
In addition to fire fighting road traffic accidents account for a significant amount of their time. Steve and Shane demonstrated the special tools used to cut away whole sections of a car in order to free trapped drivers and passengers. A huge pair of powered pliers can make short work of door posts and enable crews to quickly lift off the entire roof of a car.
Other roles include lifesaving from fast water such as rivers with the aid of an inflatable walkway, insulated wet suits for cold weather rescues and special kit for helping victims of sinking sand or mud flats.
While crews will assist people trapped in beach and estuary currents they will not venture into the sea as this needs the experience and training found in the RNLI and other agencies.
Some crews have particular specialities, for example, rescuing large animals. A recent case involved helping to retrieve a horse from a ditch adjacent to Rossall road in Cleveleys.
These diverse roles lead to crews spending much of their time practising operations and checking equipment.
Not all firefighters are full time, some stations have “retained“ crews where team members have full time jobs that allow them to have complementary roles as professional firefighters. They must be capable of responding to an alarm call within three minutes.
Rob Skipworth reminded us that fires across Wyre cost £4 million in 2008 and £90 million for Lancashire as a whole. The good news is that fire prevention seems to be working as there are less call outs than before.
Particularly with school children; they find that messages about the risk of fire sown in year two are still there at year six. Children retain the basic information about the dangers and risks of fire and just need it reinforcing when they reach an age when they might be tempted to experiment.
Anyone can have a free home fire safety check and also have a free smoke detector fitted. Chip pans are still the largest cause of kitchen fires and so much so that a proposed scheme will allow chip pans to be exchanged for deep fat fryers.

For a free fire check just call freephone 0800 1691125.

Also follow this link to the Lancashire Fire Service webite for more tips on fire safety.