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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Operational => Topic started by: John Webb on April 07, 2014, 10:07:27 AM
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Posted on a railway-related forum I'm involved with:
http://www.rouming.cz/upload/fire_fail.jpg
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Disturbing to say the least!
When in the good old LFB I was 'forward command' at an embassy siege in central London and being briefed by the MPS commander at the scene who informed me that if the people occupying the embassy stormed the ambassadors house where we were located (next to the embassy and inside the inner cordon) that we were to defend in place - i.e. shut and lock all the doors and repel all boarders. I politely asked him what he intended us to do with the charged twin 70mm and couple of hose reels that ran through the house from front to back via the main doors! He said he'd get back to me - I'm still waiting!
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I remember a crew returning to a station and having to replace a hose reel after fighting a grass fire on a railway embankment (sparks from passing locomotive, those were the days!)
Also the look on one of the FP officers who had just shown us round a new secure mental health unit proudly showing the 'air lock' doors (you can't open one set of doors unless the other set was locked) when he was asked how were the crews going to get the hoses inside to fight the fire!
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.......Also the look on one of the FP officers who had just shown us round a new secure mental health unit proudly showing the 'air lock' doors (you can't open one set of doors unless the other set was locked) when he was asked how were the crews going to get the hoses inside to fight the fire!
I had a similar problem in helping to design the new 'Burn Hall' at Building Research where it was important that airflow in and out of the building was carefully controlled. So we installed at each corner of the building a very short 'riser', but horizontal, passing through the wall of the building so an external pump could be used to supply water inside without any open doors.
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Yes John, the concept of horizontal dry risers in some buildings where security or floor area could be a problem, appears to be alien to architects.
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From other railway-related forums it transpires that the photo in my link in post #1 above was somehow reversed. It has also been confirmed that this is in Belgium, and the fire service were aware that the railway line was closed that week. It seems one of the firefighters has a good sense of humour!
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I once had to show a group of Army officers around a fire appliance, we got to the locker with railway horns in - What are those? said one officer, well at railway incidents a firefighter acts as a lookout and when a train approaches they blow the horn I said. An officer at the back with a puzzled face replied can a train driver hear that?
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John don't let the facts get in the way of an amusing story!!
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I once had to show a group of Army officers around a fire appliance, we got to the locker with railway horns in - What are those? said one officer, well at railway incidents a firefighter acts as a lookout and when a train approaches they blow the horn I said. An officer at the back with a puzzled face replied can a train driver hear that?
I do hope you played along with this DD. Perhaps you could have mentioned that you had to attach it to a BA cylinder if it was a noisier diesel train?
The contradiction of terms "Military Intelligence" springs to mind.