Yes we do mate. A colleague and I went down to Devon Fire & Rescue last year to do the FBTI with instructors from the Swedish Rescue Services Agency and it was fantastic, one of the best courses I've done in years.
Since that time we've been developing our own unit that comprises a combined Attack/Demo box with ongoing advice from Sweden. The eye opening benefits for our lads can't be over-stated and we're now trying to raise the funding to expand the unit to create FBT scenarios rather than just the set-piece Demo's and Attack's.
I guess not being caught up in the politics of a large organisation is an advantage to us. Most of the work we undertake is due to the sub-contracted requirements of the MoD rather than the CAA (although we have to comply with civil licensing requirements in addition) and the company turn to us to source solutions with very few limitations, thankfully relying on our professional experience rather than making uninformed decisions from behind the safety of their laptops. I answer mainly to our MoD contact would probably string me out to dry if I suggested removing hydro-carbon fires from the syllabus.
All in all our lads are getting a good deal on realistic external and internal fire training and perhaps being in such a fortunate position I tend to forget that not everyone is!
You sound like one of the old sweats and if that's the case I can imagine how concerning it is to watch younger or newer crew members think that they know it all when in fact they've experienced nothing.
On that subject I was watching Blue Peter with my youngest daughter last week (honestly I don't usually watch it on my own) and there was one of the presenters in the US at an ARFF training centre having a go at a massive rig. He thought he was great at extinguishing large spill fires with water spray, yes water, no foam. The reality was that the 'fires' were nothing more than gas being pumped up through vents in the rig ground surface and when he'd chucked a bit of water around the fireground staff shut the valve and he thinks he's extinguished a fire.
Can I suggest from the existing evidence that some of the firefighters you work with are possibly no more experienced in hydrocarbon firefighting than a Blue Peter presenter?
That's a frightening thought and for that I can sympathise with your frustration. Take care and keep an eye on those youngsters!
As for the authority, that was really the point behind starting this thread - that they are telling the industry that the revised 699 will achieve something that I can't believe it will from taking a good look at how it cross-maps. Please understand that the lads I work with, and that's not sexist because there aren't any girls at present, don't work in a large organisation like BAA where, and I may be wrong you tell me, but you've got a job for life (?), transferring between non-BAA airports and even local authority should in the future become much easier if they already hold the NVQ. And that's why they are so enthusiastic about it, coupled to the fact that they know their training is and will remain challenging and realistic.
Hopefully you have a better understanding of where I'm coming from now.
