Essex County Fire & Rescue Service

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FOI / 3844 / 2018 - Firefighting Capabilities

 

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that Essex County Fire & Rescue Service does hold this information.

Please see below the answers to your request.

Final response:

 

1.    How many Firefighters are there in total on Red Watch? Of that number, how many of each rank? (E.g. 1x WM etc)

 

The total number of firefighters on Red Watch is 6, equating to 1 x Wm, 1 x CM, 4 x FF (watch strength should be 7).

 

2.    For a while now, you received your new HRP (KX15 EKY), which replaced the older 2010 series Scania’s. I was wondering how the new appliance has been coping on the run, in terms of FF opinions and its practicality?

 

There have been no issues with the new appliance. Driver familiarisation training has been delivered to all drivers.

 

3.    With the HLL and HazMat, will the Driver and OIC of the HRP cross-crew over, or would it be BA Wearers in the back that would crew the specials? In terms of the OIC, would the WM be in charge of the HLL and/or HazMat like the HRP, or the CM (as I know CM’s are typically the OIC of special appliances)?

 

HRP and special will go out together, WM staying on the HRP, 2 FF’s (1 maybe a CM but not required) from the back taking the special required.

 

4.    Typically, if the HLL or HazMat was to be mobilised, would the HRP also proceed as Support Pump? If so, is the decision to mobilise the support pump along with, down to the OIC or Control’s discretion?

 

Yes, Standard Operating Procedure.

 

5.    I understand that in theoretical circumstances, the driver will be the pump operator and the BAECO. How many BA wearers would it take, for the FF BAECO to be overtaken by a CM BAECO? Or is this just by the OIC’s discretion and fluid nature of an incident? I know that BA procedures have stages, so wondered whether stages correlate to the BAECO rank?

 

Stage 2 BA; which is more than four wearers which results in a CM taking over the board.

 

6.    In terms of crewing, are all FF’s LGV-trained? How would you appoint drivers – is a voluntary thing? I know different stations & watches have their own way of selecting drivers, wondered how you do it?

 

All FF’s are not drivers and driving is voluntary, but obviously we need a FF to drive otherwise the appliances do not go out. The drivers at Rayleigh Weir take it in turns.

 

7.    Last year, how many shouts in total did Rayleigh receive? How many shouts are you currently at to date? Would you say the removal of your WrT has had an impact on the amount of shouts you now receive, and have you noticed 31 and 52 supporting you a lot more?

 

Last year approximately 1000

Current 772

 

8.    I can see the HLL is very much getting old. Have you heard of any plans to replace it with a newer counterpart soon?

 

The appliance’s life span has been extended another 5 years.

 

9.    I understand Rayleigh and Hawkwell are classed as a ‘Joint-Key Station’ and so are many others. I also understand there are other stations known as ‘Key Stations’. What exactly is the purpose of these two types of station and what makes it different to an unclassified station?

 

Key stations have to have an appliance in it due to the location or risk in the area, if those machines are at a protracted incident the station will be ‘back filled’. Joint key station means that if both machines are not available one station must be ‘back filled’.

1.    How often should the HRP go in for its Service? And what about the specials?

 

All machines serviced annually and have quarterly checks.

 

2.    What pieces of equipment does the HRP have, that the standard RP doesn’t? I also heard that some RTC gear from the HRP’s will eventually be coming to the RP’s as well – do you know what gear will remain on the HRP following this, which the RP’s won’t have?

 

It is a long list of equipment to include, basically it is stronger and heavier kit for HGV’s and I am not sure if any equipment is going over to the RP’s

 

3.    What size ladder does the HRP have? It looks like a 105 to me, however I wondered why that was so, as I was always under the impression that RP’s should have the 135? Does it have something to do with the metal rack, which I see at the bottom of your 105 – what is that?

 

Yes, it is a 105 as we have a working at height platform for working on HGV’s (fold out scaffold tower)

 

4.    When it comes to out duties, how much notice are you given beforehand? Is there a particular area in which you could do out duty, or could it be countywide? From that, are you authorised to take your PPE home with you, in the case that you had to do an out duty, instead of having to collect it from your home station?

 

Two types, dynamic notified on the day when you arrive at your station for duty, pre-arranged 48hrs notice, both to anywhere in the County. Yes, we can take PPE home.

 

5.    At a 1-Pump Station, can a CM be the OIC of the Watch, in the absence of the WM? Or would a flexi officer be called as the OIC? If the WM was absent for some time, I presume the CM couldn’t take the OIC position for prolonged periods of time?

 

Yes, the CM would ‘act up’

 

6.     Say 35P3 was attending a big industrial fire, mobilised at 17:30. Would the day watch remain at the scene of the fire for the hours to come (as overtime), or would the night watch take over after 18:00? How would the night watch get to the fire scene, if the HRP is already there?

 

Day watch would stay at the fire until a relief appliance from another station took over from them returning 35P3 to home station for the night watch to service and then crew.

 

7.    What time is parade for the on-coming watch meant to be? Say for example, a fire call comes in at 8:59, would the night watch take that, or on-coming day watch? Once parade is done, does that officially mark the beginning of the shift, therefore you are the on-duty watch beyond that point. Or could you take the incident (that’s so close to the end of the shift) without doing parade?

 

The off going watch should take the 0859hrs call. Once parade is complete this marks the beginning of shift.

 

8.    Say 35P3 attended a derelict building fire, and all your BA Wearers went under air, how would you then re-charge the sets? Would you stay unavailable whilst travelling back to home station, until the sets are re-charged? And do all Stations have BA charging facilities?

Yes unavailable or available BA deficient, we would have to obtain more cylinders via support services or another station. The stations locally to Rayleigh that have charging facilities are Southend, Chelmsford and Orsett.

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