Tuesday turned out to be quite hectic… And it’s always on the days when you seem to have tons of ‘day job’ things to do!

We kicked off at 12:15 with a small fire in Cambridge Road, Lowestoft – 2 pumps but nothing for us to do.

Back on station, we were on standby waiting for Ladder 1 to return. As we waited the light came up for Ladder 1 meaning they had been proceeded on to another incident – an AFA at CEFAS in Lowestoft. Yet more delay till I get my dinner.

Not long after this and the bells go down for Ladder 2 and the PRT – it’s now a confirmed fire at CEFAS and the full PDA (pre-determined attendance) is being mobilised. That sees Clifton on its way with the Hydraulic Platform and support pump from Great Yarmouth.

Driving Ladder 2, I take the lead heading South through town. Within a matter of minutes we pull into the gates of CEFAS, past the evacuted mass of workers. I’m directed to reverse down a gap between two parts of this large Government building, towards the seat of the fire. We get ready to haul aloft a hosereel but find that the BA team – Dave Ives and Ben Horne of Green Watch – have dealt with the fire using an extinguisher and Size 10 boots!

As we wait for ventilation to take place, the PRT books themselves available from the incident. Within a matter of minutes they receive a Fire Priority message to proceed to an RTC on St.Peters Street in Lowestoft – back to the North side of the river.

Knowing that an RTC gets a PDA of the PRT plus the two nearest pumps, we checked to see if we could be made available. At the same time we called up Gary Smart, Ladder 2’s OIC, to let him know what was happening.

We got the all clear to make ourselves available and I got straight on to the radio to inform Control. No sooner had they acknowledged my message and they were calling me up with a Fire Priority. And within a minute we were making our way back through Lowestoft’s traffic, heading for St.Peters Street.

When we pulled up at the incident it appears that it was very low speed impact. But, despite of this, the female passenger in the front vehicle was medically trapped. It’s basically an injury or risk of injury that is keeping them in the car and not them being physically trapped. The lady had got a history of neck problems, so the paramedics took no chances and asked us to get the roof off.

The Yarmouth HP and pump made their way past us only for the pump to be sent back to us as the third appliance. Everything was in hand, so their services weren’t required on this occasion.

So roof off, casualty out on a long board…

And all this time my stomach is rumbling (it’s now well over two hours since I was going to eat) and there we are, right oustide Domono’s Pizza, and not freebie in sight!

– IAN CARTER (www.accessiblewebsites.co.uk)