Last Wednesday I’d only been in the office about ten minutes after doing a Learn and Live presentation when my faithful friend sprang into life, shattering the peace.

I was fourth in and jumped in the back of our venerable Ladder 2 to hear that we were off to Bungay for a Make Pumps 6 shout. I heard the bit about a thatch but not that it was a thatched barn. So, with our crew of four – Mel Buck as OIC, Simon Reeves as driver and Al Soards and myself in the back – we chugged off towards Bungay.
The ERT, with its superior speed and the fact that’s it’s 20 years younger than Ladder 2, was soon slip-streaming us before we’d even got as far as Beccles.

As we neared Bungay we could see a pall of smoke rising above the Bungay – Halesworth Road. We pulled up outside the farm to find out what we needed to do. Already at the incident were Ladder 1 from Normanshurst, Beccles, Bungay, Loddon, Halesworth and Harleston. Shortly afterwards the Hydraulic Platform and support pump arrived from Great Yarmouth. By now the incident had been escalated to Make Pumps 10.

As there was only one hydrant close to the farm, the water supply was critical. A water shuttle had already started with the Loddon pump filling up at a hydrant on a nearby housing estate. We joined in with Ladder 2 and the ERT. This still wasn’t getting enough water to the fire ground so Mel arranged for us to take over Bury’s Ladder 1 (which was at the incident as support pump to Bury’s Forward Control Vehicle). I drove Bury’s pump, heading for Bungay Fire Station along with the Loddon pump to fill up from their hydrant. Now, with two pumps at each hydrant, we were filling up and forming a queue back at the farm, ready to dump our tanks into either the Beccles or Bungay pumps.

An assistance message had also been put in for the water bowser from Framlingham (Framlingham 09). This has a capacity of around 8000 litres – nearly five times what one of the fire engines can carry. The two man crew set up their dam and dumped their water into this. They then used the hydrant at the fire station while the rest of us reverted back to the hydrant in the estate.

With the dam in place, the Bungay pump took a supply from this to then feed the main jets on the fire ground. As we pulled up we’d sit there and fill the dam as and when it’s level dropped.

Refreshments magically appeared in the back of a car – homemade sandwiches, crisps, tea and coffee. A godsend, as the time must now have been past 3pm and my stomach had thought my throat had been cut! I’ve no idea who our culinary saviour was but a big thank you for feeding in excess of 60 firefighters, it really is appreciated…

Soon after this we headed back to Lowestoft via the cross country route. And on such a glorious day it was nice to be chauffered about in our very own charabanc.

Back at Normanshurst we thought we’d be getting away at 6pm when the night Watch took over. No. They were heading straight out to the job and we’d be on standby, covering the town, possibly till 10pm.

Thankfully Lil, our station cook, had dug out a chicken curry from the freezer. We nuked this and, together with a plate of chips, a meal was created…

And, an hour earlier than expected, we got away at 9pm. So with a shout at 7.15 in the morning, a Learn and Live presentation and then this prolonged shout, I’d spent something like 13 hours in the service of Suffolk Fire and Rescue. That’s not a problem… The problem arises when you get back to your normal job next day and have to play catch up…

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