Whether it’s here in the UK, or across the pond, as is the case with out namesakes at Rescue 702 at the Greenville Fire Department, having a quiet day is always preferable to getting called out to deal with emergency situations. Call outs range from the types you might expect, such as imminent danger in buildings on fire to the more clichés like cat’s stuck in trees.

When we’re in the station, though, there’s plenty to do. For example, we’re all expected to stay in shape so that we’re effective on the job, so using the gym is a common pastime. There’s also all sorts of community work that we do, such as visiting primary schools and raising awareness of safety measures like fitting smoke alarms.

Of course, there’s rest time too, particularly on the night shift. Many stations have sleeping quarters, where many members of the team catch up on some sleep while the remainder stay alert in case of a call out. For those who draw the short straw, there’s usually an obligatory caffeine hit required, so many crews (known as watches in the trade) invest in coffee machines to get the desired hit during the long hours of darkness. In fact, blue watch have just investing in a brand new bean grinding machine after doing their research with beantocupcoffeemachines.net, and making use of that Amazon Prime subscription. It’s surprising (or perhaps not, actually) how few members of the team actually got the normal amount of sleep on the first night that machine was on site, as they were all playing with the controls and grinding the coffee beans for hours. As you’re no doubt aware, coffee and sleep don’t mix well!

There’s also a common trend for fire fighters to indulge in sporting activities too, although that’s not usually on shift (with the exception of the odd game of table tennis or pool). You’ll often see your local firemen in the five a side league, or perhaps even the Sunday league at the nearest pitches. One of the problems is consistency, though, as the team will regularly change due to the shift patterns rotating every week.

Every so often, fire stations offer open days where the public can visit and take a look around. It’s often a popular event, and you never know when a call will come in. Kids are often inspired by the Fireman Sam TV show, and you’ll commonly hear one of the children looking for Norman Price getting up to mischief!

The fire service are a vital part of the safety of our local towns and villages, so we’re keen to be seen in the local area. If you think you might be running an event that we might wish to get involved with, please get in touch – we particularly like anything that involves a cup of decent coffee, as you are now well aware!…

The Fire Service is about a lot more than getting called out to put out fires. The service that’s provided to the public includes a huge variety of areas, although an emergency response to burning buildings is one of the most well known, and most dangerous jobs.

If you ask the average passer by on the street what a fire officer does, the likely responses will typically be stereotypes like rescuing cats from trees. While that’s definitely been accomplished by many a fireman, there are plenty of other responsibilities too.

Attending Road Traffic Accidents

Sadly, there are still too many collisions on our country’s roads. Typically you will see a fire appliance in attendance at serious accidents, first due to the risk of fire, but also to provide support to the ambulance service if casualties need to be cut from the wreckage, or to help the police establish exactly what happened.

While one accident is too many, the number of RTAs has improved dramatically over time, and the chance of fatalities or serious injury reduced due to the advancements in technology, like crumple zones in vehicles.

Fire Prevention Awareness

Most services across the country try to be visible in the community, offering advice on how to make homes safer places to be. Simple changes like fitting smoke alarms can be the difference between life and death when a fire breaks out.

Advice To The Construction Industry

A lot of resources have been invested into making the buildings of the future safer. By way of example, thirty years ago, it was common to see asbestos being used in buildings as fire protection, however it’s now avoided and removed due to the health risks associated with it. There’s also effort put into planning escape routes at the earliest stages of building design, especially in high rise construction projects. That’s relevant for the build stage itself as much as the finished layout because there are often activities such as welding occurring on building sites which can easily ignite flammable materials by mistake. It’s important that the worker’s safety is therefore considered as much as that of the ultimate occupants of the building.

People Stuck In Strange Places

Often they’re not emergency call outs, but it’s usually appreciated if there’s a quick response when someone is stuck. In a serious example, it may be a climber that’s fallen onto a ledge and may be injured. Less severe call outs often involve children and their inquisitive minds, like getting their small fingers stuck in the plug hole at bath time.

All call outs are treated with the utmost importance, and sometimes have to be prioritised. Someone in a burning building will always get priority over someone stuck in a lift at work due to the threat to life, no matter how much the latter individual suffers from claustrophobia. That’s also why you’ll see a lot of emphasis put on educating the public about the real danger caused by prank calls. What seems like a joke on the way home from the pub won’t seem so amusing in the cold light of day after someone is seriously injured (or worse) in a real emergency situation that has had a delayed response.

Your fire service are here for you, you never know when you’ll really need them!…

When was the last time you checked your smoke alarms?

Did you know that of every ten fires attended by the fires service, three could be directly avoided by the owners of the property regularly checking their smoke alarms? Given that every house fire has a very real chance of ending in the loss of life, the threat of tragedy still isn’t spurring everyone into action.

Ideally, once a month, you should press the test button on every alarm in your home to make sure it is functioning correctly. Yes, we know the noise is unpleasant and loud, but if the worst happens you’ll be very glad that it is so uncomfortable. Most smoke alarms make periodic beep noises when the battery is low, but don’t rely on them doing so – the only way to know for sure that the battery is good is to test it manually. Even if you have devices that are connected to the mains electricity supply, they should still be tested regularly in case of faults developing.

To help spread the word, we’ll be at your local Tesco supermarket in the coming weeks, where you’ll be able to find out more about how to protect yourself and your family from the threat of fire, and simple steps you can take to prevent fires happening at home. We’ll even be giving you the chance to win on the spot prizes, so it’s well worth coming to see us.

You can find out more about appearances at your local store by speaking to the customer service team, and we look forward to seeing you soon.…