When the Fire Crew begin their duty they will prepare and check their equipment ready for when they are called to an emergency.
Below is an overview of the procedures they will carry out.
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The Firefighter's pole at Shrewsbury fire station
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The wholetime fire stations are crewed by four watches of firefighters that provide 24 hour cover throughout the year.
Shifts
Each watch will work two day shifts followed by two night shifts.
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Day shift |
09:00 - 18:00 |
9 hours |
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Night shift |
18:00 - 09:00 |
15 hours |
1. Parade
Each shift begins with a parade to make sure everyone is in attendance and to relay the plan for the day or evening.
The Officer in Charge will also inform the crew of any equipment or operational changes. ie. Local flood / river risks
2. Daily sheet
The daily sheet shows the position of each firefighter on the appliance they will be riding when attending an emergency.
For example at Shrewsbury fire station:
| Crew |
Appliance |
Number of firefighters |
| Crew 1 |
Water ladder |
Minimum 4 (seats 5-6) |
| Crew 2 |
Rescue pump |
Minimum 5 |
| Crew 3 |
ALP |
2 |
| Crew 4 |
Water rescue boat and trailer |
This is staffed by the firefighters who have had water rescue training. When attending a water rescue the water ladder will be taken off the run so the crew can staff the rescue boat. |
Each firefighter will liase with their opposite number on the watch they are relieving. They will make sure the appliances are safe and inform the Officer in Charge when taking over the position.
3. Equipment checks
Once the firefighter have taken over their position, they will perform the following checks:
| Position no. |
Firefighter role |
Description of checks |
| 1 |
Officer in Charge (OIC) |
- At 09:00 and 18:00 the OIC will fill in a nominal roll board of everyone on appliance (safety issue)
- Add fire crew members to MDT list
- Ensure the BA sets are checked
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| 2 |
Driver |
- Check all of the appliance
- Safety orientated checks include: tyres, lights, brakes
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| 3 / 4 |
Breathing apparatus (BA) |
There are normally 2 nominated BA firefighters on the appliance but 4 sets are carried onboard
- Check all 4 breathing apparatus sets
- Check torch and batteries
- Check radio and batteries
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| 5 |
Entry control operator |
- Check the safety of the BA firefighters
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Firefighters have to have the relevant qualifications for each role they will cover.
For example: Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP), Incident Response Unit (IRU), Breathing Apparatus (BA), Driver, Swift Water Rescue Technician
All firefighters will check that their fire kit is ready and will place their kit by the appliance they will be riding.
4. Day duties
All firefighters carry out day duties which include the following:
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Administration |
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Community Fire Safety
This includes performing Home Fire Safety Checks and fitting smoke alarms |
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Regulatory Reform Order fire safety inspections |
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NVQ |
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Training |
All of the above activities have targets that the firefighters must complete.
When the Fire and Rescue Service recieve a 999 emergency call the firefighters will carry out the following procedure:
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Siren |
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The siren will sound on the station to call all firefighters to the appliance bay. The siren has a tone which increases in volume. |
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Firefighters on station make way to appliance |
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4 - 5 firefighters will use the fireman's pole
4 - 5 firefighters will use the stairs |
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The Officer in Charge collects the incident print-out |
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The print-out provides details of the incident such as:
- Which appliance(s) is required
- What the incident is
- Incident number
- Where the incident is (includes address and map co-ordinates)
- Who notified the Fire and Rescue Service
Rescue pump (Automatic Fire Alarm, house fire, RTC) An AFA requires a minimum of 5 firefighters
Water ladder (Rubbish fires, smaller incidents)
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Fire Crew board appliance and leave fire station |
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- Firefighters partially dress before appliance leaves
- If house fire - the BA firefighters will put on their BA sets ready for arrival at the incident
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If 2 appliances are sent to incident: |
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Fire
- The 2 appliances will communicate to pre-plan for arrival at the incident
Road Traffic Collision (RTC)
- Appliances are sent in both directions on motorways and dual carriageways. This enables crews to cover each carriageway in case both sides are affected.
- Firefighters will wear high visibility jackets and additional plastic gloves.
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Arrival at incident |
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Deal with incident |
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Clean up the scene and appliance as much as possible before leaving the incident |
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After the incident |
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Hot debrief at the scene of the incident
Proper debrief at station. This covers any issues which may have been noted at the incident
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Appliance returns to fire station |
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Check, prepare and clean the appliance and equipment so the appliance is ready to be called out again |
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