My first shout!

 A new life at Totnes Fire Station.

December 8^th 2017 – passed my Recruits Course.

December 9^th 2017 – My first Fire Station social event, our Christmas meal.

I was suitably excited, having just passed my course, and we headed out to a local pub we had booked for our Christmas meal. Being self-employed I don’t tend to go on many social occasions, so this was a rare treat, actually being surrounded by my new work colleagues.

The meal was great and a few of us that weren’t on call that night, headed out into town for a couple more drinks, it was great to finally feel part of something special, part of the team, and as the months progress, I am to integrate further with them on long shouts and standby duties.

December  11^th 2017 – My first day as an ‘On Call’ Firefighter.

December 21^st 2017 5am – My First Shout!

Nothing can prepare you for this moment, and I'm sure everyone deals with it in different ways. Mine was at 5am, I was in a deep sleep, it was dark out, and my allerter went off on my bedside table.

People ask me, ‘What if you don’t wake up?’ seriously, that thing is loud, and it’s even louder in a quiet house at 5am!

I flew out of bed, put my clothes on, ran down the stairs, put my wellies on the wrong feet, (it was dark) I couldn’t do up my jacket, grabbed my bike lights and peddled off down the road as fast as my little feet could move.

I spotted Claire running along the path towards the Station, this would be a frequent thing on future shouts.

Fire kit on, suspected flat fire, hopped into the Fire Engine and off we went.

Again, nothing can prepare you for your first shout, I was sat in the back of the Fire Engine, thoughts rushing through my head.

I can’t believe I’m in a Fire Engine……

Wow! The blue lights are lighting up the houses either side of the road……

Everyone is really quiet! (This isn’t always the case, but I have since realised it’s the early morning shouts that are like this)

I’m really quiet……

Oh, we’re here, I have to get out and do fire stuff!

The rest of the team were awesome. Simon let me shadow him and everyone kept me involved explaining things that I needed to know. I felt completely involved, and had my first taste of what it’s like to deal with some burnt macaroni. The life of an ‘On Call’ Firefighter is varied, to say the least, and this first experience was in no way and anti-climax, but part of the full learning journey.

Road Traffic Collision course - RTC

Day One – Saturday 16^th December 2017.

So, the training wheel keeps rolling, and just a couple of weeks after completing our Recruits Course, the wonderful team are back for our Road Traffic Collision course – RTC for short.

There was lots of classroom input to start with before heading outside to start learning the practical on how to take apart a car safely, with a casualty, or even many casualties in it.

It was like we had never been apart, we all told stories of our first shouts, except Dan, who hadn’t had any, he’s at a very quiet station most of the time! Our teamwork shone through again, as we worked together to stabilise a vehicle, manage glass and create space to aid casualty recovery.

There was a lot of theory on the first day, but all absolutely necessary for the following days of practical.

Day Two – Sunday 17^th December 2017.

A day of practical, in the rain, but we didn’t seem to notice too much.

We learnt about gap creation, dash roll and dash lift, we got to work with spreaders, cutters and rams, it was brilliant to finally get our hands on the gear we have all been logging on the inventory, and looking at longingly.

We pretty much tore about, piece by piece, methodically, 3 cars, then we had a Mercedes to finish. We were tired at this point, the other cars, we had been commended on how well we did, but we all seemed to fall apart slightly on the final car. It wasn’t horrendous, but it did put all our good work the rest of the day to shame slightly. Big lesson though, as 'On Call' Firefighters, we have other jobs, lives to lead, we will be tired at times, woken at ridiculous times of the morning, our heads need to be better in the game. We need to make sure we are rested when we can, fuel ourselves with food and water when we can. This job is a life-changer in so many ways.

Day Three – 18^th December 2017.

Assessments – both practical and written! Our favourite thing……..not!

We started the day with the written assessment, it was a lot tougher than we thought, we had to write a lot, and somehow I finished mine way ahead of everyone else and ended up drinking tea, alone in the rest area upstairs. Eventually everyone else came up to join me, and then I was worried I hadn’t written enough. Turns out, I’m just a speedy writer, and we all passed!

Our practical assessment was in the rain, we were greeted by two assessors, oneof which had trained us in our recruits course.

I can sum the practical up in just a few words, manic, sweat, teamwork, passed!

We really did sweat our wotsits off in that assessment, but we worked together, and got the casualties out safely, in not too bad a time.

The reality of what you think will happen on the course, as to what happens on the course is a very different thing, and I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. The whole process is tough and not to be taken lightly, but at the same time, it is so worth it.

Time to say goodbye to the chaps as we go away and Christmas looms over us; our next meeting will be in Exeter, the BIG course, and the one that we have all been waiting for.  Roll on January 6^th!

Recruits course - part two.

Recruits course – the final five days.

It was good to get back and see the guys, my new friends! Ah!

The week started with Safety at Height and Confined Space – aka SHACS, and I have to say I loved it. I guess from years of climbing this was something that I could understand easily and I really enjoyed that first day back. Not quite so physically active, but enough!

We continued with SHACS the following day, learnt about live carry downs, roof ladders and yet more combination drills.

The live carry downs was interesting, although poor Ryan got me at one stage and I kept kneeing him in the groin because of our extreme height difference. We got very close as a team that day, in more ways than one, hugs all round!

That evening a representative from The Firefighter’s Charity came to see us, and actually it was really interesting how they help. I think most of us signed up for a small donation each month; you never know when you are going to need their help.

Day ten of the course was wet, but brilliant. We were doing combination drills again and we had to divert water down a stairwell, without it getting into any rooms either side. There was a lot of water, but as a team we did really well and managed to ace it. Our Instructors were planning on getting us wet that day, but we did too good a job, so suddenly the task changed and we had to get a branch off the second floor balcony. The flood water was still running and those of us working from the balcony had an absolute soaking from both Staff. Their ‘unexpected rain shower’ soaked a fair few of us, much to their delight.

Yes, we were training hard and learning, but the Instructors were great at keeping humour going with us, where it was appropriate. We cranked the drying room right up that day!

We had the first of our RTC (Road Traffic Collision) input that day, it would be the next course that we go on, but we learn how to set up a tool pool and use the hydraulic pump, something we will be allowed to do straight after recruits course.

Another long day and a visit from a lady in charge of Firefighter Welfare. I think she could see how tired we were, it was late and I think she cut her visit short as some of us were not focussed. It was interesting though, another way that DFSRS look after their staff.

The final two.

Day eleven was our final written assessment, something we should all pass; we had put in the work and the revision. We would sit upstairs late in the evening testing each other, all asking and answering, but it didn’t stop the nerves. I actually felt a little nervous just then thinking about it!

We then learnt briefly about Compressed Air Foam (CAF) which is just amazing used in the right way in the right environment and we had great fun coating the walls with it. Then a little water rescue input and we were left to prepare for the following final drill tomorrow.

We prepared by letting our hair down a little, a few drinks in the pub, a little dancing and some fun, and that’s all you’re getting. It was a good night, and deserved.

We entered the classroom on our final day to a talk about the new online training folders; needless to say we were all a little bit tired!

 We wanted to get out there and do the final exercise of the course, water-relay pumping from a little stream on the main road, up to the training centre, into the dry riser and off the roof.

It was mad, lots of running about, running hose the wrong way, running back the correct way, extra LPP’s needed, we worked our bits off that morning. We did it though, tired, happy, all the emotions after a late night.

Our final 1-1’s and I left happy, a big turnaround from my first 1-1 with Adele. We all passed and got ready to head back to our stations as ‘Supernumerary’ ready to go on the run for the first time.