Last night was our weekly drill night and we had the chance to get off station to carry out an interesting exercise.

Pete Brown and Ian McMillan took charge of the incident which was based on the disused shop and toilet complex and the bottom of The Ravine, in Lowestoft.

The scenario was that a young lad had got onto the roof, started a fire (which involved gas cylinders) and had then injured himself up on the roof - having suspected spinal injuries.

Ladder 2 were first in and got water onto the cylinders from a line of 45 and then from a ground monitor. They then started planning the rescue and we arrived on the PRT to assist. I was driver and pump operator on the PRT and we gave our tank of water to Ladder 2 while the hydrant was being setup and fed to us.

The water pressure from the hydrants in that area have no pressure and it takes an age to fill your tank. At the same time you're trying to keep the other pump supplied with enough water to keep the ground monitor going.

Up on the roof and improvised method of lowering the casualty in the scoop was being devised. After a few adjustments this went very smoothly with the casualty making a gentle descent to ground level.

Time then to make up all the gear, have a debrief and back to Normanshurst for 2100 hours.

I think the general opinion amongst all of us is that we should do more off-site drills. After all we are unlikely to attend a real incident at the drill tower at Normanshurst!


Don't try this at home!

I think this was filmed in Finland . . .

I suppose they carried out a full Risk Assessment, decided the whole thing was potentially lethal and then thought, "What the hell, let's just do it" - but in Finnish, of course . . .