Firemans strike 1978

[morse1001]

Im pretty certain we didnt have any BA equipment all but think there was a local Fire Officer on-call if anything big occured. Our equipment was very basic but then so was our knowledge of fighting fires! I never heard of any RAF lads using BA at this time.

We did our training with the navy at Roysth dockyard. However, as I have said, the firemens union annouced that they would boycott the equipment, that is why there was never any service personnel deployed with the equipment.

 

[firestorm]

As said before, the equipment would have been boycotted until it was re-certified as the people (your good selves) hadn't had the proper training to use the equipment.
We can't just refuse to use the kit forever as we'd be in breach of contract, the kit has to be safe to use when returned.
Various brigades use various types of SCBA sets, each set has to be specifically trained on. So, for example if you'd have trained at a RN establishment you'd have used their sets. If you then had to use a civvy brigades kit you'd have to train on that specific kit as the daily, after use and monthly tests are set specific.
As there are 46 (I think) brigades in the UK their will be a wide variety of sets.
That is the only reason.

 

[he_who_dares_rodney]

I don't know about 78 but in '95 RAF Firemen were cutting about in B.A. whilst covering limited strikes in Liverpool

 

[VP8]

Was at Donna Nook Bombing range for the 78 thrash.......got picked up by an Landrover driven up to Catterick 5hrs training then drove a Green Goddess to Endike lane in Hull.........was the only RAF bod there the rest were Army!!

 

[AbuNajiWaterRat]

Not at all, there were all trades employed on it as we lost one guy for about 3 months as he went on the training...

Your right Mono. Personnel from various trades were trained to wear BA. They were given the title 'Enhanced Trained Non Specialists' (ETNS) They were qualified to wear BA after receiving a few weeks training. I was in charge of a few of them in N.Yorks. They did a great job, doing exactly what you asked them to do without complaint or whining, unlike most of the qualified RAF firefighters I've worked with!

 

[firestorm]

Really? I'm surprised. I send you my apologies mono for doubting you.

 

[duffman]

Your right Mono. Personnel from various trades were trained to wear BA. They were given the title 'Enhanced Trained Non Specialists' (ETNS) They were qualified to wear BA after receiving a few weeks training. I was in charge of a few of them in N.Yorks. They did a great job, doing exactly what you asked them to do without complaint or whining, unlike most of the qualified RAF firefighters I've worked with!

yep, was to happen on OP Fresco 2 everyone, if I remember right, was going to be ETNS. But the strike was knocked on the head before all the training was finished.

 

[colchris@blueyonder.co.uk]

You along with a few hundred others

You along with a few hundred others

Just thinking back to this time, I was on my Gen Mech Mech GSE course at Saints. We got circa 4 hours training and deployed with a Green Goddess to Ebbw Vale to join up with some lads from RAF Valley.
Any other Goat members get to take part?

After being posted to RAF Waddington in charge of the NBS bay, myself along with a few others decided to volunteer for Fire Fighting. We did the same, four hours training. I had a chat with our Fire Crew at Waddington and read all the books they gave me and believe me, it came in handy. We were detached to Doncater Danam Road TA Baracks (great lot who helped a lot) they had a bar as well. We had a young Pilot Officer (first command) in charge (brilliant young lad) who left me in charge of the three green godesses and training the crews. One two trucks on instant call and one on standby. The driver of mine (we called it 'Screaming Demon') named Dave was absolutely brilliant, could put the truck anywhere. Overall we had about one hundred and twenty odd callouts, most non fires but some most certainly were. Good crews and a good fire officer (civilian) who was not on strike, he monitored the situation but let us get on with it. I obtained sirens for all the vehicles via the TA (the bells were worse than useless). Every time we were called out we had a police escort to direct us to the fire, trouble was they went a lot faster than we did or could (top speed about fifty). Got presented with one of the bells and still have it. Good pumps the godess, pumped more water faster than those civy trucks then in service. The Godess was developed for atomic warfare, hence the number of hose you carried. It was bloody cold though if you remember, some very hard frosts.
I hope the young pilot officer had a good career as he knew how to leave the old chief to do his job.
Good times.
Colin

 

[colchris@blueyonder.co.uk]

Your right Mono. Personnel from various trades were trained to wear BA. They were given the title 'Enhanced Trained Non Specialists' (ETNS) They were qualified to wear BA after receiving a few weeks training. I was in charge of a few of them in N.Yorks. They did a great job, doing exactly what you asked them to do without complaint or whining, unlike most of the qualified RAF firefighters I've worked with!

You have obviously never been involved in an air crash, I have and believe me, I would want nobody else involved other than RAF fire crews. They may winge but then so do we all don't we!.

 

[BJW]

I did the same 4 hrs training at Catterick in Nov 77 then went off to Bristol via Locking until the end of Jan 78. I was in the old Maternity Hospital opposite Tiffany's nightclub with about 200 other RAF on what was termed the "Flying Column" and we were there just to deal with a major outbreak, consequently we spent 3 months doing very little but getting p1ssed and having fun.

Just down the road from us was Whiteladies Rd where there was another temporary base set up in a TA HQ, from what I recall they were called out nearly every day.

 

[XVR RA RA RA]

I did Op Fresco in 2002.

I remember having to dump water out the Green Goddess at the bottom of a hill, drive up it and refill the water tank at the top!

We used to try and set speed cameras off in the Green Goddess but it could never go fast enough.

I have a fond memory off going to a fire, with the blue lights on, sirens going along a dual carrigeway..... and every car overtook us. Lol. I felt sorry for the civvy bill who gave us an escort in a fast as f*** police car and had to drive everywhere at 30mph

For you youngsters. The Green Goddess was made out of wood, the walls, everything. If you crashed into a Ford Fiesta at 30 mph. The Green Goddess would disintegrate.

Happy days. Would I volunteer to do it again? Hell yes.

 

[sid the squid]

I was a young SAC at Stanbridge and got volunteered to cover the strike. We did 2 shifts of 24 on 24 off. We had a landrover with a trailer with a pump and various other bits. We only got called out a couple of times to minor fires thankfully. The funniest was a false alarm at tampax towers, me and the other young lads just enjoyed gorping at the waafs in their nighties !