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Calling all firefighters

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skevans

Flight Sergeant
1,358
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firestorm said:
TAC OPS? Only relevant to RAF.
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The tac Ops your thinking of was only relevant to the RAF, mine however was run by the Coastguard. Although RAF crews can now get EFAD and EFADR, nobody who did the tacops at St Athan is allowed to get an EFAD (officially anyway).

Its another of those line in the sand moments that change things for the noobs, but not those already in the service.
 
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toot

Guest
skevans said:
Surely there must be more firefighters on here. So far there is me and 222firedawg. Come on lads, stand up and be counted.
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See fishy, we are taking over! We will put you in the museum with a Mk 5a!
 
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phoenix

Guest
Speaking as one of the instructors who established the Tac Ops course at St Athan, I can say that the course content covered the occasions when the Road Traffic Act could be ignored - those already covered earlier in this thread - and it was always stipulated that should an accident occur then the driver would be held to blame irregardless of the emergency.
 
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MindlessRockMonkey

Corporal
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16
If your lookingfor ex Water rats, Hello. I was one of the few. Did the training (Manston), watched over North East Scotland (Between volleyball and fags).To try and put a bit of light onto this emergency vehicle convo before it gets shutdown.

I completed EFAD following the complmentary 100 hours driver training on and off base in fire trucks and 4 tonners. At the time it was one week plus an assessment drive.

Police forces have a few driver grades.

1) Passenger, You are the guy/girl in the passenger seat and when the car stops you jump out and chase the suspect/s while the driver carry on around the other side of the fields and catches them there while you get your new shiny uniform riffy. Cannot driver any police vehicle (Marked or unmarked)

2) UBV (unit beat vehicle) Can drive unmarked and marked vehicles. Must stick to the speed limits and can only use blue lights to stop a vehicle under normal driving conditions, or when vehicle is used to block a road/lane of a carriageway.

3) Sector grade. Can use blues and twos for immediate grade jobs only. May use red lights as a give way (should it be safe to do so). Can exceed the speed limit on the way to an immediate by up to 15 mph. Cannot pursue vehicles. To drive Police vans (LDV etc) in riot situations driver must hold correct licence and have done van blues course.

4) Advanced (Traffic). Bit cloudy for me as I have not done this course. Can pursue vehicles (Not Motorbikes in the West Midlands or drivers under the age of 17). As per sector grade but can exceed speed limit (if safe to do so) by a greater amount.

Police officers (should) be told of the restrictions of their driving grade, but it is common knowledge between PC's and the higher ups that if an officer presses his/her emergency button and is in the poo, all other officers make to him/her asap, all bets are off.
 
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MindlessRockMonkey

Corporal
262
0
16
How to make a Air Tragic Control spoon puke.

1) Take one firefighting dummy
2) Dress in fire uniform (Boots, helmet, green crash kit and blue suede boots)
3) Place in nearside rear cab of Mark nine (Crash 2)
4) Commence DI run (Daily inspection)
5) Commence high speed (!in a mark 9) down the active (West to East to put nearside facing away from ATC)
6) Throw dummy out
7) Run over with mark 9 (Crash 3)

Turns out that an AT controller visually follows the crash vehicles with a set of binos looking for fod. Who knew? One ATC control room bin full, nice.:pDT_Xtremez_34:
 
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Dave-exfairy

Warrant Officer
2,869
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MindlessRockMonkey said:
Police forces have a few driver grades.

1) Passenger, You are the guy/girl in the passenger seat and when the car stops you jump out and chase the suspect/s while the driver carry on around the other side of the fields and catches them there while you get your new shiny uniform riffy. Cannot driver any police vehicle (Marked or unmarked)
Not heard of a "Passenger" Grading, any PCSO, SC or PC can be a passenger
2) UBV (unit beat vehicle) Can drive unmarked and marked vehicles. Must stick to the speed limits and can only use blue lights to stop a vehicle under normal driving conditions, or when vehicle is used to block a road/lane of a carriageway.

3) Sector grade. Can use blues and twos for immediate grade jobs only. May use red lights as a give way (should it be safe to do so). Can exceed the speed limit on the way to an immediate by up to 15 mph. Cannot pursue vehicles. To drive Police vans (LDV etc) in riot situations driver must hold correct licence and have done van blues course.

4) Advanced (Traffic). Bit cloudy for me as I have not done this course. Can pursue vehicles (Not Motorbikes in the West Midlands or drivers under the age of 17). As per sector grade but can exceed speed limit (if safe to do so) by a greater amount.

Police officers (should) be told of the restrictions of their driving grade, but it is common knowledge between PC's and the higher ups that if an officer presses his/her emergency button and is in the poo, all other officers make to him/her asap, all bets are off.
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Not quite MRM, different forces have different driver grades.
In my old force there were 3 driver grades

Basic: No blue light jobs, could only stop vehicles using blues and twos, no exceeding speed limits.
Response: As the name suggests, responding using Blues and Twos, could pursue cars if it was authorised by Control Room Insp and road conditions dictated it was safe to do so.
Advanced: Traffic.

But as MRM says, when the orange button was pressed, all bets are off, a fellow bobbies life was in danger, although you took your life into your hands if you exxeded your driving ticket.

Aopolgies for a techie posting on a water fairies forum, but I saw one of the old Range Rover Rapid Intervention Vehicles today, with civvie plates on, non fire service. Haven't seen one since I drove one when on Fire Piquet(sp?) at Colt in the early 90's.
 
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MindlessRockMonkey

Corporal
262
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16
Dave-exfairy said:
Not quite MRM, different forces have different driver grades.
In my old force there were 3 driver grades

Basic: No blue light jobs, could only stop vehicles using blues and twos, no exceeding speed limits.
Response: As the name suggests, responding using Blues and Twos, could pursue cars if it was authorised by Control Room Insp and road conditions dictated it was safe to do so.
Advanced: Traffic.

But as MRM says, when the orange button was pressed, all bets are off, a fellow bobbies life was in danger, although you took your life into your hands if you exxeded your driving ticket.

Aopolgies for a techie posting on a water fairies forum, but I saw one of the old Range Rover Rapid Intervention Vehicles today, with civvie plates on, non fire service. Haven't seen one since I drove one when on Fire Piquet(sp?) at Colt in the early 90's.
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Passenger isn't an offical grade but you have to start somewhere. Rightly so it does change from force to force but for the majority sector/response cannot pursue due to the amount of crashes that happen.
 
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sampaul1966

LAC
4
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Anyway back to the original question, Ex-ffr trained at Catterick early 80's when they still used the mk 8. Drove a mk 8 from Honnington to Odiham once. Took about a fecking decade to do it
 
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merlin

Guest
firestorm said:
Retained ones responding to a call would need to get to their station quickly. As I said before I have very little knowledge of retained ffs.
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Just to clarify, Retained FF's when responding are to make there way to the station within 7 mins (May vary depending on Brigade area). But they must follow the laws of the road and are not allowed to exceed the speed limit in there own vehicles. However many do and as is usually the case brigade management are to scared to say anything as they fear a mass walkout by the retained service.
 
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skevans

Flight Sergeant
1,358
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merlin said:
Just to clarify, Retained FF's when responding are to make there way to the station within 7 mins (May vary depending on Brigade area). But they must follow the laws of the road and are not allowed to exceed the speed limit in there own vehicles. However many do and as is usually the case brigade management are to scared to say anything as they fear a mass walkout by the retained service.
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This would fit in with my own experience.
 
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Tigger

Guest
Rightly so it does change from force to force but for the majority sector/response cannot pursue due to the amount of crashes that happen.
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We can in our force if you are a response trained driver and have completed the week long intitial pursuit management course. But as you say its a big no no to pursue anything if you are not trained.

I prefer to be plotted up with stinger....I want my hedgehog badge....:pDT_Xtremez_31:
 
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merlin

Guest
Oh and hello to you all ex RAF fire and now working in the glorious west country.:pDT_Xtremez_28:
 
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skevans

Flight Sergeant
1,358
0
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merlin said:
Oh and hello to you all ex RAF fire and now working in the glorious west country.:pDT_Xtremez_28:
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Beautiful part of the country.

Devon rhymes with heaven because its such a wonderful place!

Guess who is from devon, lol.
 
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