Page 19 - July 2017

Grenfell Tower
A tragedy in West London
Photo Credit:REX/Shutterstock
A significant number of people still missing
Forty fire engines and more than 200 firefighters and officers were called to the scene shortly before 1am on Wednesday 14th June.
As this edition goes to press, our thoughts go out to all those whose families have been affected by the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower in West London. Our thoughts and thanks are also with the crews of London Fire Brigade and other local authority fire brigades who came to help tackle one of the worst tower blazes fire crews have experienced in many years. Thecauseofthefireandtheproceduresinvolved in assuring that this building had the best fire worthiness will be the subject of much scrutiny over the next months. A proper outcome is a major concern for many Londoners and others who live in tower blocks, as well as to fire- fighters who are called to deal with such events. New buildings of this type have to be fitted with sprinkler systems; retrofitting sprinkler systems into older tower blocks may be worth pursuing.
FIREFIGHTER NEWS
Water Training
Firefighters’ Olympic venue training
Simulating real life conditions at Lee Valley White Water Centre
Cambridgeshire fire-fighters are gaining ‘invaluable’ water rescue skills at a white-water slalom centre which hosted the canoe slalom events of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Training at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in London uses the white-water slalom course, where fire service instructors can control water flow to create different hydraulic water features similar to those fire-fighters might experience in rivers or in a flooded streets.
Over 200 whole-time fire-fighters from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS), already trained to wade and swim in water as well as to use an inflatable rescue sled to go out onto the water, will benefit from the training which will continue to the end of this year.
Crews are put through their paces carrying out a number of different scenarios including rescuing a casualty stuck on top of a car roof whilst the water is flowing fast, up and around the windows, as well rescuing a casualty from inside a water-logged car. The course also allows them to practise different swimming and wading techniques, entering the water in different formations depending on the current
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