Testing time for new Incident Command Suite

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service (BLFRS) identified Command and Control training as a Level 1 priority within its corporate plan for 2008/09. As a result, a new Incident Command training facility was developed, which was completed and used for the first time in 2010.

Now, as a further development, BLFRS was to use the facility as part of two multi-agency exercises in March and May this year.

Station Manager Derek Hobbs, who is now responsible for the management of the “Incident Command Suite” (IC suite) reports that capital budget was made available for the project in 2008/2009, allowing for ground work and the construction of a modular building on BLFRS Headquarters site. Various Incident Command training packages were evaluated and the Fire Studio system, which is already used by a number of other Fire and Rescue Services, was eventually selected. Fire Studio provides realistic graphics and sound to produce images of a developing incident. One advantage of this software is that it can be used to tailor incidents to service risks.

During 2009 the information technology and control systems for the IC suite were specified and in 2010 the systems and software were installed. In late 2010 and early 2011, five High Rise Incident Command Training Courses were delivered, using an external provider Peter Stanley Training. These were based on Level 2/3 incident command at High Rise incidents. During 2011 the Service plans to deliver continuation training for Flexible-Duty System officers using the IC suite.

Exercise Watermark

During 2010, while the IC suite building was in progress, the Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) started planning for national flooding Exercise Watermark. BLFRS suggested that the new IC suite might be used as a venue for part of the exercise and this was accepted by the planning group. It was agreed that the multi-agency Tactical Coordinating Group (Silver level) for Exercise Watermark would operate from the IC suite's main meeting room. The exercise players would benefit from on-site access to such facilities as the Service Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which include risk information, mapping, flood risk area overlays and cordon plotting; and multiple display screens with internet access. They would also be able to view the BLLRF website, which was used to hold emergency plans such as the Multi-agency Flood Plan, and view and update the BLLRF Emergency Log for the exercise.

Fire Studio Software

Towards the end of 2010 the Service was contacted by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) which has responsibility for Sandy Petroleum Storage Depot - the only Top Tier COMAH site in BLFRS. It was time to start planning for the required 3-yearly certification exercise. In previous years, Exercise Avocet has been a multi-agency table-top exercise and has been played out at a local hotel. This year BLFRS offered the use of the IC suite and the Fire Studio software to give the exercise a much more realistic feel. After initial meetings between Greystar, who manage the Sandy depot for the Oil and Pipelines Agency (OPA), BLFRS and CBC, it was agreed that the necessary photographs of the depot will be taken in order to develop a full Major Accident scenario on the Fire Studio software. The exercise, planned for May 17th, will involve mostly Silver level play: however multi-agency responders arriving at “the scene” will be able to see and hear a realistic representation of the incident developing on the screens in the IC suite. Once the play progresses to a full multi-agency Tactical Coordinating Group, this will again meet in the main meeting room of the IC suite.

“We are an active member of our Local Resilience Forum and are please to be able to contribute our new facility with the latest technology to add to the realism of our multi-agency training end exercising,” said Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller,

“This training in line with our Service priority for Operational Safety and Firefighter safety.”

Article by: Control Station Manager Lisa Bedard
Emergency Response Planning Officer.

Major road traffic collision exercise

EXERCISE WESTERN

This exercise was designed for Southern Area Command to test BLFRS in dealing with a multi-vehicle road traffic incident.

Area Commander Dave Fothergill congratulated his team and their partners on a job well done:

“This exercise gave Southern Area crews the opportunity to practise the procedures required to manage and deal with a large multi-vehicle, multi-persons trapped RTC scenario.

“The exercise was well supported by partners including J&K Recovery and the local branch of the Casualty Union which made the exercise extremely realistic for all those participating.

“Exercises of this nature are an excellent way to practise all those individual components that are involved in dealing with this type of scenario, and for crews and officers to work together to ensure that when a real event occurs everyone is prepared - thus ensuring our community gets the best service from its local Fire and Rescue Service.”

Southern Command Operational Exercise Brief:

Grovebury Road, Leighton

Sunday 6th March 2011 13:30hrs

Exercise Appliances = Du2A; St2; St5; To2, Lb2a, Lb2b, To30 - StnM Osbourne, GM Peckham.

Standby Appliance Moves - Be2 - LB

Casualty Union

BLFRS team

DARC Simon Jones - Exercise Director
Watch Commander Jason Hollamby - Safety Coordinator

Exercise Watermark a local success

BLFRS took part in a national public safety rehearsal: Exercise Watermark in March.

BLFRS joined emergency response partners from Bedfordshire and Luton Local Resilience Forum (BLLRF) in putting joint flood response skills to the test across the county.

The public were invited two events to learn about the flood risks in their areas and how they could plan to protect themselves. A Flood Awareness Day was held in Harpur Square, Bedford and a Flood Evacuation Exercise at Cedars Upper School, Leighton Buzzard.

An exercise to test emergency responses to severe flooding in Bedfordshire and Luton also took place. As part of the national Exercise Watermark exercise, a range of scenarios were acted out, included stranded motorists, flooded homes and communities cut off.

The exercise involved all local authorities including police, the Environment Agency as well as the full range of NHS, ambulance and hospital trusts which serve the county.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller said: “Exercise Watermark was a useful test of the team work of organisations who have to deal with the whole range flooding related emergencies.”

Exercise Watermark was supported by the 'What would you do if...?' campaign which aims to help everybody living or working locally to be prepared if faced with an emergency.

www.whatwouldyoudoif.co.uk

Fond farewell to retiring Robert

ACFO Robert Hull has retired from BLFRS - seen here receiving a special fire trophy from Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller.

New ACFO is Julian Sears who was previously a temporary ACFO.

Bishop of St Albans meets fire team

The Bishop of St Albans, The Right Revd Dr Alan Smith visited Fire Control on his tour of BLFRS in March. Accompanied by BLFRS chaplain Revd Barbara Johnson, the Bishop also met with SC John Belcher and crews at Kempston Fire Station and GC Andy Peckham and team at the Training Centre.

*In 2010, 100 people attended the Commissioning and Licensing ceremony for Revd Barbara Johnson as Service Chaplain for BLFRS at Kempston Fire Station by The Bishop of Bedford, The Rt Revd Richard Inwood.

New Fire Control Technology

BLFRS Service is investing in new IT for Fire Control. The decision proved well made when it was announced earlier this year that the long-planned Regional Control Centre had been effectively cancelled.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Fuller said: "We had to think ahead to ensure the safety of our community - our old system was functional but becoming obselete.

“The Combined Fire Authority had previously put £200,000 in reserves to cover the costs of technology and training for a new system and we decided to put that plan into action."

Existing staff will be trained in the new technology. The modern system will bring added advantages as it will more readily interface with other computer systems used elsewhere in the organisation.

Regional Control Centres were first suggested about ten years ago by the then Labour Government. The project has been delayed time and time again and was finally cancelled when the Government came to power.

*The Longest serving BLFRS control centre operator Tony Harris MBE retired at the end of 2010 after 46 years.

Firefighters' charity car wash 26 March

Get your car cleaned by a firefighter on Saturday 26 March.

Sandy and Toddington fire stations will be open from approx 10am-2pm on Saturday 26 March so that people can have their cars cleaned – and give a donation to the national Fire Fighters Charity.

Fire Service helps Luton youngsters ‘get independent’

pic (1) caption
L-R Trey Cyrus, Lynsey Johnston, Chantelle Westwood and Cassandra Swan in the look at the dangers in the Fire Safety House kitchen

BLFRS is helping young people to ‘Get Independent’ by working with Luton charity LCET.

LCET is an educational trust that undertakes a wide range of work with young people, aged 11 to 19 years.

The ‘Get Independent’ course helps teenagers and twenty-somethings prepare for living on their own. As part of the six-day course, candidates spend half a day at Luton Fire Station.

Fire Service Youth Development Officer Cassandra Swan said :

“We take them through our Fire Safety House and point out the sort of hazards which can easily cause a fire in the home. Young people frequently tell us stories of burning themselves or furniture with hair straighteners that have been left switched on. Cooking is still the biggest risk though, with pans left on the hob.”

LCET's Lynsey Johnston believes the fire service input is invaluable :

“The young people on our course are preparing to live alone for the first time, the advice on fire safety and fitting smoke detectors could save their lives in the future.”

Among the most recent graduates of the course were Chantelle Westwood, aged 19 and Trey Cyrus, aged 16.