A More Rounded Approach To Modernisation
The desired shift away from intervention towards protection and prevention has been widely welcomed by Chief Officers, however, the more holistic delivery of emerging service objectives has not been easy to achieve, particularly with a legacy of 40 years primary resourcing of response services.
The basic fact of;
- More resources needing to be put to protective and preventative measures and,
- Fewer resources being available globally through spending restrictions
This has created the same dilemma for all authorities wishing to enhance preventative work - either implement reductions in operating costs or redirect resources from intervention services.
Some four years ago, we were introduced to a firefighting system that appeared to offer a way of delivering significant and measurable improvements to the Service's operational response capabilities whilst also directly supporting the Fire Authority's prevention and protection ethos. As a consequence of our initial discussions, ESFRS commenced a project in partnership with Clan Tools & Plant Ltd and Schmitz GMBH to trial an emerging concept in firefighting, branded in Europe as the 1-7 firefighting system.
Unlike existing water additive or foam delivery systems, 1-7 was consistently delivering more dramatic results in terms of;
- Speed of flame knockdown
- Prevention of re-ignition
- Significant temperature reduction
- Improved throw - Flash-over control
- Improved pumping distances
- Significant reduction in water damage
- Environmental benefits
Working with our partners, engineers equipped one fire appliance in the city of Brighton & Hove with a fully-integrated system allowing ESFRS to commence a project to trial training and evaluate logistical elements of the system.
For East Sussex firefighters, this was not simply the implementation of another piece of equipment, it introduced a whole new way of fighting fires; unlike other firefighting systems, the 1-7's PLC controlled single button operation offers firefighters immediate access to the system and the ability to tackle all fires, internal or external with the one system.
It was this initiative to fight internal fires using the system that led to outcomes well beyond our expectations.
PERFORMANCE
Confining to room of origin
In the city of Brighton & Hove, operational crews have for many years succeeded in delivering fast response times and achieving high results in terms of confining accidental fires to their room of origin.
For the twelve months prior to implementing the 1-7 firefighting system, crews averaged a 92% success at confining fires to room of origin. Since implementation, the city has seen this success rate rocket to 100%. This is estimated by the service, to have saved the community in excess of £0.5m in the first few months alone.
A limited investment in intervention services and delivery systems has already been proved to have produced a remarkable improvement in prevention services. This more effective delivery of intervention services is resulting in a direct saving to local homeowners, employers, the National Health Service, Social Services and Insurance Companies with whom we are now seeking further partnerships.
Resources (number of pumps)
Use of the 1-7 system can dramatically reduce the number of appliances needed to tackle incidents. One night in November 2004, ESFRS attended a barn fire near Uckfield, a rural area of the County. Early attending crews established a water relay and made pumps six. A 1-7 foam unit was dispatched from the coast and arrived some twenty minutes later. Within fifteen minutes of its deployment, a stop was sent and the first of the attending appliances released. Just as this was closing-down, another farm fire was developing in derelict farm buildings about ten miles away in Crowborough. The 1-7 appliance left the Uckfield incident and attended Crowborough, arriving with the fourth pump. The Officer in Charge later reported that he had been planning for up to eight pumps to contain the fire with the likelihood that it would take the best part of the night to close the incident. With the application of 1-7 however, the stop was sent within 50 minutes of the initial call and most pumps released within the hour.
The savings in crew hours equated to some £5,000 that evening but, the saving in property damage was more considerable and minimised the interruption to farm business - very much welcomed by occupiers. Most importantly however was the benefit to the six communities whose appliances became available at their home stations many hours sooner than would otherwise have been the case.
EXAMPLES
The benefits of the 1-7 system have been seen across a wide range of applications and include significant benefits to firefighter safety as temperature reductions inside compartments result in firefighters being subjected to less heat stress. The following accounts highlight three examples where effective use of 1-7 foam has led to rapid reinstatement of homes and businesses.
House Fire - Early in the morning, crews were mobilised to a house fire with persons reported in Brighton. On arrival, they were confronted with a fairly typical ground-floor fire involving the lounge area. A 1-7 hose reel jet was directed through the window, knocking down the fire in seconds. BA crews stated that very little heat was felt on entering the room and there was almost no water damage to the property. No lives were lost, and no one was injured.
Scrap Yard Fire - Crews attended a large fire caused by hot work at a scrap yard in Lewes. As with all scrap fires, initial crews commenced what was expected to be protracted operations, applying copious amounts of water. Typically, such an incident would attract anything from six pumps upwards depending upon water supplies, with crews potentially committed for over 24 hours. The fourth pump to arrive at this incident was the appliance from Hove equipped with 1-7 foam capacity. Flame knock-down was almost instantaneous and the threat of spread to surrounding risks were immediately negated. All crews were made-up and returned to their home stations in under four hours.
Rubbish Fire - Poor housekeeping at the rear of shop premises often result in deliberately set fires. Previously such incidents have resulted in extensive damage and property loss as fire breaks through doors or windows. However at a fire in Hove, crews responded with 1-7 foam and contained fire spread to a relatively small area.
Rapid knock-down and effective suppression stopped the ingress of flame and smoke into the premises and left this business totally unaffected.
© Copyright 2011 Means Of Escape Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2011 Think Agency - Website Designers Kent