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FIREFIGHTER NEWS
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
Water Training
Firefighters’ Olympic venue training
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.
Thecauseof thefireand theprocedures involved
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.
Grenfell Tower
A tragedy in West London
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.
Photo Credit:REX/Shutterstock
Simulating real life conditions at Lee Valley
White Water Centre