Fire & Rescue Service Training

Primary Authority, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (Chelmsford Fire Station Exercise) incorporating Fexco Business Continuity Procedure

We were delighted to assist the Essex Fire and Rescue Service with a live training exercise this week on one of our High Rise Buildings. Chelmsford fire station ‘attended’ to a ‘fire’ in an apartment on the 4th floor.

The property team and residents got to understand the complex and impressive process they follow, from parking the vehicles to the release of equipment through the building and the resolution of the fire itself.

This was a combined exercise with:

• Our business development & Building Safety Team
• 4Site consulting
• Essex Fire and Rescue service

The benefit was to understand operational procedures of High Rise Buildings and to carry out a walk-through of our Business Continuity Procedures.

It was a privilege to show our commitment to life and building safety and learn from the best! A huge thank you to all involved – it was certainly an eye opening experience that serves as a reminder that our dedication to fire safety is for a reason.

Operations

• This would require a fire appliance water relay from the hydrant outlet, alongside effective communication with offensive and defensive firefighting both internal and external.
• It would also include obstacles that the Fire and Rescue Service would have to overcome such as access and egress issues including vehicles and skips.
• Back up water jets were placed on the 3rd floor with 45mm hose lines, and a bridgehead created on the fourth floor to allow internal operations.
• Breathing Apparatus entry control was initiated to effect casualty rescue with smoke hoods to support.
• Externally the ALP (Aerial Ladder Platform) created defensive fire fighting to reduce the effect of external fire spread from above the fifth floor effectively.