On the 27 July at 10-11 hours the Windsor appliance was called to a serious fire in Grenfell Road, Maidenhead. The Windsor appliance was first to the incident and was backed up by another appliance from Slough. Four breathing apparatus wearers were committed. Two high pressure hose-reel jets and two main jets were used, as well as a thermal imaging camera. The crews were at the scene for nearly 2 hours.
This is a typical example of the value of the Windsor appliance. To downgrade the station in any form will weaken the resilience of the Brigade in east Berkshire. If the Fire Service is diluted then lives and property may be compromised in the future.
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Q.When is a rescue not a rescue?
A. If it could thwart Brigade plans to close or downgrade Fire Stations.
A few years ago there was a fire during the night hours at the Sir Christopher Wren’s House Hotel in Windsor. Firefighters in breathing apparatus led out several guests who were severely disorientated and distressed in the thickly smoke-logged corridors. It is unlikely that they could have made it out themselves.
Subsequently, as the Hotel Manager and local press praised the Windsor crews, a disgruntled senior Brigade Manager attempted to downplay the rescues. This was quite astonishing as, prior to the fire station closure proposal, the Brigades Media Office would have certainly indulged in such a high profile incident to maximise good PR!
In the meanwhile, thank you letters from grateful members of the public in Windsor were no longer reproduced within the regular Brigade publication, ‘Routine Orders’. This was not the case for any other station, therefore prompting a letter of concern to the Chief Fire Officer from Adam Afryie the Windsor MP.
Then on 20 June at 00-29 hours a blaze broke at a flat in St Leonards Road, Windsor. Two brothers aged 15 and 19 were rescued by Firefighters. Their mother spoke to the local press and expressed her immense gratitude that the Windsor Firefighters saved her sons. The Brigade has subsequently expressed dissatisfaction to one Watch Manager as to whether these were rescues?
On Monday 05 July there was a serious blaze in Slough and 12 people were rescued. The crews witnessed people hanging out of windows, frantically waving and shouting with smoke billowing behind them. By all accounts this was a harrowing incident which drew upon the professionalism of the crews.
The fire was reported in the Slough Midweek Observer newspaper and headlined, ‘Fire crews rescue dozen’:
‘Firefghters struggled through smoke to rescue 12 people trapped in a burning building.
Officers from Slough, Windsor and Langley were called to Oban Court in Montem Lane, Slough at around 2 am on Monday. Six firefighters with breathing equipment freed the trapped people.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.’
Following this incident one Brigade Manager sent out an email dated 09 July which was titled, ‘Rescues at Incidents’ in which he redefined the definition of a rescue! To say this has not gone down well amongst the crews from Slough, Langley and Windsor would be the understatement of the century.
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The calls below were attended by crews from Windsor Fire Station.
Look at the gravity of certain incidents and consider also the valuable ‘back-up’ Windsor Firefighters provide to east Berkshire?
01 June at 03-13 hours. Oakley Green Road, Windsor. Alarm / Activation.
01 June at 23-53 hours. Coronation Road, Ascot. House fire.
02 June at 18-50 hours. Standby to Slough.
03 June at 18-43 hours. Princess Margaret Hospital, Windsor. Alarm / Activation.
04 June at 01-16 hours. Penn Road, Datchet. Alarm / Activation.
05 June at 08-40 hours. St Andrews Cottages, Windsor. Alarm / Activation.
05 June at 21-08 hours. Viscount Court, Windsor. Alarm / Activation.
06 June at 19-16 hours. St Leonards Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision.
07 June at 19-45 hours. Mill Place, Datchet. Logs on fire.
12 June at 03-11 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
13 June at 00-44 hours. Standby at Bracknell.
13 June at 01-52 hours. Thames Street, Windsor. Person fallen in river.
13 June at 03-00 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
13 June at 03-36 hours. Sheet Street, Windsor. 3 people locked in building.
13 June at 04-31 hours. Goswell Hill, Windsor. Alarms / Activation.
13 June at 05-19 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
14 June at 21-51 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
17 June at 20-37 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
18 June at 05-37 hours. Standby to Slough.
20 June at 00-29 hours. St Leonards Road, Windsor. Flat fire. 2 persons rescued.
21 June at 04-22 hours. Drift Road, Windsor. Shed fire.
22 June at 06-25 hours. Manor Farm Close, Windsor. Alarm / Activation.
23 June at 05-28 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
24 June at 05-46 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
24 June at 18-14 hours. St Leonards Road, Windsor. Secondary fire.
24 June at 20-35 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
25 June at 00-45 hours. Standby to Maidenhead.
25 June at 01-03 hours. Moor Lane, Maidenhead. Fatal house fire.
27 June at 04-53 hours. Arthur Road, Windsor. Smoke Cloak security device operating.
27 June at 21-03 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
27 June at 21-43 hours. Windsor Road, Ascot. Lorry fire.
28 June at 02-26 hours. Straight Road, Old Windsor. Alarm / Activation.
28 June at 22-10 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
29 June at 03-21 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
29 June at 03-27 hours. Tesco, Warfield, Bracknell. Fire within car wash.
29 June at 05-44 hours. Imperial Road, Windsor. Fire in the open.
29 June at 06-47 hours. Arthur Road, Windsor. Smoke Cloak security device operating.
29 June at 20-26 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
30 June at 20-28 hours. Standby to Bracknell.
Then consider how resilient east Berkshire fire cover will be if Windsor Fire Station is CLOSED?
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It was fantastic to see David Cameron (the then Leader of the Opposition) visit Windsor Fire Station in October last year.
Mr Cameron showed strong support for our cause, referring to this, ‘…very important fire station’ and our important campaign to keep it open 24/7 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjm23qPMOnE )
Mr Cameron who was very well appraised of the issue and was given an extensive tour of the station, joined the crews upstairs for a cup of tea and a chat. Mr Cameron made a rather astute observation; ‘’If Windsor was left without a full time Fire Station, what other similar town would be in the same situation? I would have thought you would end up as one of the largest towns without its own Fire Station?’’
The Royal Berkshire Fire Authority should take heed?
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In last weeks Royal Borough Observer newspaper, the Chief Fire Officer made reference to the future culling of yet more retained (part-time) fire stations and said, ”Even if we were to take all the retained stations away, Windsor would not be directly affected because it is bordered by whole time stations all the way around”.
The simple fact is that Windsor frequently backs up Slough, Langley and Maidenhead (reference the latter, the Windsor crew recently attended a high profile fatal house blaze).
So who will plug the gap if Windsor is closed? This is a $64 million dollar question, since one senior control room operator has described Windsor as ‘the glue which holds east Berkshire together’.
Now consider the type of fire as reported in this weeks Midweek Observer entitled, ‘Fire crews rescue dozen’ which states;
‘Firefghters struggled through smoke to rescue 12 people trapped in a burning building.
Officers from Slough, Windsor and Langley were called to Oban Court in Montem Lane, Slough at around 2 am on Monday. Six firefighters with breathing equipment freed the trapped people.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.’
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The ‘Royal’ Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has £££ 1.2 MILLION ‘underspend’ sitting in their bank account. Certain members of the Fire Authority want that money to be spent at the sharp end-namely operations.
Yet operational cutbacks have probably filled this massive pot? Sonning Fire Station has closed and Wargrave, Pangbourne and Cookham face the axe.
Then of course, Windsor Fire Station is facing closure too…
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You may recall that the ‘Royal’ Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service originally proposed to close Windsor Fire Station fully? That plan was thrown out by the Fire Authority of old.
However, a different plan for night closure was subsquently accepted by a newly elected Fire Authority. This, many believed, was merely a preliminary to a full closure.
Since then, there have been legal tussles with the Royal Borough Council, further campaigning by activists, Royal family comment and even a supportive visit by David Cameron, amongst many dynamic developments
The Brigades latest Integrated Risk Management Plan stated that Windsor would close in December 2010.
However in a response to Mr Richard Coates to a question raised at the Fire Authority Meeting dated 30 June 2010, the Chief Fire Officer states, ‘The proposed completion date of 15 July 2011 [relating to major roadworks upon the Windsor and Eton Relief Road] is not far off and it would appear unlikely that the closure of Windsor Fire Station at night would have been effected by this time.’
We shall maintain a ‘weather eye’…
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The Chief Fire Officer submitted a written response to a question received from Mr Richard Coates to the Fire Authority Meeting of 30 June 2010.
The response centred upon concerns raised by Mr Coates in relation to the protracted major roadworks being implemented upon the Windsor and Eton Relief Road.
The Chief Fire Officer stated,’ It should also be noted that we are equally concerned that Windsor and other appliances attending incidents in Slough will not be unduly impeded by these
proposed works’.
So the valuable contribution of the Windsor appliance to east Berkshire has at last been acknowledged? Accordingly,the question begs asking as to which appliance will ‘back up’ Slough in the future should the Brigade CLOSE Windsor Fire Station?
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/10413392.stm
There was a serious incident at 00-44 hours on 25 June which required the attendance of the Windsor appliance as ‘back-up’ to a house blaze in Maidenhead. Both Maidenhead whole-time and retained appliances attended with the Slough second pump and their hydraulic platform. A Control Unit from Reading was also used. So you will appreciate that east Berkshire resources were rather stretched?
Sonning Fire Station is now history and Wargrave, Pangbourne and Cookham are to be axed. Then the Brigades Retained Review may well recommend the culling of more appliances when it reports soon?
The Brigade plans to close Windsor Fire Station in the future. Operational resilience must be maintained and Windsor kept as a 24 hour station.
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The following is an account by Francis Batt of the Windsor Express of a fire attended by Windsor Crews;
Sleeping boy, 15, Rescued by Firefighters
Sunday 20th June 2010
A sleeping 15-year-old boy was rescued by firefighters from his smoke-filled flat in the early hours of this morning.
Residents of a neighbouring flat called the fire brigade after hearing the smoke alarm at 12.30am.
All eight flats in the block in St Leonard’s Road, Windsor, were evacuated. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus found a 15-year-old youth unconscious in bed. His 19-year-old brother was unconscious outside having climbed out his bedroom window.
The 15-year-old was taken to Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, for observation but is not understood to be in a serious condition.
Residents of other flats in the block were allowed to go back in after an-hour-and-half.
Watch Manager Karl Ward from Windsor Fire Station said the incident highlighted the importance of the campaign being run to persuade people to install smoke alarms.
He said: “In this case people heard the alarm and reacted. It really can make the difference between life and death.”
Michael Rowley the Fire Brigades Union Secretary at Windsor adds, ‘This dramatic life or death situation is a vivid example of the role of the Fire Service, and what can be more reassuring than having your local Fire Crews at your doorstep within those critical minutes? It is imperative that Windsor Fire Station remains open 24/7.’
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