windsorfirestation.co.uk

As always, the following incidents represent only a small proportion of the calls received by Windsor Fire Crews. They also demonstrate the support provided to other station areas.

14 June at 22-30 hours. St Leonard Road, Windsor. Refuse bin fire.

15 June at 05-00 hours. Windsor Great Park. Barn fire.

15 June at 07-36 hours. Cresswell Farm, Maidenhead. Horse stuck in ditch.

17 June at 09-26 hours. Majors Farm Road Datchet. Road traffic collision.

17 June at 12-59 hours. St. Leonards Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision.

17 June at 14-47 hours. Ruddlesway, Windsor. Baby locked within car.

17 June at 17-56 hours. Horton Road, Datchet. Road traffic collision.

19 June at 19-53 hours. Oakley Green Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision.

19 June at 21-15 hours. Maidenhead Road, Windsor. Shed fire.

Now imagine a future without Windsor Fire Station and you will understand why our campaign is so important?

The following represent only a small selection of recent firecalls attended by the Windsor crews. Their contribution to other station grounds too is most apparent, highlighting the danger of stripping east Berkshire of emergency fire cover levels.

28 May at 01-53 hours. Winkfield Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision.

29 May at 18-20 hours. M4 motorway, junction 5 to 6. Road traffic collision.

01 June at 10-29 hours. Pierson Road, Windsor. Lock out – entry required.

01 June at 22-06 hours. Maidenhead Road, Windsor. Car fire.

04 June at 07-31 hours. Windsor and Eton Relief Road. Road traffic collision.

04 June at 08-59 hours. Windsor and Eton Relief Road. Road traffic collision.

04 June at 09-43 hours. Windsor and Eton Relief Road. Road traffic collision.

04 June at 15-51 hours. Clarence Road, Windsor. Barbecue fire.

05 June at 17-57 hours. Osbourne Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision.

08 June at 21-16 hours. Holmlea Walk, Datchet. Oven fire.

Now just imagine a future with Windsor Fire Station closed? The expectation is that Slough will cover Windsor in addition to their very large and very busy station ground. Then, they would have to pass through the Windsor and Eton Relief  Road, which, as you can observe above, is susceptible to blockage.

If the Brigade close Windsor Fire Station, the expectation is that Slough Firefighters will also cover the Windsor area? This is a shaky concept since Slough is the second busiest station within the county – therefore, they may NOT be available, since they could be attending their own incident(s).

Furthermore, the predominant route for the Slough crews is the Windsor and Eton Relief Road. If this route is blocked for whatever reason, Windsor residents would be placed in jeopardy. In an emergency situation, time factors have a direct correlation to life risk.

On Thursday 04 June there were THREE separate Road Traffic Collisions on the Windsor and Eton Relief Road, which caused immense congestion in the Windsor and Slough area.

The following road traffic collisions were attended by Windsor crews;

Incident number 2306 at 07-31 hours.

Incident number 2312 at 08-59 hours.

Incident number 2313 at 09-43 hours.

It is is also noteworthy that the Windsor crews have, in the past, experienced many incidents upon the Windsor and Eton Relief Road. Just one incident can block that artery from Slough to Windsor. So, the people of Windsor can certainly appreciate having a local fire station – with swift turn-out times.

You probably know that Sonning Fire Station was culled last year?

You’ll obviously be aware of the Brigade proposals to CLOSE Windsor Fire Station?

You may even know that the Brigade plans to close a further FIVE retained stations? Certain senior managers are also expressing views that there will be NO retained cover whatsoever within Berkshire in the future, therefore that figure will increase.

But you may not be aware of the Optimisation of Crewing Policy? This is a tool to cut down on the payments made to operational Firefighters when they are required to serve at other stations for a shift, or shifts as a result of staff shortages. The movements are classed as ‘critical’ or ‘non critical’ – the former attract extra payment, but not the latter. However, ‘non-critical’ movements involve the Firefighter travelling to and from the deficient station during the shift period which means that particular station will lack a full crew for the travelling periods.

We doubt that you are aware of the Automatic Fire Alarms Policy? This effectively reduced the Pre-Determined Attendances (PDA’s) to premises where alarms were activating. In simple terms this meant that less fire appliances were sent to the scene of hotels, hospitals, elderly persons accommodation, shops, offices, theatres, etc. There was meant to be a distinction between residential and commercial risks, but in reality this became blurred. An automatic fire alarm activates in the early stages of a fire situation. Fires can develop very quickly and if there are fewer resources to deal with such then we all know the incident could escalate placing lives and property in danger.

Now we have a ‘new kid on the block’  in the form of the Call Filtering Policy. This started life as the Call Challenge Policy but was renamed as it was deemed too aggressive. The new policy comes into effect from 01 June when calls to automatic fire alarms will be ‘filtered’ by Brigade Control or Call Monitoring Stations. The occupant will now be expected to re-enter and check the premises to ascertain there is a fire BEFORE the fire service is called out?! This conflicts with the fire safety advice we have proffered for years, namely, ‘Get Out, Stay Out and Call the Fire Brigade Out’. How long will it be before someone is killed or seriously injured whilst looking for a fire? Then add the lack of fire service attendance to that scenario.

The outcomes of the Automatic Fire Alarms Policy and the Call Filtering Policy will certainly reduce the call rates for stations, ultimately paving the way for further cuts in resources. But when the ‘meat is cut down to the bone’, both public and Firefighter safety will be compromised.

The following incidents demonstrate the effectiveness of local Firefighters in Windsor. Their contribution to other station areas is also invaluable. These are only a small selection of the calls actually received by the station.

05 May at 21-18 hours. Theatre Royal, Windsor. Alarms actuating.

08 May at 12-45 hours. Oakley Green Farm, Windsor. Barn fire.

09 May at 11-31 hours. Smiths Lawn Polo Club, Windsor. Ring removed.

09 May at 14-28 hours. Knights Place, Windsor. Five persons released from lift.

11 May at 23-54 hours. Foster Avenue, Windsor. Road traffic collision. One person trapped.

15 May at 19-50 hours. Grundons, Lakeside. 150 tonnes of rubbish on fire. Make pumps 8.

16 May at 13-14 hours. Marks and Spencers, Slough. Three persons released from lift.

21 May at 14-05 hours. Abbotsbury, Bracknell. Garage fire.

23 May at 07-42 hours. Princess Margaret Hospital, Windsor. Car fire.

23 May at 17-24 hours. The Windsor Castle PH., Windsor. Tumble drier fire.

24 May at 14-02 hours. M4 Motorway, Junction 5 to 4B. Road traffic collision involving 4 cars.

25 May at 19-11 hours. Station Road, Ascot. Fire in woods.

Consider the variety of calls and the level of local expertise available to speedily deal with these  and you will appreciate the value of Windsor Fire Station.

The following represent only a small selection of recent calls attended by Windsor crews. Look at the ‘back up’ to other station areas too and you will undoubtedly be perplexed at Brigade plans to CLOSE Windsor Fire Station?

22 April at 19-53 hours. Osborne Road / Kings Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision – 2 vehicles.

24 April at 13-43 hours. Oakfield First School, Windsor. Kitchen fire. 2x Breathing apparatus and positive pressure ventilation used.

25 April at 18-09 hours. Peacock Lane, Bracknell. Large garage fire involving an asbestos roof. Make pumps four.

26 April at 15-41 hours. Dedworth Road, Windsor. Kitchen fire. 2x breathing apparatus. CO2 extinguisher.

29 April at 14-03 hours. Sheet Street Road, Windsor. Road traffic collision. 2x cars, 2x persons released. Hydraulic cutting equipment.

01 May at 20-30 hours (approx) Hampshire Avenue, Slough. House fire.

02 May at 12-43 hours. Ham Lane, Old Windsor. Boat fire. 1x high pressure hosereel jet with foam. 1x main jet and portable pump.

02 May at 16-23 hours. Allkins Court, Windsor. Person locked out of dwelling.

02 May at 18-09 hours. Legoland, Windsor. Child’s hand  trapped within ride. Hydraulic rescue equipment used.

03 May at 03-21 hours. Temple Marina, Maidenhead. Sinking boat pumped out.

Windsor Fire Station is a 24 hour emergency resource with fully trained crews available to deal with a challenging array of incidents. Please join our campaign to ensure this remains so in the future.