Firecall Winter 2014

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF DUBLIN FIRE, AMBULANCE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

FIRECALL CAUSES CAUSES SEVERE SEVERE

ILLNESS ILLNESSAND ANDDEATH. DEATH.

WINTER 14

IF IF YOU YOU ARE: ARE:

MEET

THE HOTSHOTS EBOLA RESPONSE | GREEN PLAN | HORROR IN THE HIMALAYAS AND MUCH MORE

Contents

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12 04 EDITOR’S LETTER 06 FOREWORD 08 TWITTER ALERT Having recently joined social media network Twitter, DFB is keeping the public alert and up-to-date.

11 WELCOME TO THE BRIGADE DFB's District Officers were recently supplied with a new range of vehicles. We spoke with Foxtrot D/O Frank Kiernan to see how he's enjoying his new wheels.

12 PLAN TO PREPARE

22

In the wake of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, two DFB personnel developed a procedure for the safe donning and doffing of PPE. We spoke to one of the men behind the plan, Finglas D watch S/O Dave Connolly.

19 THE ITALIAN JOB September saw members of the DFB Cycling Club depart these shores for Italy, and a cycling trip through Italy's beautiful Tuscany region. David Doyle reports.

22 A FEW FAMILIAR FACES The annual retired members function took place last October at the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley.

25 ICH BIN EIN (TIRED) BERLINER

25

Ray McMonagle fills us in on the DFB Athletics club's participation in the Berlin marathon.

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Contents

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28 REINFORCING THE MESSAGE Once again, the Roadsafe Roadshow was delivered to Irish teenagers, while Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown also embarked on a Halloween safety public awareness event.

30 HALLOWEEN SAFETY

33

Once again, Halloween proved to be a busy period for DFB. In the lead up to the event, a Halloween Safety Campaign for children and teenagers proved to be a success.

33 SHAVIN' LIVES We look at the Movember Foundation's Movember campaign, and talk to Jonathon Forbes, DFB's team leader.

37 CORK GOES ELECTRIC Cork city's fire service becomes the first in Ireland to fully embrace the electric revolution.

37

40 STATION PROFILE – MEET THE UNIT We travelled out to Swords to meet S/O Greg Hannon and the crew of C watch No 13.

44 MEET THE HOTSHOTS Wildland firefighters spend days or weeks battling fires out in the open, through forests, fields and over hills and rugged terrain. This requires specialised knowledge and some pretty serious training. Enter the Hotshots.

51 AN IMMEASURABLE IMPACT – THE GREEN PLAN

44

It's been a busy four years since Neil McCabe's Green Plan was officially launched. We caught up with the Kilbarrack firefighter and DFB Green Plan manager to find out what he's been up to in the meantime.

57 TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS: PART III 62 MOTORING Firecall reviews the new Jeep Cherokee and Mitsubishi's hybrid Outlander.

67 HORROR IN THE HIMALAYAS Conor Forrest reflects on the beautiful Nepalese region of Annapurna, and the devastating avalanches which struck last October.

62

71 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

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FIRECALL

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Editor: Conor Forrest Consulting Editor: Greg O’Dwyer Contributors: Ray McMonagle, David Doyle Editorial and Production Manager: Mary Connaughton Design and Layout: Colm McDermott Cover credit: US Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Kaibab National Forest Photography: Graham Harrison/MOD, NIAID, Brendan Lodola, Tony Devoy, Felicity Gill/DLR County Council/ Cork City Fire Brigade, US Forest Service, Kaibab National Forest, USDA/Lance Cheung, US Air Force/Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock, Eli Duke, Colm Gorey, Globe Manufacturing, Howe and Howe Tech, Lockheed Martin, FLIR Systems, Fiat Group Ireland, Mitsubishi, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, JCB, Steve Garner (Flickr), Julien Lagarde, Vera & JeanChristophe (Flickr), Didi (Flickr), Greg Willis (Flickr), ah zut (Flickr), Marina and Enrique (Flickr) Sales Director: Paul Clemenson Production Executive: Niamh Burke Publisher: Chesterfox Ltd, T/A Firecall Magazine, P.O. Box 6766, Dublin 2.

Tel: (01) 432 2200; Fax: (01) 672 7100 Managing Director: Diarmaid Lennon Distribution by: Magazine Mailing Ashville Media Group Old Stone Building, Blackhall Green, Dublin 7 Tel: (01) 432 2200 Fax: (01) 676 6043 Publisher’s Statement: The information in Firecall is carefully researched and believed to be accurate and authoritative, but neither the Dublin Fire Brigade Sports & Social Club nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the publisher.

Copyright ©2014 Firecall Magazine No part of this may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

Editor’s Letter

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Dear readers, Once more we have an action packed issue covering news and events from Dublin, Ireland and around the world.

Kilbarrack firefighter and DFB Green Plan manager Neil McCabe has been sharing his experiences in tackling climate change with audiences across Ireland, the UK and Europe. We caught up with Neil to see what he's been getting up to over the last four years.

You might have noticed a steady growth in moustaches across DFB over the month of November, as firefighters across Dublin set their razors aside in the name of charity. Phibsborough firefighter Jonathon Forbes led the charge, and we spoke to him about DFB's efforts in raising awareness for men's health issues in Ireland.

In this issue's station profile, I travelled to Swords fire station to meet S/O Greg Hannon and the crew of C watch No 13. Featuring a great mix of experience and enthusiasm, I learned about Swords' catchment area, the crew's work with the local residents, and the tale of a child born on the side of the M1.

In the third part of our series on firefighting technology, we examine several interesting options from abroad, including more firefighting robots, an interesting exoskeleton, and the future of wearable technology for emergency services.

On an international note, we take a closer look at the Hotshots – wildland firefighters in the US who spend hours and days on end toiling in the heart of wilderness fires, along with their smokejumper cousins, firefighters who parachute into wildland fires. We also examine the deadly events which took place on Nepal's Annapurna Circuit in October. Over 35 people lost their lives while trekking along the popular trail, the result of several avalanches and blind conditions.

And, in a first for Firecall, we look at two new rugged vehicles on sale in Ireland – the redesigned Jeep Cherokee and the interesting Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid, two SUVs which are trying to set themselves apart from the crowd.

Hope you enjoy the read,

Conor Forrest Conor Forrest

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FIRECALL

In appreciation of the ongoing support & wishing The Fire Services continued success.

ABILIFY® is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults and in adolescents* 15 years and older. ABILIFY® is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe manic episodes in Bipolar I Disorder and for the prevention of a new manic episode in patients who experienced predominantly manic episodes and whose manic episodes responded to aripiprazole treatment.

ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) PRESCRIBING INFORMATION. TABLETS, ORODISPERSIBLE TABLETS, ORAL SOLUTION AND SOLUTION FOR INJECTION. See Summary of Product Characteristics before prescribing. PRESENTATION: Tablets: 5mg, 10mg, 15mg, 30mg aripiprazole; orodispersible tablets (ODT): 10mg, 15mg aripiprazole; oral solution (OS): 1mg/ml aripiprazole, solution for injection for intramuscular use (IM): 7.5mg/ ml aripiprazole (1.3ml vial containing 9.75mg aripiprazole). INDICATIONS: Oral formulations: Adults: Schizophrenia. Moderate to severe manic episodes in Bipolar I Disorder & prevention of new manic episodes in aripiprazole respondent patients. Paediatric patients: Schizophrenia in adolescents 15 years and older. IM: Rapid control of agitation & disturbed behaviours in schizophrenia or manic episodes in Bipolar I Disorder. DOSAGE: Oral formulations: Adults: Schizophrenia: Usual starting dose is 10 or 15mg once daily with or without food. Effective dose range is 10 to 30mg with a recommended maintenance dose of 15mg. Mania in Bipolar I Disorder: Usual starting dose is 15mg once daily with or without food as monotherapy or combination therapy. For recurrence prevention, continue at same dose. Dose adjustment on basis of clinical status.

Paediatric patients: Schizophrenia: Recommended dose is 10 mg/day once daily with or without food. Treatment to be initiated at 2mg (using ABILIFY Oral Solution 1 mg/ml) for two days, titrated to 5mg for two more days to reach recommended daily dose of 10 mg. Effective dose range is 10 to 30 mg/day. IM: Initial dose 9.75mg (1.3ml) injection. Effective dose range: 5.25 to 15 mg as single injection. Lower dose of 5.25 mg (0.7 ml) may be given. Second injection may be administered two hours after the first, on basis of individual clinical status. No more than three injections in any 24-hour period. For all formulations (adult and paediatric patients): Maximum daily dose 30mg. No dosage adjustment required in renal or mild to moderate hepatic impairment. Elderly (≥ 65 years): Efficacy not established. Consider lower starting dose. Not recommended for use in paediatric patients below 15 years of age: Safety and efficacy not established.

*indicated in oral formulations only

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Hypersensitivity to any ingredient. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS: Clinical improvement may take several days to some weeks: monitor patient throughout this period. Reduce dose or discontinue if signs of tardive dyskinesia appear. Discontinue if patient develops signs and symptoms indicative of neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Caution in patients with a history of seizure, cardiovascular disorders, conduction abnormalities, diabetes and elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis and those at risk of aspiration pneumonia (see SPC). All risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) should be identified before and during treatment with ABILIFY and preventive measures undertaken. Do not use in pregnancy unless benefit outweighs risk; breastfeeding not advised. Until individual patient response established, caution not to drive or operate machinery. IM: observe patients for orthostatic hypotension and regularly monitor blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate and level of consciousness. If additional parenteral benzodiazepine therapy is deemed necessary, monitor patients for excessive sedation and for orthostatic hypotension. DRUG INTERACTIONS: Increased hypotensive effect with certain antihypertensives. Caution is advised when combining with alcohol or other CNS medication with overlapping side effects such as sedation; also with certain antifungals, antituberculous drugs, antivirals, anticonvulsants, St John’s Wort and medicines known to cause QT prolongation or electrolyte imbalance. Reduce aripiprazole dose with concomitant use of potent CYP3A4 or CYP2D6 inhibitors, e.g. fluoxetine, paroxetine. Increase aripiprazole dose with concomitant use of potent CYP3A4 inducers, e.g. carbamazepine. See SPC. IM: increased sedation when combined with lorazepam. UNDESIRABLE EFFECTS: In adult placebo-controlled trials, the following adverse drug reactions were reported: Tablets, ODT, OS, IM common (> 1/100 < 1/10): somnolence, dizziness, headache, akathisia, nausea, vomiting: Tablets, ODT, OS common: restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, extrapyramidal disorder, tremor, sedation, blurred vision, dyspepsia, constipation, salivary hypersecretion, fatigue;

Tablets ODT, OS, IM uncommon: (> 1/1000 < 1/100): tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension; IM: uncommon (> 1/1000 < 1/100): increased diastolic blood pressure, fatigue, dry mouth.; Tablets, ODT, OS: uncommon (> 1/1000 < 1/100): depression. In adolescent (13-17 years) placebocontrolled trials, the adverse drug reactions reported were similar to those for adults. The following adverse drug reactions were reported more frequently than for adults: very common (≥ 1/10): somnolence, sedation, extrapyramidal disorder; common (≥ 1/100 < 1/10): dry mouth, increased appetite, orthostatic hypotension. Other adverse events from post-marketing surveillance include; allergic reaction (anaphylaxis & angioedema), pancreatitis, priapism, suicide, rhabdomyolysis, hyperglycaemia, diabetes, dysphagia, convulsions, cardiac disorders including arrhythmias & sudden unexplained death, VTE (including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis), hypertension, hepatitis, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Symptoms of dystonia may occur in susceptible individuals during the first few days of treatment, with an elevated risk of acute dystonia observed in males and younger age groups. Other findings, see SPC. OVERDOSAGE: Treatment should be symptomatic and supportive: adequate airway maintenance, cardiovascular monitoring and close medical supervision.

Activated charcoal reduces serum concentrations. LEGAL CATEGORY: POM. AUTHORISATION NUMBERS: 28 tablets; 5mg (EU/1/04/276/002), 10mg (EU/1/04/276/007), 15mg (EU/1/04/276/012), 30mg (EU/1/04/276/017).

28 orodispersible tablets; 10mg (EU/1/04/276/025), 15mg (EU/1/04/276/028).

150mL bottle 1mg/ml oral solution: (EU/1/04/276/034). 1.3ml vial 7.5mg/ml solution for injection: (EU/1/04/276/036). MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd, Hunton House, Highbridge Business Park, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 1HU. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON REQUEST FROM: Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18.

Tel: 1-800-749-749. DATE OF P.I. PREPARATION: January 2010 (II-68).

Foreword

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Dear readers,

Welcome to the Winter issue of Firecall.

Amongst the topics in our last issue for 2014 is the launch of a new DFB Twitter feed as well as the development of a highly useful Ebola PPE procedure plan, researched and presented by two of our own. Well done to all involved.

Once again our Retired Members function was a great success, held in the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley. Thank you to all involved in the organisation of the event, and best wishes to all our retired members.

DFB's cycling and running clubs have been busy over the last few months. The cycling club recently took a trip to the hills of Italy's Tuscany region, a demanding yet thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all according to David Doyle. Meanwhile, the Athletics club brought their energy to the Berlin Marathon in Germany on the last weekend in September. Ray McMonagle fills us in on all of the details.

ERG EN AN D EM

MA GA ZIN

E OF

We'll also feature the latest additions to our fleet – a group of Mercedes Vito vans now in use by D/Os across Bravo, Charlie and Foxtrot districts. Foxtrot district D/O Frank Kiernan speaks about the increased capabilities of his new vehicle.

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FIRECAL

OF FIC IAL

BU LAN CE FIR E, AM DU BLI N

AUTUMN

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In the third part of our series on firefighting technology, we examine several interesting options from abroad, including more firefighting robots, an interesting exoskeleton, and the future of wearable technology for emergency services.

Looking outside of Dublin, Cork City Fire Brigade has also welcomed a new addition to their fleet – an electric Renault van which has gone straight into service. CCFB is part of a Cork initiative aimed at introducing electric vehicles to the wider populace, and we wish them all the best in their endeavours.

MEET

TSHOTS O H E H T PON EBO LA RES

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MO RE D MU CH YAS AN 23/12/2014

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Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all members of DFB a very merry Christmas, and a prosperous 2015.

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Enjoy the read,

Greg O’Dwyer

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David and Maria who are housed in their own home by Peter McVerry Trustâ&#x20AC;?

The first thing a homeless person needs is a home. At Peter McVerry Trust we work to ensure that everyone can enjoy the warmth and security of their own home.

Jason who with our help has started University and aims to return to Peter McVerry Trust and work with people who have experienced homelessness.

Salmaan who with the help of Peter McVerry Trust left homeless services to live in his own apartment and start college.

Peter McVerry Trust 29 Mountjoy Square Dublin 1

Tel: 01 823 0776 Email: info@pmvtrust.ie Registered Charity: CHY 7256

www.pmvtrust.ie

TWITTER

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HITTING THE

TWEETS DFB’S DIGITAL PRESENCE HAS INCREASED WITH THE ADDITION OF A TWITTER ACCOUNT IN OCTOBER. WE SPOKE WITH BEVIN HERBERT, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER WITH DFB.

V

arious social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter have become all-pervasive in recent years, with users ranging from private individuals to organisations and collectives. And while many users Tweet to sell a product or service, or gain more attention for their thoughts and opinions, for the emergency services Twitter is a technology which offers another channel for communicating with the general public.

The likes of Twitter can also be used as a means of saving lives and as a source of reassurance. For example, during Hurricane Sandy Twitter functioned as a lifeline for desperate New Yorkers, and FDNY’s social media manager Emily Rahimi was widely praised for her work in relaying information, providing updates on water levels and the storm surge and was referred to by one newspaper as the “one woman response team.”

DFB recently joined the social media arena with the launch of its @DubFireBrigade Twitter account at the beginning of November, broadcasting safety advice and incident

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“The likes of Twitter can also be used as a means of saving lives and as a source of reassurance. For example, during Hurricane Sandy Twitter functioned as a lifeline for desperate New Yorkers, and FDNY’s social media manager Emily Rahimi was widely praised for her work."

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© Twitter Inc.

updates to more than 3,000 followers and counting. Its biggest challenge to-date has been the chronicling of the events of Halloween, live-tweeting incidents and advice throughout the night, and offering the public a great insight into their work. “We’ve been talking about it for some time now, and we eventually got over some barriers and set it up,” explains Bevin Herbert, DFB’s Communications Officer. “We just thought it was a really good way of getting our message across and of promoting the good work of the fire brigade. We are also able to use it as a great tool for promoting fire safety, and we can highlight the different services that DFB provide, including the emergency ambulance. We’ve had a lot of good responses to it, and we’re really thrilled. We hope to be able to expand it further and utilise it more in the future.”

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FIRECALL

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FLEET UPGRADE

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WELCOME TO THE BRIGADE DFB’S DISTRICT OFFICERS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN SUPPLIED WITH A NEW RANGE OF VEHICLES. WE SPOKE WITH FOXTROT D/O FRANK KIERNAN TO SEE HOW HE’S ENJOYING HIS NEW WHEELS.

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he latest upgrade to DFB’s fleet has seen several brand new vehicles enter service in the hands of the brigade’s D/Os, across Bravo, Charlie and Foxtrot districts. Each of the new vehicles are kitted out as mini command vehicles that are fully integrated into the DFB command system. D/Os can now find it easier to set up command at the scene, and make use of a range of technological assistants like a fully integrated radio, automatic radio update, satellite navigation and hands-free capabilities. The vehicles have been described

storage room on the new vehicle, whereas the old one was a little tight for storage. It’s longer than the old one and everything is marked out – there are drawers and compartments for equipment and it’s all marked out. Everything is neat and tidy,” says D/O Frank Kiernan. “There’s a nice area in the back for command control. It’s a mini incident command centre. It’s fantastic – radio communications to the control room and lights, etc.

It’s a lot of comfort for us.”

D/O Kiernan also notes the positive reinforcement the new fleet contributes

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“Each of the new vehicles are kitted out as mini command vehicles which are full integrated into the DFB command system.”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// as having enhanced digital capabilities with digital mapping of water networks, laptop facilities, storage of thermal imagers, handheld radios, mobile lighting, incident command boards and advanced Hazmat incident commander packs.

“The main difference is that there’s much more

to among members of the public, and in DFB itself.

“There’s always interest in new vehicles, whatever station you go to. It’s a very professional image to portray to the public, that we have a new vehicle. Our appliance here is 11D, my new van is a 14D. It’s good for the professional image.”

The handover of the Mercedes vans at the OBI earlier this year.

THE MERCEDES VITO CREWBUS Three strengths of the Mercedes Vito are traction, climbing and manoeuvrability, provided for by the rear wheel drive transmission, with an impressive turning circle of 11.80m (compact version) and 12.50m (extra-long version) – making responding in tight locations that much easier. It also comes in a 4x4 version, with permanent all-wheel drive.

The newly developed comfortable suspension results in better handling, reduced roll and noise reduction. Inside, the passenger compartment combines comfort with space and freedom of movement.

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11

EBOLA PLAN

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// British army medics train. Photo: Graham Harrison MOD. ©MOD/Crown Copyright, 2014.

PLAN TO PREPARE

IN THE WAKE OF THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN WEST AFRICA, TWO DFB MEMBERS DEVELOPED A PROCEDURE FOR THE SAFE DONNING AND DOFFING OF PPE. WE SPOKE TO ONE OF THE MEN BEHIND THE PLAN, FINGLAS D WATCH S/O DAVE CONNOLLY.

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he Ebola epidemic currently sweeping through West Africa has taken the lives of more people than all previous Ebola outbreaks combined. As of late November, figures from the World Health Organisation estimate that 5,689 people have died from the virus, though underreporting could mean that in actuality the figure is much greater. Across the region, over 15,000 cases have been reported.

Liberia has been hit hardest, with 4,181 people killed in the country, while the

WHO has declared that the outbreaks in Senegal and Nigeria are over, with no new cases reported since early September. Apart from indigenous people, the virus also struck healthcare workers. According to an Irish Times article in October, the fatality rate for workers infected with Ebola was 57 per cent. There continue to be some successes in this fight. The WHO recently congratulated Spain on successfully eradicating the virus in the country, and commended them on their diligence and procedures.

Meanwhile human trials for

possible vaccines are looking initially promising according to GlaxoSmithKline, one of three manufacturers who have had vaccine testing expedited in the effected countries.

Here in Ireland, the public was reassured by the HSE that the possibility of the introduction of Ebola into Ireland was low, and that the outlook was good as there were no confirmed cases of patients with the virus, with proper procedures in place to cope if that ever happened. The HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre however warned

against complacency, and reminded people of the need for vigilance with regards to patients who have recently travelled from effected countries, or who present with symptoms similar to Ebola.

It was in this context that Finglas S/O Dave Connolly and Dolphin’s Barn Sub/ Off Peter Sherlock decided to develop a procedure for safely putting on and taking off PPE. “Like everyone else, we saw this unfolding in the media, everything happening in Western Africa and with the healthcare workers,” Dave explains.

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EBOLA PLAN

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Above: Filamentous Ebola virus particles (blue). Photo: NIAID.

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“Here in Ireland, the public was reassured by the HSE that the possibility of the introduction of Ebola into Ireland was low, and that the outlook was good as there were no confirmed cases of patients with the virus, with proper procedures in place to cope if that ever happened.“ /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// “We identified a training need ourselves, and took it to management, outlining the issue. They told us we could go ahead, do our homework and then come back to them.”

The two men dutifully did so, and examined best practice for a number of organisations including the Centre for Disease Control in the US and its sister site in Europe, the NHS and the national ambulance service in the UK, and also in Ireland, particularly from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in Dublin. “As a result of

that research we developed a procedure for removing PPE. We spent a lot of time liaising with the consultants in the National Isolation Unit, the experts in their field. They were very happy and gave us their stamp of approval.”

The procedure has been outlined on a training video and since disseminated throughout DFB. A document has been released and the two authors have been doing station training for the last few weeks.

“We did two things – we put together a donning and doffing procedure via

a training video and we produced a document on how to deal with two different operational procedures,” says Dave.

“The first is if you have advanced notice from the control room that this could be a suspected Ebola case. The other operational scenario we proposed was if you didn’t get advanced notice and you turn up at a case, and through your clinical assessment you realise this might be suspected Ebola. The thing that was at the forefront of our minds was how to protect our crews first.”

Though Ireland has seen no actual cases of Ebola, there have been some suspected cases over the past few months. In Dublin, a case which was responded to by three units of DFB saw a woman rushed from her apartment to a specialist unit at the Mater for testing. Full precautions were taken and Ebola was later ruled out.

In Belfast, testing also ruled out the possibility of Ebola in a patient who had recently travelled from Sierra Leone, and who was treated in the isolation unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Dave and Peter also focused on the length of time DFB personnel would have to spend in the

protective suits in cases of suspected Ebola, and looked towards the UK and the NHS for answers. “One of the things we proposed was that instead of having the ambulance do all of the work, we would send in an emergency tender and a DO to the scene, with a view to splitting the work of the crews in the Hazmat suits. We’re trying to reduce the heat stress on bodies, so people aren’t working in these suits for a couple hours. That was something the NHS were doing – sending someone else to drive the ambulance.”

The experience has left DFB with a solid procedure in the event of an Ebola case in Dublin, while Dave and Peter have both learned quite a lot from their research, and are pleased with its deployment.

“It was embraced by everybody from management to the fire crews when we went around to the stations,” he says. “People were quite rightly anxious – if anyone went out to [those countries] then they didn’t want to be picking it up and bringing it home. We were conscious of getting it out quickly, but also correctly. Everybody embraced it. We were asked loads of questions, and I wound up learning a great deal.”

EBOLA FACTFILE  If left untreated, Ebola produces an acute illness that can prove fatal.  First discovered in 1976, the 2014 outbreak is the largest in history.  Scientists believe that the virus is spread through fruit bats; natural viral hosts for the disease.  Ebola spreads via human-to-human transmission through direct contact.

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FIRECALL

COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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PETER MCVERRY TRUST – OPENING DOORS FOR IRELAND’S HOMELESS

PUBLIC ATTENTION ON THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS HAS INCREASED WITH RECENT EVENTS. PETER MCVERRY TRUST AIMS NOT SIMPLY TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS IN IRELAND, BUT ELIMINATE IT.

R

ecent events have helped to focus the public’s attention on the issue of homelessness. The public, and indeed the media, are now much more aware of just how complex the issue of homelessness is and the challenges that exist in trying to tackle the problem. At Peter McVerry Trust our goal is to eliminate homelessness, not just contain or manage it.

While we are now the largest provider of emergency accommodation in Dublin we also lead the way in helping people to exit homelessness. Central to everything that we seek to achieve is a commitment to the right to housing and recognition that the first thing a homeless person needs is a home.

CHALLENGES Unfortunately, our biggest challenge is finding those homes. A chronic shortage of social housing, an absence of affordability in the private rental market and the failure by the State to raise rent supplement levels has led to exclusion of a growing number of individuals, couples and families who now rely on homeless services. At Peter McVerry Trust we work with those who are most vulnerable, people who have a history of being failed by the State be it as a child, as a teenager as someone with an undiagnosed mental health need or someone damaged by prison. Our objective is to ensure that they receive comprehensive support, helping to secure accommodation and re-integrate into their community and broader society.

This process can be a long journey and a difficult one for many people who have to overcome unimaginable circumstances in their life to secure what for most of us is simply taken for granted.

FUNDING In order to meet the complex and broad needs of those with whom we work we provide services from homelessness to housing, drug treatment and day time

David and Maria who have been housed by Peter McVerry Trust.

drop in centres and also children’s residential services.

Despite receiving significant funding from Government to provide many of those services we still need to raise d4 million per year to meet the need for our services.

Throughout the year Peter McVerry Trust organises a range of events, activities and fundraising appeals to ensure that we have the resources needed to provide frontline homeless services. The generosity of members of the public, community organisations, trade unions and businesses, help to ensure that the door to our services is always open. If you can take part in one of our events this year you can be assured that you will be helping to improve the lives of those who are most vulnerable in our society.

If you would like to speak to our fundraising office to see how you can get involved please call 01 823 0776 alternatively visit our website at www.pmvtrust.ie for more information and list of upcoming events and appeals.

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FIRECALL

European Year of Development 2015 Did you know that the EU (EC and Member States) is the biggest aid donor in the world?

Our world, our dignity, our future @EYD2015 #EYD2015 #EUglobalplayer And remember: Think global, act local.

You can make a difference.

For questions about development or other policy areas: The European Commission Representation in Ireland website is: www.euireland.ie

You can visit us in person at: European Union House, 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 Call us: 01 634 11 11

www.facebook.com/EUIreland www.twitter.com/eurireland

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21/11/2014 13:18

Pure relaxation at WOODFORD DOLMEN HOTEL

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tep into the warm, welcoming lobby of Woodford Dolmen Hotel Carlow, with its glittering chandeliers and sweeping staircase, you can sense the traditional homely feel all our guests experience and you know there’s nowhere more perfect for a relaxing getaway break, a hearty lunch or a romantic evening meal.

Situated just outside Carlow town, with its picturesque location on the banks of the River Barrow and overlooked by the Killeshin Hills and its own 10 acres of landscaped manicured lawns, Woodford Dolmen Hotel is a three-star hotel offering five-star food and service. The area is renowned for its golf and fishing, and the Woodford Dolmen Hotel is the ideal location for resting and dining while exploring Carlow.

FOOD IS SERVED ALL DAY The Plum Tree Bistro is renowned for its great food, friendly staff & relaxing atmosphere. The Executive head chef who trained a young Jamie Oliver, is regularly complimented by diners on “the best steaks and burgers they’ve tasted”.

With purse friendly midweek and weekend deals, you can treat yourself to a cosy country getaway without breaking the bank.

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• 80 relaxing bedrooms • 3 luxurious Suites • Complimentary Wi-fi • Complimentary & secure parking • Situated just off the M9

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08/12/2014 14:15

COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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18

FIRECALL

04/12/2014 11:27

CYCLING

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THE

ITALIAN

JOB

TERRIFIC TUSCANY Here are a few facts you might not know about the home of Chianti.  Tuscany is known as the birthplace of the Italian language. The heart of the Renaissance, modern Italian is based on the Tuscan dialect.  Though best-known in his Disney format, Pinocchio is originally from Italy – his creator, Carlo Collodi, wrote the story in Tuscany in 1826.  Though we might think of pavements as more of a modern invention, they were first introduced in Tuscany in 1339, in the city of Florence, home to the powerful de Medici family.

SEPTEMBER SAW MEMBERS OF DFB’S CYCLING CLUB DEPART THESE SHORES FOR ITALY, AND A CYCLING TRIP THROUGH THE BEAUTIFUL TUSCANY REGION. DAVID DOYLE REPORTS.

W

hat started as a seed in the depths of last winter finally came to fruition in late September when 13 DFB cyclists headed for Italy to take on the challenge of the Tuscany hills. Commitment and hard work in Wicklow in the months before the trip ensured a less painful and more enjoyable time was had by all.

BEAUTIFUL BACKDROPS The cycle routes picked out by Brendan Lodola (and his Garmin) meant no hill in Tuscany was left unclimbed, with some hills even the Italians have yet to discover. The spins kicked off when we collected our carbon racing machines on Wednesday morning and headed for Siena, some 70km away, with lunch in its famous Piazza Del Compo. The trip home through a thunder storm meant over 140km with 2,700m of climbing on day one and some tired legs. Day two was a relatively short round trip of 80km, where lunch was enjoyed in Fiesole, a small village overlooking the city of Florence, followed by a visit to the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge,

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19

CYCLING

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TWO WHEELS THROUGH TUSCANY Tuscany offers a variety of routes to cater for cyclists of all skill levels, from those cautiously sitting on a seat for the first time, to those who are almost welded to it. Featuring quite a number of hills and plains, the cycling routes of Tuscany can provide quite the challenge for those who seek it. The best months for cycling tours are March to June and September to October.

There was plenty of opportunity for activity and relaxation on the trip.

which the Garmin had us tackle from both directions before heading back to our base. The day wasn’t without its challenge, with over 1400m of uphill struggle. Evenings were spent in Norcenni, where our hosts refuelled us with lashings of pasta, the rehydration coming from the local Chianti vinyards.

STERN TEST Day three saw us take on our toughest test with a trip to the historic mountain-top town of San Gimignano.

3,000m of climbing in 28 degrees over 140km of the most spectacular Tuscany countryside meant a day that will live with us for a long time. It should be acknowledged at

this stage that without the presence of our ‘Director Sportive’ Jimmy O Beirne, some of us would still be out in the Tuscan hills with the vultures circling overhead. Hourly top-ups of our bottles and the odd banana from Jimmy ensured we all got home together. With 360km in our legs at this stage it was agreed our final spin would be a relatively flat 80km round trip to Arezzo, which would give the group a chance to recover by the pool and maybe enjoy an hour or two in the local town that evening.

All watches and most stations were represented in Italy: Ciaran McConnell, Mick Whelan and Jimmy

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“The group embraced the challenge and when the going got tough at any stage, in the greatest traditions there was always someone on hand to encourage you over the next hill.”

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////// O’Beirne from No 12, Liz Hanley O’Connor from No 2, Dave Byrne (retired), Donal Reynolds and Derek Walsh from No 4, Mick Doyle (retired) No 3, Brendan Lodola No 1, Dave Doyle No 8, Brendan Carroll No 5 and Joe Kiernan No 6. Ken Cahill made up the group and is a firefighting cyclist in everything but name.

The group embraced the challenge and when the going got tough at any stage, in the

greatest traditions there was always someone on hand to encourage you over the next hill. Indeed while one of our retirees lost a little time on the tougher climbs, he soon made this up by showing his technical skills while descending like a kamikaze. Needless to say the tremendous success of the trip didn’t happen by accident. Many thanks to Brendan Lodola for the massive amount of time committed to ensuring nothing was left to chance. Winter is upon us yet again and already there are whispers of a new challenge for DFB CC next year!

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FIRECALL

4 Star hotel in the heart of the garden of Ireland 1 AA award winning Woodlands Restaurant 1 Award winning leisure centre 9 Dedicated business meeting rooms 30 Glorious acres of Wicklows garden 70 Deluxe rooms including presidential suite 35 mins from Dublin city & 40 mins from airport

The Glenview Hotel, Glen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;The Downs, Delgany, Co. Wicklow T: (01) 287 3399 F: (01) 287 7511 E: reservations@glenviewhotel.com W: www.glenviewhotel.com

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16/07/2014 16:36:30

THANK YOU FROM EVERYONE IN SIMON

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From all at Dublin Simon Community, and more importantly the people who rely on our services, thank you for supporting us.

At Simon, we listen to people who turn to us for help and do everything we can to support them to move out of homelessness into independent living. We strive to empower people to access, secure and retain a home of their own. For some people this starts with a hot cup of soup, a friendly face and a safe place to spend the night.

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Serving Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, and Meath.

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04/12/2014 11:17

RETIRED MEMBERS

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A FEW FAMILIAR FACES THE ANNUAL RETIRED MEMBERS FUNCTION TOOK PLACE LAST OCTOBER AT THE CLARION HOTEL, LIFFEY VALLEY.

A

great night was had by all at the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley on Friday 17th of October, when the annual DFB retired membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; function took place. The Sports and Social Club presided over the event, while Chief Fire Officer Pat Fleming made the presentations on the night, and addressed the 22 retiring attendees and their families.

We would like to extend our thanks to those who helped organise the event. To our retired members, we wish you all the best for the future.

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FIRECALL

RETIRED MEMBERS

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23

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29/10/2014 15:07

11/12/2014 09:55

BERLIN MARATHON

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ICH BIN EIN (TIRED) BERLINER RAY MCMONAGLE FILLS US IN ON THE DFB ATHLETICS CLUB TRIP TO THE BERLIN MARATHON.

S

unday September 28th saw the 41st staging of the Berlin Marathon, one of the six world marathon majors, a marathon where running through ‘the wall’ is a highlight of the course.

Four members of DFB Athletics, Ray McMonagle, Brian Tracey, Vincent Donegan and Brian Lamon, took part in this year’s event. The Sports and Social club were good enough to help us in producing a commemorative event running kit.

Ray McMonagle, Brian Tracey and Vincent Donegan on arrival home.

WARM WELCOME In 2013, still on a high from completing the Dublin Marathon, we entered the ballot draw for the 2014 Berlin Marathon, still 11 months away at the time.

Word came through in midNovember that we were successful in the ballot, so accommodation and flights were booked before we had a chance to change our minds. The marathon in Berlin is no different from any other marathon, in reality. It’s still 26-and-a-bit miles, except they call them kilometres in Germany, and there’s 42-and-a-bit of them. The only difference is it’s flat, really flat. The

total climb in the course is something ridiculous, somewhere in the region of 30 metres. And because of that, it’s a fast course. The last six world records have been set here, including this year. Dennis Kimetto ran 2:02.57, the first man ever to run sub-2:03. In fact, the second place finisher broke the previous world record, but still only took silver.

But we missed that race, as we were in our own race over an hour behind. When Kimetto was crossing the line I was somewhere in east Berlin, or maybe west

Berlin, it’s hard to tell. The city that was reunified 25 years ago has become very different from the Cold War days. The dull stone-grey buildings of the Soviet era have been replaced with modern designs. The divide from east to west is blurred now: as time goes on, it’s becoming difficult to tell.

Perhaps it was the eight miles per hour pace, or maybe it was dehydration.

Some of the scars are still there, however. The wall is still standing in places, to act as a reminder of a different era. In places

the scar of the wall is embedded in the road, its former foundations. Hard to believe that a footprint so narrow could divide a city; divide a world, really.

VIBRANT SURROUNDINGS Berlin really embraces the marathon. There was a tangible buzz around the city. At every platz, every tourist attraction, every train, you didn’t have to look too hard to find someone dressed in marathon attire.

It did help that Oktoberfest was taking place in the

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25

BERLIN MARATHON

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square, Alexanderplatz, but there was a longer queue for the alcohol-free Erdinger than for its full-fat equivalent.

Revisiting the Platz two days later, that scenario was reversed. The marathon expo had to be visited by each participant in order to collect their race number. With forty thousand marathoners and five thousand inline skaters the venue needs to be big. The venue was the Fuhrer’s own Templehof airport. Now closed as an airport and open as a national park, the expo was housed across three hangars.

A runner’s dream – too many stands, not enough cash.

Charlottenburg Palace was the starting line for the breakfast run on Saturday morning, beginning with an easy 5k jog, ‘a leg loosener’, to the Olympic Stadium that hosted the 1936 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup finals. 10,000 runners took part, and indulged in the carbrich breakfast afterwards. Then a quick train journey back to the city centre to find a viewing spot for the inline skating. Over 5,000 skaters took part, from world elites to novices who looked very worried at the prospect of taking upcoming corners and negotiating tram lines.

The winning time for the race was 58:10, another new world record, which by my maths would earn him two penalty points and an d80 fine if he were to do that speed along Dublin’s quays. A quick visit to the local Irish pub to watch the hurling replay, and more Erdinger alkoholfrei, saw an early retirement to the apartment. Not all was quiet, as a few non-participants had to do what you do on a weekend away, but were good enough not to disturb the athletes.

THE BIG START The 8:45am start required a 6:00am rise for breakfast and pre-race rituals. In a perfect example of true German efficiency, the transition from train station to starting pen was flawless. The starting area – the green in front of the Reichstag – was full of very nervous looking participants queueing for toilets, and doubled up as the finish area three hours later. Or just over two for some. It doubles as a very large outdoor bar too.

(Clockwise from left): Finishers cool down area in front of the Reichstag. The 5km breakfast run the day before the marathon to help loosen up the leg muscles, finishing in the Olympic Stadium.

Brian Lamon enjoying a German beer after running a personal best on a warm Berlin day. Ray McMonagle, Brian Tracey, Vincent Donegan, Brian Lamon before the 41st Berlin Marathon start with the DFB team flag in front of the Reichstag.

There were 40,000 races that day, each with their own story; I won’t bore you with mine. I’ve cleared enough mess halls already with race reports. As a friend of mine quipped to me: “How do you know a runner has run a marathon? He’ll tell you all about it!”

It would not be fair for me to neglect to mention the support on the day, however. The support in Dublin has always been praised, and in my opinion is the best in the world, but maybe I’m biased. Berlin is a close second. Not one corner, not one straight, not one platz was empty. 84 bands lined the course to keep all entertained. And the odd tricolour was visible. I don’t think the people who line the streets of the marathon, or any race, can truly understand the role they play in a runner’s attempt. Berlin was my first international marathon, as it was for the other three. But I hope it won’t be my last and in fact this story has gone full circle – in the high following the race, we all signed up for next year’s ballot!

We are still looking for new members to join our BHAA business house leagues. The winter cross-country is already underway, but the summer league starts early in the new year. Watch out for posters going to stations soon.

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FIRECALL

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6/10/14 15:06:55

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30/9/14 12:49:06 232409_4C_DOC_CMD_FC.indd 1

20/8/14 10:04:37

SAFETY ROADSHOW

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Below and above far right: emergency personnel in action at the Roadsafe Roadshow.

REINFORCING THE MESSAGE

ONCE AGAIN, THE ROADSAFE ROADSHOW WAS DELIVERED TO IRISH TEENAGERS, WHILE DUN LAOGHAIRE-RATHDOWN ALSO EMBARKED ON A HALLOWEEN SAFETY PUBLIC AWARENESS EVENT.

2,100 teenagers were delivered a hard-hitting road safety message at the Royal Marine Hotel on the 13th and 14th October, 2014 where they were brought along to view the DLR/AXA Insurance award-winning Roadsafe Roadshow. The event was organised in conjunction with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, An Garda Síochána and the local emergency services.

The show graphically depicted how a night out ended in tragedy and permanent disability for one Roadshow participant. Set against a backdrop of contemporary music, video clips, television and cinema advertisements, the story was told as a sequence of events unfolded. The key characters were a garda, paramedic, fire officer, an accident and emergency consultant and a representative from a victim support group; eacg explained their involvement at

the scene and what was unfolding. The show culminated in a presentation by the seriously injured young victim of a road traffic collision, with serious life changing injuries.

In order to re-inforce the message of the show, the teenagers were able to view up close and personally what is involved in rescuing people from vehicular collisions.

According to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Road Safety Engineer, Seamus Storan, “Every life is precious and everybody is responsible for their safety on the roads.”

FRIDAY NITE BRIGHT The local community was also invited to an open day at KillO-Grange fire station on October 28th for a chance to meet the local safety teams and see the emergency vehicles

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FIRECALL

SAFETY ROADSHOW

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Bottom left and right: Local kids get the tour at the Kill-O-Grange fire station open day last October. All photos courtesy Felicity Gill.

up close. This meet and greet was organised to form part of a public awareness programme of events, which forms part of the 2014 Safer Roads for Dublin Campaign.

The key message highlighted that everyone has their part to play when it comes to road safety, visibility, care and caution – at all times on the roads – especially all young children and adults over the Halloween period.

1,000 hi-viz goody bags

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“The local community was also invited to an open day at Kill-OGrange fire station on October 28 for a chance to meet the local safety teams and see the emergency vehicles up close.“ ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

were available for any child in attendance and all visitors to the station were treated to a public exhibition of current vehicles used by the emergency services.

This initiative was undertaken by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in conjunction with Dublin Fire Brigade and supported by the Gardaí, the HSE National Ambulance Service, the Civil Defence and the Irish Coast Guard.

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29

HALLOWEEN SAFETY

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HALLOWEEN SAFETY

ONCE AGAIN, HALLOWEEN PROVED TO BE A BUSY PERIOD FOR DFB. IN THE LEAD UP TO THE EVENT, A HALLOWEEN SAFETY CAMPAIGN FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS PROVED TO BE A SUCCESS.

I

n anticipation of a busy Halloween holiday period, Dublin Lord Mayor Christy Burke launched Dublin Fire Brigade’s Halloween Safety Campaign, ‘Be Safe—Stay Safe’ at Scoil Chaoimhín, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, on Thursday October 16th 2014, at 11.00am.

Dublin Fire Brigade works with Dublin Bus, An Garda Síochána and the DSPCA to inform children and teenagers about the dangers of illegal bonfires and fireworks.

The campaign was part of Dublin City Council’s Halloween Response Programme, which included a city-wide programme of family-friendly community events and a preventative programme of removing stockpiling bonfire materials.

The council also made use of #DubSafeHalloween to promote this on social media and also encouraged

the public to use this hash tag when posting their own safe Halloween content. The team behind the @DubFireBrigade Twitter handle was also busy throughout the period, keeping the public up to date on the incidents to which they responded across the city during Halloween.

ACTING RESPONSIBLY As part of their safety efforts, DFB also sent a special Halloween safety pack with leaflets and posters to all primary schools in Dublin advising children how to act responsibly and avoid danger over the Halloween period. “Evidence shows that young people are the most likely to be injured in

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“As part of their safety efforts, DFB also sent a special Halloween safety pack with leaflets and posters to all primary schools in Dublin advising children how to act responsibly and avoid danger over the Halloween period." ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The foam unit was deployed to an incident in Swords.

incidents involving fireworks and bonfires over the Halloween period. Bonfires and fireworks are illegal, very dangerous and can have devastating consequences.

Dublin City Council organises safe, family-friendly events in communities all over the city and I would encourage everybody to go to these,” said Lord Mayor Christy Burke before Halloween.

“There has been a downwards trend in the number of incidents responded to by Dublin Fire Brigade in recent years, with 503 incidents on Halloween night 2013 compared to 639 the previous year. I would like to thank the public for their part in helping Dublin Fire Brigade make our Halloween Safety Campaign so successful by attending organised Halloween events and reporting the stockpiling

of bonfire material,” said Pat Fleming, Chief Fire Officer, Dublin Fire Brigade.

DFB had another busy Halloween night this year, with over 600 calls, 161 bonfires, seven domestic fires, four industrial fires, seven truck fires, 17 car fires and four road traffic collisions.

As they said on the Twitter page: “While it was a busy night for fire crews it was also an extremely arduous night for our DFB & NAS ambulance crews when the fires died down. Dublin Fire Brigade would like to thank members of the public, the Local Authorities, An Garda & NAS for their continued cooperation. Thankfully there were no reported injuries or assaults to fire crews last night and all personnel are going home to their families safe.”

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FIRECALL

Sister Cleide brings God’s love and healing to an elderly woman in Honduras.

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15/12/2014 10:14

COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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HEART CHILDREN

IRELAND

– CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN 2015.

HEART CHILDREN IRELAND PROVIDE A NUMBER OF KEY SUPPORTS AND SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

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any Heart Children Ireland is a support group for parents and families of children born with and who acquire Congenital Heart Defects. CHD is the most common of all birth defects affecting one in every one hundred children born at present. About half of all babies born with CHD will require heart operations.

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FIRECALL

07/11/2014 09:33

MOVEMBER

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SHAVIN’ LIVES

WE LOOK AT THE MOVEMBER FOUNDATION’S MOVEMBER CAMPAIGN, AND TALK TO DFB TEAM LEADER JONATHON FORBES.

E

very year for the month of November, you may notice an increase in the numbers of Irish men sporting moustaches of all shapes and sizes. It’s not an attempt at facial insulation for the cold winter months, nor is it the sudden comeback of an older style.

It’s an initiative known as ‘Movember’, a charitable campaign held each year which involves the growing of moustaches to spark conversation and drive funding for men’s health programmes.

HAIRY BEGINNINGS The tale of Movember begins back in 2003 in Australia.

Two men from Melbourne – Travis Garone and Luke Slattery – were talking about fashion trends, and wondered why the moustache had disappeared, joking that they should bring it back. Having decided to try and cajole some friends into growing a moustache, they were inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for cancer, and decided to make their own campaign about men’s health and prostate cancer. With formal rules drawn up, 30 men participated enthusiastically that year and in 2004, the two

DFB team leader Jonathon Forbes, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Christy Burke and ACFO Denis Keeley.

founders registered a company and launched a website.

Since then the organisation has grown from strength to strength. In Ireland, 90 per cent of all funds raised go directly to The Irish Cancer Society and in 2013, the Irish Movember campaign raised f2.2m.

DFB Phibsborough F/F Jonathon Forbes is DFB’s Movember team leader for 2014. He joined DFB in 2003 and was previously stationed in No 3 and No 4. His relationship with Movember, however, goes back further. “This will be my sixth year registered, and the fire brigade’s second year – although they’ve been doing it unofficially for several years,” he explains. “Thankfully our moustaches are all within DFB protocols! We’ve been earning money for Movember over the past few years, and a good number of lads from this station have been involved. Movember then contacted Dublin City Council as they knew of our

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MOVEMBER

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// RECIPIENTS A number of organisations funded through Movember in Ireland include: CASE Clinics (j260,000) Prostate Cancer Research Projects (j1,090,560) Daffodil Centres (j564,000) Care to Drive (j89,000)

involvement, and asked us if we could get the backing of the Chief. And we got it.”

For personnel at Phibsborough, and throughout the fire brigade, issues surrounding men’s health, cancer and mental health awareness have had a personal impact. Jonathon was first attracted to the Movember initiative when searching for a specific men’s health cause similar to the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon. “When Movember came around, we saw it was something we could tie into. The moustaches are something of a talking point – when you do grow them somebody says ‘you never grew a moustache before, why are you doing that?’ And that’s where the conversation kicks in about Movember,” says Jonathon. “You’d be out on the ambulance or the tender and you’d attend a fire alarm or a medical case – when all the work is done and you’re putting the gear away, someone will always come up to you and say ‘that has to be for Movember’. And when you have a truck full of firefighters, they all jump out and every one of them is wearing a moustache, it’s a talking point! We’ve raised quite a bit of awareness that way. When we’d attend a car crash and we’re working with the Guards, you’d see

them jumping out with their taches too! There’d be a little slagging going on between the two groups as to who has the best one.”

Fundraising of course is a major part of the Movember efforts, and Jonathon and many of his Movember colleagues have turned to a mix of offline and online social media tools to spread the word and collect donations for the cause. “We fundraise via the likes of the open days we hold, coffee mornings, donation boxes, anything really,” Jonathon explains. “We also take online donations through social media – everyone has their own account and they send out their own donation requests to people in their contact lists. There’s a few lads collecting funds via sponsorship cards too and at the end of the month they’ll be adding to the funds. The last year we did well – we raised a little over f7,000 with 44 members. Last year, the Emergency Service in total raised f22,000. That was between ourselves, the Guards, the Coast Guard, the National Ambulance Service and the Prison Service. To be honest though, it doesn’t really matter how much we make, as long as we make something. Everything, no matter how big or how small, is going to the right place.”

At the recent open day

held on the last Sunday in November, a good crowd showed up to support the campaign. Sam’s Barbers’ master barbers were on hand to provide free shaves to anyone in the area, a fire demonstration unit was on show, the Civil Defence provided the Green Goddess fire engine, members of An Garda Síochána came along with a vintage patrol car, traffic corps bikes and a fly past from the Air Support Unit, along with Blood Bike East with their fleet of emergency transport bikes, and the Irish Coast Guard who also did a low level fly by. Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Christy Burke was also on hand to show his support, as

were the team from Radio Nova. “Thanks to you guys for giving us the support that you did, for donating to this great cause,” says Jonathon.

“The final count on donations for the open day was a staggering f1240 in less than three hours! Amazing.”

VIEW FROM MOVEMBER Those members from DFB and No 3 perhaps don’t always see the impact their efforts have. Neil Rooney, Country Manager with Movember Ireland has seen this first hand. “I think they’ve had a huge impact. Some of the best guys we’ve ever had doing Movember are the guys

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MOVEMBER

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Demonstrations and vehicles on show were all part of a busy day at the open day held at No 3 in November.

that are on the cold face – the Guards, the ambulance drivers, the firemen – people dealing with the public on a constant basis. They’re the ones who are doing two things – they’re giving kudos to the campaign by getting involved and showing their support, but they’re also helping provide amazing awareness in growing their moustaches. They’re the guys who will get all the questions.

“They’ve been amazing,” he continues. “They’ve been up for doing an event every single year which is brilliant, like the media opportunities which the guys are more than willing to get involved with. They were on Exposé on TV3 with us and they’ve also done some amazing work on Facebook that we’ve been sharing.”

The efforts of organisations like DFB have all helped Movember Ireland to raise vital funds for awareness of men’s health, and men’s mental health. “Movember in Ireland has certainly been amazing – in the past

six years we’ve raised f8.7m with over 71,000 people involved. This year’s campaign is still in full swing at the moment but we already have 11,000 people signed up. This year has been amazing, thanks to support from the likes of DFB.” Neil also urges other members of DFB to emulate their colleagues and get involved in the initiative next year. “We say it’s about having fun doing good. That’s one of our main taglines and it really sums it up. That’s the good thing about the moustache. On the cold face of it, it’s a laugh and we’re doing it to jive at each other, to change our appearance and try make us look weird for the month. But it’s also a very serious thing as well,” Neil adds. “All of the money we raise here goes to the Irish Cancer Society and over 90 per cent of the funds raised in Ireland go directly to programmes. The way we describe it is the yin and yang of Movember – the yin is the fun side and the yang is the serious side of what

we do. I would encourage everyone to get involved, have a laugh, and fundraise for an excellent cause.”

Having once again witnessed a successful Movember campaign, Jonathon Forbes is grateful to those who have paved the way for their work. “I’d

like to thank all those who have taken part, the CFO, DCC and admin staff for their support, and the officers on the fire ground for putting up with all those moustaches over the course of the month,” he enthuses. “Well done to everyone, and we’ll see you all next year.”

MOVEMBER TEAM 2014 TEAM CAPTAIN

Jonathon Forbes MO-BROS

David Adams Richard Murphy Tom O’Callaghan Derek Riordan Ken Devine Al McGee Rory Prevett Stephen Weldon Donal Maguire Paul White Mark Hyland Colm Murphy Gerard Sweeney Alan Brady John O’Rourke John Paul Gray Keith Wilson

Geoff Tracey Chris Tallon Ger Ryan Paul Keyes Sean Dineen Chris Cullen Derek Cheevers Alan Byrne Dermot O’Reilly Steve McNally Jonathan Eastwood Ger Corcoran Scott Kline Sean Mac Domhnaill Brian Tracey Peter Conroy Sean Murray MO-SISTA

Tara McCormack

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35

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ELECTRIC REBELS

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CORK BRIGADE

GOES ELECTRIC Image courtesy Cork City Fire Brigade.

CORK CITY’S FIRE SERVICE BECOMES THE FIRST IN IRELAND TO FULLY EMBRACE THE ELECTRIC REVOLUTION.

T

here’s no doubt that we live in an age of motoring evolution, watching history unfold before our eyes. Hybrid and electric vehicles were once the butt of many motoring columnists’ jokes, discarded as a waste of time or, at their worst, as something which threatened the joy of true motoring. But these vehicles are steadily gaining a foothold, thanks

in part to government schemes and the interest of early adopters. Nissan’s Leaf is an affordable electric car which has got a lot going for it in terms of comfort and ease of use, even if it isn’t the best looking vehicle on the market. Ford have an electric Focus which doesn’t look altogether different from the outside.

Mitsubishi’s i-Miev might look a like a bug which

has crashed into your windscreen at speed, but it’s a useful city car and isn’t all that bad to drive. Even BMW have got in on the act, with their luxury i3 and the electric sportscar, the i8. And eventually we’ll see Tesla’s beautifully crafted Model S reach European shores, looking for all the world like the offspring of a Jaguar and an Aston Martin. For the electric car enthusiast there’s quite

the range of options, a list which continues to grow.

DRIVE TOWARDS ZERO But electric vehicles aren’t simply for the consumer or commuter, driving in urban environments. Many of the main players in the commercial market offer an electric alternative.

There’s the Nissan e-NV200, the Fiat Fiorino Electric, the Ford Transit Connect Electric, the Smith Newton

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37

ELECTRIC REBELS

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// VIEW FROM ABROAD While Cork can lay claim to the first electric vehicle in active service for Irish emergency services, several agencies around the world have already begun to incorporate these vehicles into their fleets. In China, for example, Changzhou Merrygold Machinery Co produce a number of electric vehicles, including several electric ambulances and a fire tender. Their ambulances feature emergency lighting, room for passengers and patients, and medicine boxes, designed for usage around school campuses, in stadia, parks or beaches. They also make a two seater fire tender for use in airports or factories, with a water tank in the rear and a 20m hose. In France, meanwhile, the all-electric Renault Twizy has previously undergone testing by Paris Fire Brigade. Resembling an enlarged Fisher Price toy, the Twizy has found favour amongst French consumers for its small footprint, and its ability to nip in and out of traffic, as well as fit into the smallest parking spaces. Instead of a passenger seat, the fire brigade there installed a storage compartment for carrying equipment, while livery, flashing lights and a siren were also added.

A little closer to home in the UK, the West Midlands Fire Service fleet includes a Vectrix electric bike with full battenburg colours, although it doesn’t come with blue flashing lights. Further down the country, London Fire Brigade welcomed the country’s first all-electric fire car, a BMW i3 kitted out in full markings and equipped with lights and a siren, and which has been used by senior officers to attend incidents quickly. Electric cars quickly reach high speeds as torque is instantly available, and the i3 has a range of approx. 130km. Other fire services around the country are trialling the use of hybrid cars.

The UK government has awarded £592,000 to the London Fire Brigade for the installation of charge points throughout the city’s network of fire stations. According to London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson: “Climate change and reducing our impact on the environment are issues that all big organisations like London Fire Brigade need to consider. We are at the forefront of the work being done across the UK fire and rescue service to meet those challenges and introducing electric vehicles into our fleet and charge points at fire stations is a key part of that.

Although fully electric powered fire engines may still be some way down the line we have been looking at electric cars for a number of years and they are getting closer to meeting our operational needs. With sustainability now an important consideration in how we operate, it is right that London Fire Brigade continues to consider all practical options to responding to emergencies.”

Electric Truck and the Renault Kangoo Z.E. The latter has found a home with Cork City Fire Brigade, with its cardiac response unit, as part of the Green eMotion project.

This project is part of the European Green Cars Initiative, which supports research and development of road transport solutions utilising renewable energy. Cork City Council is one of this initiative’s partners, and its efforts include providing environmentallyfriendly fleet vehicles and the promotion of its Drive4Zero campaign.

The fire brigade’s Kangoo has been retrofitted to suit the needs of the response team with a variety of audio and medical equipment. A fast charge point has also

for operational, logistical and maintenance support duties, responding to tertiary incidents including chimney fires and community response initiatives. “Due to its size and flexibility, it will complement our existing emergency response and can navigate hard to reach areas which are prevalent around the city,” the brigade said.

Electric car drivers in Cork will be able to take advantage of a number of incentives under the Drive4Zero initiative, which is being promoted by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney and is using Cork as a pilot area. This initiative includes free city centre parking, a charging point for the first 2,000 purchasers, zero deposit and zero

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“While Cork can lay claim to the first electric vehicle in active service for Irish emergency services, several agencies around the world have already begun to incorporate these vehicles into their fleets." /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// been installed at the brigade’s headquarters at Anglesea St., which will allow the battery to be recharged in around 30 minutes. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Third Officer Edward Buckley described the recent addition as an excellent vehicle which meets their needs. We were surprised at its performance really,” he said. “It is surprisingly fast and we can get up to 160km on a single charge of the battery.”

The brigade envisages that the van will be used as a multipurpose vehicle going forward,

interest finance deals, while businesses in Cork are also being encouraged to provide their workers with free charge points. r42 million in funding has been assigned to this project, j24m of which will be provided by the European Commission. “Cork City Fire Brigade is committed to supporting green energy options for its fleet,” says David Spillett, ACFO. “This new e-vehicle allows for a quick and flexible response and is a welcome addition to the Cork City Brigade fleet.”

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FIRECALL

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16/12/2014 10:00

STATION PROFILE

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STATION PROFILE

MEET THE UNIT

WE TRAVELLED OUT TO SWORDS TO MEET S/O GREGG HANNON AND THE CREW OF C WATCH NO 13.

L-R: S/O Gregg Hannon, Finbar Lambert, Derek Rooney, Stephen Cushen, Ian Murtagh and Gerry Martin.

R

ewind several years in the environs of Swords and you’d find there’s no full-time fire station – only a retained station with another one close by in Malahide. But since its opening in 2007, Swords has had a fulltime station to look after a wide area stretching towards Co Meath and up along the coast on the way to Drogheda. F/F Finbar (Victor) Lambert was there from that first day, and was one of the first two firefighters to man the ambulance responding from the brand new station. “I joined in 1992, so I’m in my 23rd year now,” he recalls.

“I spent 15 years in Tara Street, 12 of which were on A watch and then I went

to C watch in the control room. When Swords went full-time, I started here from day one, January 29th 2007.

I was one of the first people to run the ambulance from Swords on that first day and I’ve been here ever since.

I did Tara Street, did the ladder, the control room.

And then I came out here, to a new station, a new watch. I came out for a fresh start and I feel like a young man again!”

BROAD SPECTRUM At the helm of C watch is S/O Gregg Hannon, formerly of Cork (with just a hint of the accent appearing now and again), with family connections in the Leeside brigade. “I’m in Swords four years now, permanently,”

he says. “I would have spent a lot of time around Tara Street and Finglas as a fireman, as a Sub/Off in quite a lot of places. As an S/O, I was floating out of No 3 before moving to No 13. I’ve been working here for the last couple of years – four years this month.”

With such a large area encompassing anything from urban to rural and coastal landscapes, it’s no surprise that the type of incidents to which the crews at Swords could be called out tend to be quite varied. “We cover most of the north county – Donabate, Rush, Skerries, Balbriggan and obviously Swords itself as well,” says S/O Hannon. “The ambulance in particular

finds it can be more or less anywhere around the city. For ourselves, from the motor point of view, where we would start is around the airport down to the junction with the M50/ M1 and then out across the rest of the north county.

We would tend to interact with the retained on quite a regular basis.”

“It’s a completely different type of call out here,” Finbar adds. “You’re dealing with everything from the fields and countryside to all of the apartments around the Waterside. We frequently turn out to the airport and the Squibbs plant nearby. Squibbs have an internal fire crew and we are the immediate backup — we’re literally just around

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STATION PROFILE

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// the corner. Everything has detector heads and alarms, and in case of any alarm we’d be called out. Their plant is opposite the old fire station. The motorway keeps us busy too, as do all the country roads. Because it’s a fairly large agricultural area we’d have farm accidents and a variety of other incidents too.

“We have a massive area – we go out as far as Garristown by the Meath border, down to Coolquay and then northward.

Balbriggan is a huge area for us. Ambulance-wise, the amount of work we do up there is phenomenal.

There are two retained stations within our area but we would also respond to emergencies in Skerries or Balbriggan. We will back them up or they will send back a one-pump message.” In general, Beaumont Hospital is the

destination for the patients they treat, although a trip to Drogheda isn’t overly unusual. “You get some maternity cases from Balbriggan travelling there.

A few years ago, we had one case on the side of the road, in the snow. And there were no ambulances.

The child was delivered in the back of the taxi, on the side of the M1. All that was missing was the manger!”

Finbar adds. Because they cover such a broad area

of north county Dublin, it’s not unusual for the Swords crew to leave the station at the beginning of the shift and not return until the end.

“Because of distance, we could go out on a turnout here in an ambulance and it could take anywhere between an hour and an hour and a half by the time you leave here, complete the case, take the patient to hospital and come back here,” Finbar explains.

“Whereas the likes of

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“With such a large area encompassing anything from urban to rural and coastal landscape, it’s no surprise that the type of incidents to which the crews at Swords could be called out tends to be quite varied.” ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tara Street could have an eight, ten or 15-minute turnaround. We could do six cases in a night and not see the station – and fill up twice. Some of Tallaght’s areas would be similar – because they’re in such a busy urban area, that can get lost but some of Tallaght’s call outs would be as long. They’re being called out as far as Kill now.”

The crew at Swords also tend to interact with the airport fire service as they work in close proximity.

A few months ago the two stations conducted a joint training exercise, the main objective being the successful extinguishing of an aircraft fire. Pooling their respective skills and experience, the airport crew took care of the aircraft fire while the crew from Swords took responsibility for the rescue side of the operation, which was a

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success. “We would deal with the lads out in the airport a lot,” says Finbar.

“They would complete some of their ambulance placements here for their paramedic course – they simply wouldn’t have the call volume out in the airport.”

Finbar also notes the close working relationship the crew at Swords would have with the gardaí in the area.

“I don’t think I ever got on

with a group of guards as well,” he says. “Any time you want them, they’re just a phone call away. They’d drop in here quite regularly looking for statements!

The station in Rush has closed, Lusk is still there but Skerries is part-time. So they’re almost depending on us as much as we’re depending on them. And that’s the same with the Health Board – we work well with them as they

know we can help them, and we know they can help us. It’s the same across other agencies like the Civil Defence based in the old fire station in Malahide, or the Coast Guard. Kilbarrack would end up in Howth a lot more for call outs involving the cliffs, but a few good lads from DFB actually moved over to the Coast Guard, so there’s contact that way.”

LOCAL COMMUNITY

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“Interacting with the local community in Swords is a big aspect to life at No 13, and each of the watches makes an effort to cultivate and maintain a good relationship with those who live in the area.“ ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Interacting with the local community in Swords is a big aspect of life at No 13, and each of the watches makes an effort to cultivate and maintain a good relationship with those who live in the area.

“We put a fair bit of work into the community side of things. We would do a lot of work in relation to school visits and events like that,”

says S/O Hannon. “We would have a good working relationship with the local community. We would also cover here and Malahide – when Swords and Malaide retained stations closed, Swords opened as a fulltime station. On the crew here, one of the lads was previously retained in Swords, and one in Malahide. So we have a lot of local knowledge. A good few of the crew live locally too, so that would tend to help in terms of local interaction. We’d be involved with the schools and youth clubs, and the residents’ committees and GAA clubs to a certain degree also.”

“We’d have the local scout group across the road who would visit. Because it’s become full-time and a lot of people pass by, we would literally have people

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Above: the dinner bell ringing is always a welcome sound at No 13.

just dropping in to have a look,” Finbar adds. “There’s a lot more interest – people would have just walked past this building without knowing what was inside.

Now they’re aware that it’s here. And that’s partly down to a lot of success, a lot of publicised success.”

On the topic of successful call outs, S/O Hannon recalls the story of a woman who was five months pregnant and suffered a cardiac arrest. The call came in the middle of the night and the tender crew was the first to arrive on the scene, long before the ambulance. She received shocks from the defibrillator on scene and was revived, and survived her ordeal.

Her child was born, full term, a few months later.

Four or five months after the incident she came to visit the station in perfect health. “Probably one of the better stories,” he says

with a smile. “We would tend to follow up and see how successful we are.

Because we have three APs and in a lot of cases there are drugs administered, the lads would follow up with the hospital. We also have a recruit going through his probationary period where he has to document a lot of his cases. Part of his internship is to follow up and then compile a report.”

EXPERIENCE Success like that is down to a broad and experienced crew on C watch, with years of service ranging from 20 years to the latest recruit – Neil Quinn – who joined earlier this year. “We have two guys who are 20+, another three who are around the ten year mark and one who is here about seven years at this stage,” says S/O Hannon.

“We also have two who came originally from the

retained stations. It’s a very good crew; they work well together and they’re very motivated. We have three advanced paramedics as well; in terms of the EMS side of things they are good in terms of their own skills but they are great in terms of imparting knowledge. The skill level of the entire crew is raised because of that, as they impart an awareness of what has to be done.”

Neil Quinn is the youngest and newest member of C watch No 13, and is currently undergoing his probationary period. Neil was one of the most recent DFB recruits, and came through the internal recruitment process within Dublin City Council. He joined the council about seven years ago and originally worked in the wages department, first in relation to DFB wages before transferring to

another section. Neil’s interest in joining DFB was sparked when he completed an EMT course with DFB about four years ago. “The reason I wanted to come into the fire brigade was so I could do a paramedic course – it’s so hard to get a qualification if you’re not in the HSE or in the fire brigade; you just don’t get in,” he explains.

“And at this stage, I’ve completed every single course from CFR right up to paramedic level through the fire brigade, so I’m lucky that way.”As a north county man, Neil is delighted to be stationed at Swords, particularly when there are three APs in the station, as his main interests lie in this field.

“It’s great to have them looking over my shoulder and pointing things out to me. They’re very medically orientated here, and it really suits me,” he says enthusiastically. “If I could go on to do the AP course, I would. When you arrive at a hospital and they hear you’re from Swords, they might ask you why you haven’t got such-and-such done, why you haven’t got a line in! It’s always better to be able to give the patient another level of care, which I aspire to do. In terms of learning, there’s a great mix across the board.”

Being a local, Neil was a little hesitant about being stationed at Swords, but his months at No 13 have quickly dispelled any doubts. “I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive being close to home but it turned out great,” he says.

“I’m delighted to be here.”

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THE HOTSHOTS

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MEET THE HOTSHOTS WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS SPEND DAYS OR WEEKS BATTLING FIRES OUT IN THE OPEN, THROUGH FORESTS, FIELDS AND OVER HILLS AND RUGGED TERRAIN. THIS REQUIRES SPECIALISED KNOWLEDGE AND SOME PRETTY SERIOUS TRAINING. ENTER, THE HOTSHOTS.

I

n the US, wildland fires can present a serious problem, threatening livestock, settlements and human lives. Issues like droughts, climate change, increasing temperatures and developments mean that areas like the American west are experiencing frequent occurrences of dangerous blazes, oftentimes before the fire season begins. This is where the Hotshots come in (that’s not a nickname). Around 2,000 Hotshots work scattered across the US and during the peak of the wildfire season, are on call 24/7. Hotshot crews typically consist of 20-22 personnel specially trained in wildland fire suppression.

A typical crew could include a superintendent, two foremen, two squad leaders, two to four senior firefighters and around twelve temporary firefighters. Crewmembers can also be assigned various roles such as medic, helicopter

crewmember (organising supplies and equipment for transfer to remote locations), faller (highly skilled chainsaw operators who fell burning/dangerous trees) and saw team (one sawyer and one swamper: the sawyer cuts brush and wood with a chainsaw while the swamper removes the material to the safe side of the fire line). As interagency crews, Hotshot teams could find themselves battling wildfires in a variety of locations around the USA, as needed.

“When the call comes, they don’t know whether they’re going to be at a fire ten miles away or 500 miles away,” said Dick Smith, a retired firefighter who spent 38 years fighting wildfires with the US Forest Service. “That’s what these crews are designed to be able to do. They are organised so that they’re fully trained, fully ready and fully equipped.”

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THE HOTSHOTS

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Left and below: Flagstaff Hotshot crewmembers. Photos: US Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Kaibab National Forest.

Right: An Erickson Air-Crane’s Helitanker 737 Skycrane (USDA photo by Lance Cheung).

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“Known for their elite status amongst firefighters, Hotshot crews routinely undertake dangerous assignments out in the field, often responding to large fires, working without logistical support and only using the tools they carry in their pack." //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Known for their elite status amongst firefighters, Hotshot crews routinely undertake dangerous assignments out in the field, often responding to large fires, working without logistical support and only using the tools they carry in their pack. Hotshots trace their history back to 1940s California, where firefighters were assigned to tackle the hottest parts of forest fires in the Cleveland and Angeles National Forest. Understandably it’s not a job you just

show up to and count the hours until you leave. Wildland firefighting is a passionate occupation, and those who work at it are passionate about saving homes and lives. In one recruitment video by the US Forest Service, a wildland firefighter explains this sentiment. “When I smell smoke, I got to go,” he said. “That gets into your blood and it gets into your heart. When you save a bunch of houses and people come out and shake your hand, that’s just a good feeling that stays with you the rest of your life.” On arriving at the location, Hotshot crews figure out how to reach the frontlines, and immediately begin constructing fire lines, which prevents the fast spread of fires. Often working 16 hour days, personnel tirelessly dig trenches, cut brush and trees, and remove potential accelerants from the path of the fire.

HIGH STANDARDS Hotshots have been compared to the elite special forces of the US military – specially trained firefighters who must be physically fit and mentally prepared to face the dangers of wildland firefighting. It’s not a job you can simply walk into, and the training is arduous. “In the world of wildland firefighting today, the Hotshot crews are similar to the Special Forces in the military,” said Smith. “They’re highly

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THE HOTSHOTS

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trained and can meet the highest physical requirements.”

Candidates have to be able to complete the Pack Test; a three mile hike in full gear while carrying a 45lb (three stone) pack, which must be completed in 45 minutes. “You run for miles and you put on all your gear, it’s about 40 pounds, and you walk straight up the side of a mountain until you get to the top and then you come back down and do it again,” said Frank Carroll, a retired Forest Service public information officer and former Hotshot squad boss.

There’s also a range of physical activities to be completed – 40 sit-ups in 60 seconds, 30 push-ups in 60 seconds, seven pull-ups and a 1.5 mile run in under 11 minutes, each task running consecutively. Recruits also undertake classroom activities covering a variety of topics from fire behaviour and safety to communications and situational awareness. When they’re not out on an assignment, Hotshots generally allot an hour each day to exercise, which can include long distance runs, hikes and short runs.

Before the fire at Yarnell, nine wildfires claimed the lives of more than ten wildland firefighters, stretching back as far as August 21 1910. This was the year of the Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Blowup or the Devil’s Broom fire which burned through three million acres in northeast Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana. The fire season had begun early that year, as far back as April, due to very low levels of rainfall, which lead to the declaration of a drought in August. As a result, vegetation in the region dried out leading to plenty of fuel for potential fires. Hot cinders from passing trains, lightning and backfiring crews meant that by the middle of August, between 1,000 to 3,000 fires were burning across Idaho, Montana, Washington and British Columbia. On August 20, a cold front brought with it hurricane-force winds, which transformed the thousands of small fires into two large and raging infernos. The US Forest Service was ill-prepared to deal with an incident of this magnitude and the 25th

A DANGEROUS TASK

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Wildfire firefighting continues to be a dangerous business, and between 1910 and 2011, 1,030 people lost their lives.

The most recent of these incidents happened outside the town of Yarnell in Arizona. Although nobody knows exactly what happened to the Granite Mountain Hotshots in Yarnell, their position was overcome as a thunderstorm led to a change of direction of the flames. Word reached emergency personnel monitoring the situation that the Hotshots had deployed their fire shelters. According to Popular Mechanics, these fire shelters are high tech blankets constructed from aluminium foil, silica and fibreglass. They reflect 95 per cent of radiant heat, and trap breathable air inside for an hour or so. Such shelters have been used effectively by firefighters in the past, but they have their limits – beyond 537°C the glue which holds the layers together breaks down, and the air gap becomes compromised. In this case, they weren’t enough.

“Before the fire at Yarnell, nine wildfires claimed the lives of more than ten wildland firefighters, stretching back as far as August 21 1910. This was the year of the Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Blowup or the Devil’s Broom fire which burned through three million acres in northeast Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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THE HOTSHOTS

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Opposite & above: Geronimo Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) keeps watch on their burnout along a forest road (Photos: Lance Cheung/USDA). Left: Vandenberg Hotshots in Colorado Springs (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock).

of 24,000 acres stretching across two national forests had succumbed, with 63 homes destroyed. When the initial fire spread quickly, 11 firefighters became trapped. Six lost their lives. The Program also notes the staggering amount of resources used to fight the fire – $7,500,000, 14 helicopters, 14 water tankers, 10 air tankers, 12 bulldozers, 61 fire crews and a total of 2,632 personnel.

SMOKEJUMPERS

Infantry regiment of the US Army had to be called in. The firestorm burned over two days between August 20-21 and killed 87 people, mostly firefighters. On Setzer Creek outside the town of Avery, Idaho, an entire 28-man crew of firefighters lost their lives.

Unfortunately, the fire at Yarnell wasn’t the only tragedy to strike firefighters in Arizona. According to the Wildland Fire Leadership Program, a dry lightning storm resulted in a fire ten miles outside Payson, Arizona, on June 25 1990.

High temperatures, low levels of humidity, plenty of fuel and below normal precipitation meant that the fire began to burn quickly and within a few hours, “had become a raging inferno.” Around 1,100 people had to be temporarily evacuated from the region. By the time firefighters got the blaze under control ten days later, somewhere in the region

If you think the Hotshots are the epitome of bravery, their smokejumper cousins could give them a run for their money. It takes some mental preparation to charge towards a forest fire, work for hours on end in the constant heat and dangers, digging fire lines and clearing brush. But what if you had to parachute into the fire? Around 250 individuals jump from a plane towards a fire for a living, providing a quick initial attack upon the outbreak of a wildfire, and they enjoy it. “Jumping from a plane is fun, don’t get me wrong,” said Forest Service smokejumper Colby Jackson.

“But it is the people we interact with that makes this job so great.” Smokejumpers are self-sufficient firefighters who parachute into danger zones with enough tools and supplies to keep them going for 48 hours. They generally work from the beginning of June until October.

Smokejumpers can trace their history back to 1934, when a Forest Service regional forester called T.V. Pearson

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THE HOTSHOTS

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L–R: A smokejumper exits a plane. (US Forest Service photo). Geronimo Interagency Hotshot Crew (USDA Photo by Lance Cheung). North Cascades Smokejumper Base (Photo Eli Duke via Flickr).

proposed it as a method of tackling fires quickly during the initial stages. The smokejumper programme began life in 1939 in the country’s Pacific Northwest Region, with the first jump being made in Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest.

Today, smokejumpers – like their Hotshot counterparts on the ground – can find themselves working all over the country,

WORLD’S WORST WILDFIRES USA – GREAT FIRES OF 1871 Between October 8-14, much of the US Upper Midwest appeared to be on fire. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed a third of the city’s worth, and left 100,000 residents homeless. The Great Michigan Fire levelled the cities of Holland and Manistee, while 1,500 people died when the Great Peshtigo Fire spread through the Wisconsin countryside.

AUSTRALIA – THE BLACK FRIDAY BUSH FIRE Between February 7 and March 14 2009, the Black Saturday bush fire tore through Victoria State.

Australia’s worst natural disaster, fires burned 1.1 million acres and killed 171 people, injured 414 and destroyed 2,100 homes. Though drought, heat and wind were contributing factors, the exact cause of the fires have never been determined, though arson is suspected. Over 5,000 firefighters fought the flames.

RUSSIA – SIBERIA FOREST FIRE Fires in the forests of Russia Sibera region are somewhat common, however none have reached the levels of the summer of 2003. At one point in June, a US satellite recorded 157 fires burning across 27,181,000 acres of land simultaneously. The plume of smoke from the flames stretched as far as Kyoto in Japan, 5,000km away.

providing highly trained and experienced firefighters who can quickly respond to wildland fires in remote areas, including Alaska. These firefighters are self-sufficient; tools, food and water are dropped by parachute after they jump. Over 270 smokejumpers work for the Forest Service today, with bases located in Idaho, California, Washington and Oregon states.

Like the Hotshots, life for smokejumpers is by no means easy, and training standards are equally demanding. Any potential smokejumpers must be experienced in fighting wildland fires, and be skilled in using all manner of firefighting tools. Peak physical fitness is an obvious requirement, as is mental and emotional stability. New smokejumpers are trained in a variety of skills including aircraft existing practices, parachute manoeuvring and emergency procedures, landing rolls, parachute/cargo retrieval and tree climbing.

Some of the smokejumper training sites even have virtual reality simulators, so they can practise without ever leaving the ground. When they’re not fighting in the thick of it, smokejumpers are often assigned to natural resource projects, like brush piling, prescribed burning or other fuel management projects. They also use their expertise on assignments as Remote Automated Weather Station co-ordinators or fire safety specialists, in fire management officer positions, as technical writers and when working with other agencies.

There’s no doubting the courage of these Hotshots and smokejumpers, who bravely wade into wildland fires all across the US, working tirelessly for hours and days on end to remove fuel, dig fire lines and prevent these blazes from destroying land, property and lives. While technology continues to play a role in fire prevention and fighting across the world, with the use of mapping, drone, protection technology and more, having footsoldiers fighting the flames on the ground is something which cannot be easily replaced, a viewpoint retired Hotshot squad leader Frank Carroll agrees with. “There’s no amount of equipment that can replace what Hotshots do,” he said. “Someone has to put the fires out.

God does it with rain, or we do it with our hands or our tools.”

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FIRECALL

COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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FIRE SAFETY THIS CHRISTMAS MANY OF US ARE WELL AWARE OF THE FLAMMABLE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTMAS. IT'S NO HARM, HOWEVER, TO REFRESH OUR MEMORIES. CHRISTMAS TREES When choosing a Christmas tree, ensure needles on fresh trees are green and difficult to pull back from the branches – if they fall off then the tree has probably dried out and could be a fire hazard. In addition, metal stands can also cause trees to dry out, and should instead be placed in a sturdy base filled with water – check levels daily. Artificial trees should be pre-treated for flame resistance, and kept away from candles, heaters, fireplaces or other heat sources, and should be disposed of properly.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Indoors – only buy lights which have a visible safety standard. All connections should be checked and if you have any doubts about their quality, throw them out.

Ensure sockets aren't overloaded and unplug everything before you go to bed. Outdoors – make sure your lights are suitable for outdoor use (as with extension leads), and conduct a thorough inspection for condition. Fasten bulbs securely; sockets should be pointed down to avoid

moisture build up. All outdoor lights should be kept above ground and out of water sources.

CANDLES When it comes to using candles over Christmas, or indeed at any time, keep them away from children and pets, trim the week to 6mm each time, use an appropriate candleholder on a stable and heat resistant surface and keep candles away from drafts, vents and air currents.

Other useful advice includes extinguishing the candle if it smokes or the flame grows too high, placing lighted candles at least 75mm apart, and extinguishing them before bed.

OTHER CHRISTMAS FIRE SAFETY TIPS Don't burn wrapping paper in the fireplace, ensure open fires are fitted with spark guards, check smoke alarms are in perfect working order and clean your oven prior to the big day.

HOME FIRE SAFETY MESSAGE

S T

MOKE alarms - Make sure you have at least one on every floor.

EST your smoke alarms weekly - Test your smoke alarm weekly, or ask someone to check it for you.

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BVIOUS dangers - Look for fire risks like overloaded sockets, candles and unattended appliances.

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LAN your escape route - Keep access routes clear and have your keys at the ready.

Waterford Fire Service, Catherine Street, Waterford.

TEL: 0761 099982 FAX: 051 872159 EMAIL: contact@waterfordcouncil.ie WEB: www.waterfordcouncil.ie 234081 Waterford City Council FC.indd 1

15/12/2014 10:16

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AN IMMEASURABLE IMPACT

THE GREEN PLAN IT’S BEEN A BUSY FOUR YEARS SINCE NEIL MCCABE’S GREEN PLAN WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE KILBARRACK FIREFIGHTER AND DFB GREEN PLAN MANAGER TO FIND OUT WHAT HE’S BEEN UP TO IN THE MEANTIME.

F

our years ago the Green Plan was launched by DFB and Dublin City Council, the brainchild of Kilbarrack firefighter Neil McCabe. The entire process, however, began life a further three years beforehand, as a way of boosting morale at the station by investing in the facilities on an environmentally-friendly basis, with the end result being that Kilbarrack was declared the world’s first carbon neutral fire station. The savings made at No 6 were placed into a ring-fenced fund earmarked for the sole usage of improving each of DFB’s stations. The initial savings were spent on improvements at No 3; the combined savings from 6 and 3 were then used on simultaneous refurbishments at No 5 and 9. The project has since secured Government funding via the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). “I’m very proud to see that it’s spreading through the organisation,” says Neil.

“They gave us a grant which meant we could make sure that the work in Finglas and Blanchardstown was to a very high standard. Instead of just focusing on renewable technology and energy reduction, we actually had a budget to refurbish the stations at the same time.”

UTILISING EXPERTISE Neil has been just as busy outside of DFB, and indeed outside of Ireland. For one, he was made an Ashoka Fellow early in 2014. Ashoka is the world’s largest organisation which supports social entrepreneurs and, following a lengthy interview process over the course of the year, Neil was selected. “They are sponsored by philanthropists and what they do is they locate people who are making a measured social impact,” he explains. “They offered their support in helping the idea get off the ground, so that it could be scaled up to have an even larger social impact.

I’ve got lots of support from them and more importantly, I have access to this terrific network which I’ve been using to help DFB over the past few months.” And, in a somewhat surreal experience (in his own words), back in 2011 Neil was invited over to the House of Commons by the then coalition Government, who sought his advice on climate change, and how to factor this issue into their

Above: Visit of the then EU Commissioner for Climate Change, Connie Hedegaard to Kilbarrack in 2013.

finance bill. “Going over to the House of Commons and giving the British Government advice was a huge honour and a bizarre scenario all at the same time!” A little closer to home, Neil has also been working with Dublin City Council on a new initiative known as Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs). “It’s for swimming pools and libraries in Dublin. A private company will pay to reduce the energy of one of these locations. In return, the City Council will pay them back with the profits from what it would have cost to pay the original utility bills. The benefits to the DFB of me spending a year working with Dublin City Council is that the same work is now going to apply to the fire brigade in 2015,” he explains.

Neil has also spend a great deal of the past three years working on a number of EU projects. With FireduP – an EU pre-procurement project – he served as an expert analyst

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THE GREEN PLAN

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// providing his ideas on better ways to procure services and technologies for London fire brigade, Ghent fire brigade and Ghent city council in Belgium. The project – which finished last April – was successful and they sourced several exemplar services and technologies, and then wrote the context and framework of how they found them. “From April 2015 onwards, we’ll be giving that information to the entire EU 27 member states so they can use that as their procurement technique from now on,” says Neil. “I’m very proud to have been part of that process. One of the success stories from that is an Irish company from Dublin who made it through the entire process with a brand new innovation. As a result, Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Government have now got behind this project to support us more.” Neil has also spend time working on the ReGreen project which ran for three years, developing a new framework to use when building or retrofitting buildings across the continent. As part of this initiative, the Green Plan which began life in humble beginnings in Kilbarrack was lauded as the best exemplar continent-wide, and an e-book and app have since been made available for download, outlining how the Plan can be applied to any new or existing building.

The third project he has been involved in is known as EcoAp, which he also worked on for the past three years. The project resulted in seven actions

which can be used to build a stronger market and increased demand for ecoinnovation, focusing on market supply and demand, research and industry, and policy and financial instruments. “I’m honoured to say that my participation in that has resulted in two European Union directives – one on air quality and one on water quality. It’s a unique space I seem to be in at the moment!” he says. Neil has also worked on the EcoProcure project, which involves how to effectively procure, particularly in relation to public procurement. In 2012 he published a document for DFB on how to use public procurement as an investment in climate change, a publication which has since gone on to be used by the EU as a guide to best practice in this arena.

Closer to home, Neil was a participant in the Hidden Rooms initiative sponsored by Dublin City Council, which invited Dublin residents to come

together to find creative and innovative ways of creating a sustainable, fairer and more connected city. With 16 Hidden Rooms across Dublin, each team was given a brief and challenged to provide a solution. “I was very excited because my team included the city manager, two professors from Harvard University in America, professors from UCD and architects, engineers, construction entrepreneurs and business people,” says Neil. “Our brief was to improve a five acre site in Ringsend at the Pigeon House Road at the site of the former Pigeon House Hotel. We had all of these ideas for the improvement of the district, to make it a new quarter in Dublin. The project that we suggested got the go ahead, so now it’s down to 16 different suggestions in competition with each other.

It’s a really exciting space to be in.” Neil also recently received a delegation from Georgia, including the Mayor of Tbilisi, a team of scientists and

engineers, and the Georgian ambassador to Ireland, to discuss utilising the Green Plan in Georgia. Kilbarrack was also the site of a recent visit by a Brazilian news team, who filmed footage for a documentary on Neil and his work to be shown back in Brazil.

DFB The Green Plan has recently received a top up grant payment from the SEAI for the great work completed at Finglas and Blanchardstown stations. “It symbolises 12 months of good work that nobody sees behind the scenes – metering, capturing data, making sure the technologies work and then the site inspections and audits,” says Neil. In the New Year, the Green Plan will be moving to its next location, continuing to use the savings which have been built up over the past few years.

Neil will also be working on a brand new project – a trial on innovations for fleet efficiency. Working with ten Irish companies, Enterprise

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FIRECALL

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Should you have any queries or require and further information, please do not hesitate to contact the number below.

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Flameproof Ltd would like to wish all the Dublin Fire Brigade a happy & safe Christmas

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S: ENSURE YOU HAVE A SMOKE ALARM T: TEST YOUR SMOKE ALARMS WEEKLY O: CHECK FOR OBVIOUS DANGERS P: PLAN YOUR ESCAPE ROUTE

Best wishes to the Firecall Readers IN AN EMERGENCY DIAL 999/112

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THE GREEN PLAN

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Neil and Kilbarrack were awarded the Green Apple Award for achieving carbon neutral status in 2012, which paved the way for changes across the remaining stations. Left: with Roger Woolens, from the Green Organisation.

Ireland, sectors of the Irish Government, Dublin City Council and DFB, Neil believes that a successful trial could see the project put together as a package ahead of the next round of entries for Horizon 2020 – the largest EU research and innovation programme to date with a budget of d80 billion over seven years. “That could secure EU funding for us, and that could greatly benefit Irish companies – it gives them the opportunity to compete in Europe,” he explains.

Neil also recognises the fact that none of this hard work would have been possible without huge support, pointing to DFB, Dublin City Council and many others.

“At ground level, the Green Plan is a grassroots project.

It started at the bottom, was embraced by management and then made its way back down,” says Neil. “The first people I’d have to thank are the serving crew for always accommodating the many (at times spontaneous) tours from schools and the community, and the retired crew members. Specific to

Kilbarrack, we converted wasteland that was at the rear of the handball alley back in 2010, resulting in DFB’s first ever and still only commemorative garden for deceased firefighters.

It’s a beautiful piece of land that’s not just about plants and flowers, but reflection.

Every single Monday, a team of retired firefighters led by former firefighter Paul Hand come up and they keep the place immaculate. I obviously have to thank management because without their backing, it could never go any further. It’s a case of trying to go with the story, trying to change people’s behaviour to effect climate change and show people that we’re all able to do it.” To this end, Neil will be publishing a book on climate change in the coming weeks – entitled ‘Mitigation for Climate Change’.

a full-time firefighter, he is also based either at the OBI in Marino or at the Dublin City Council civic offices in his role as DFB’s Green Plan manager, overseeing the rollout of the plan across the entire DFB estate, or co-ordinating or managing trials for energy reduction which could be used in DFB stations. Add to that his work which is literally impacting an entire continent, and it makes for one busy life. But it’s not one Neil would change, and he’s glad that his efforts are making a real difference, even if he’s still getting used to his new life. “I’m always trying to keep up with the success of the Green Plan.

It’s one of those things – you

work on the ambulance on a Wednesday night and then you’re off to Hanover the next morning,” he says with a laugh. “It’s a bit surreal. It all happened by default – I was never meant to become the Green Plan manager for the fire brigade, I was never meant to go to the EU and steer four different projects. All I wanted to do was improve morale and motivation in Kilbarrack in the beginning, back in 2008, when we lost a lot of our crew to the newly opened Swords fire station. I had this idea that if we could improve the fabric of the building in Kilbarrack, then it would improve morale and make it a better place to work. And it did.”

KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES With so many pots on the stove, it’s hard to imagine how Neil crams so much into his working life. Besides working regular shifts as

Solar panels at Finglas fire station.

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55

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07/11/2014 12:39

TECHNOLOGY

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TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS PART III

IN THE THIRD PART OF OUR SERIES ON FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY, WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE LATEST IDEAS AND PRODUCTS DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR, OR WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY BE USED BY, THE FIREFIGHTING COMMUNITY.

TRACKING THE VITAL SIGNS Wearable technology is here to stay, in one form or another. Google Glass is well on its way in technological circles. Apple recently launched a smartwatch. Jawbone offers an advanced activity tracker. While there’s some debate about their uptake en masse, there’s certainly a future for technology you can wear on your body.

For emergency services, a number of similarlythemed products have been recently developed.

Instead of accessing your email on a smartwatch, or tracking how many miles you’ve run on your daily workout at the station, the Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP) can track the location of personnel and measure heart and respiration rates, activity levels, posture and other physiological factors. The shirt is produced by Globe, an American company which provides activity gear for firefighters. The t-shirt itself is made from a comfortable fabric that quickly removes moisture from the body, allowing it to dry quickly. It’s also flame resistant. Physiological sensors are mounted on an adjustable strap embedded within the shirt, while a location unit is worn on a belt around the waist. This unit provides 3D location data. A Zephyr Bioharness electronic module is then attached to the

outside of the shirt, providing data on heart rate and other levels. The combined system then transmits integrated data over Android mobile phones, Motorola APX radio or Wi-Fi networks. A Windows-based command station can allow for analysis of live or saved data via an easy-touse graphical user interface. The system was envisioned to be used by incident commanders in the field, allowing them access to real time information on the vital signs of their crews, resulting in more informed decisions.

It could also see use by instructors at training academies to provide live assessment of candidates and how they respond to WASP. Photo courtesy varying situations. “Sensors Globe Manufacturing. are getting smaller. Things like head-up displays are becoming /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// accessible,” said Bert Van Der Zaag, senior manager of interaction design at Motorola Solutions, speaking with Wearabletechnologies.co.uk. “So you see firefighters experimenting with it. You see them creating their own apps to solve some of the problems that they’re having.

So it has really accelerated the adoption and acceptance of these types of technologies.”

Some design work on a high tech firefighter suit was also carried out by Motorola Solutions, envisioned as one part of a new concept of next generation firefighting equipment. The suit would feature a number of wearable technologies, such as a helmet camera, environmental sensor, a breathing mask with HUD display, location tracking, monitoring of vital signs and a tough communications system. The system’s current status is unknown, though it’s unlikely to have made it beyond the concept phase as of yet. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“Physiological sensors are mounted on an adjustable strap embedded with the shirt, while a location unit is worn on a belt around the waist.

This unit provides 3D location data.

A Zephyr Bioharness electronic module is then attached to the outside of the shirt, providing data on heart rate and other levels.”

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FIRE OX AND THERMITE T3 There’s no denying it; we love robots, ever since since we first saw Robocop (and despite seeing Terminator). As outlined in this series, there seems to be space for robotic tools in the firefighter’s kit, as evidenced by the number of inventions which have sprung up over the last year or two. Many of these, however, have been constructed as student projects, at universities or by smaller companies. The Fire Ox, however, comes courtesy of Lockheed Martin, a company which deals in aerospace, defense and advanced technology.

They’re one of the world’s largest defense contractors and receive billions in US government contracts.

They’re the company behind the C-130 Hercules military transport plane, the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter and the Trident missile system. If anyone can make a good robot to fight fire, surely it’s these guys.

And by the looks of it, they haven’t disappointed. With its rugged appearance, it looks just like a miniature tank. That’s not altogether surprising when you learn that it’s based on a repurposed robot which was used by the military in Afghanistan. Remotely controlled via a consolestyle remote, the Fire Ox can follow GPS directions or be programmed to follow a person. It features a large onboard water tank, a remote control nozzle and a pump, and water can be sprayed while the robot is stationary or on the move. It can also carry extra gear for firefighters if necessary.

While this version is a prototype, the team behind its conception continue to work on getting it into production at an affordable price for emergency services.

“We see a time when these systems will save lives – they’ll help prevent injuries,” said Myron

DETROIT UPDATE In the last issue, we mentioned the plight of Detroit fire department, with stations in the city relying on a manual fire alarm method involving a fax machine and a soft drink can filled with screws or coins. The makeshift system was covered in the US press, and was even featured on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

Since then, however, several software companies have been in touch with the department, offering to donate a more modern alarm system. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, George Faucher (president and CEO of Florida software company CorreLog) explained he had heard of Boston’s situation on the news, and felt he

Top: Termite 3.0 of Howe and Howe Tech.

Bottom: Fire Ox. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

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“With its rugged appearance, it looks like a miniature tank. That’s not altogether surprising when you learn that it’s based on a repurposed robot which was used by the military in Afghanistan.”

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had to do something as a way of ‘giving back’. Although his system isn’t specifically designed for use in a fire station, “it’s at least a thousand times better than a Coke can falling over,” he said. Several other companies have contacted the department, including one entrepreneur who asked to take a tour of Boston’s fire stations and then design a custom solution. Deputy Fire Commissioner John Berlin has been overwhelmed by the response to Boston’s need. “It overwhelmed me,” he told the Boston Free Press. “We need so much.

What I was humbled by was that there was nothing negative said about the city of Detroit, or the bankruptcy.

It was simply that they wanted to help. And that set me back a little bit. It humbled me.”

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/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Mills, senior programme manager with Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), speaking to Bloomberg TV. Lockheed Martin are also hard at work developing their own addition to firefighting drones. A pair of unmanned helicopter drones were recently tested at an airport in New York. The aircraft can autonomously collect water from a source, and dispense it at the fire’s location.

The newly-developed Thermite 3.0 from US-based Howe and Howe Technologies follows a similar pattern. This particular machine is on tracks, which helps it to negotiate a number of tricky environments, like a rocky patch of ground and even a steep staircase.

Powered by a 25hp waterproof diesel engine, it pumps out water or foam via dual in/out lines at 150psi. It can also be controlled from a quarter of a mile away, and full robotic function is available five seconds from ignition.

According to former fire chief and former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Chief R. David Paulison: “This new innovative remote controlled firefighting vehicle has the potential to reduce firefighter injuries and fatalities. Whether tank farm fires, hazardous materials spills or radioactive incidents, this vehicle can easily go and manoeuvre to mitigate the incident while keeping our firefighters out of harm’s way.”

EXOSKELETON If you’re of a certain age or persuasion, when you think of the word ‘exoskeleton’ chances are your mind’s eye will flicker to the Call of Duty ad which has been all-pervasive in previous months, watching two soldiers perform various feats of strength and endurance while strapped into some form of metal suit.

Lockheed Martin has been busy transforming this virtual reality into reality, and recently won a contract to provide and test two exoskeleton units for the US Navy. The company has been investing in exoskeleton research and development for the past five years, which has led to a number of powered and unpowered systems FORTIS exoskeleton. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin. for use across a variety of fields. The latest edition is the FORTIS exoskeleton, a lightweight, unpowered skeleton which increases the user’s the exoskeleton moves naturally with strength and endurance. Researchers the body, with users able to maintain are working on exoskeleton suits like the flexibility. This particular model is being ‘Iron Man’ suit for the US military, but tested for use at Navy shipyards, to help issues surrounding power delivery mean operators hold heavy tools for extended that effective, powered suits won’t be periods of time, with the result of less available until at least 2018. Their effort, fatigue. Users of the suit can hold up to however, doesn’t require a power source 36lbs (three stone) effortlessly. “Ship and works by transferring the weight of maintenance often requires use of heavy loads from the user straight to the heavy tools, such as grinders, riveters ground. Featuring an ergonomic design, or sandblasters,” said Adam Miller, director of new initiatives at Lockheed Martin /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Missiles and Fire Control.

“Those tools take a toll on operators due to the tools’ weight and the tight areas where they are sometimes used.

By wearing the FORTIS exoskeleton, operators /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// can hold the weight

“The latest edition is the FORTIS exoskeleton, a lightweight, unpowered skeleton which increases the user’s strength and endurance.”

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/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// of those heavy tools for extended periods of time with reduced fatigue.”

Though the FORTIS exoskeleton isn’t as bulky as some counterparts, it’s still worn on the outside.

Firefighters could find these editions quite useful in lifting heavy beams or tools but in other cases, they could be more of a hindrance, like tighter spaces. Enter the flexible exosuit. DARPA – the US military’s research agency – is funding research in conjunction with Harvard University into an exosuit, smart textiles which could be worn under a

uniform. The Soft Exosuit, developed with soldiers in mind, could help users walk further, avoid fatigue for longer, and carry heavier loads. Currently in development at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, the exosuit is designed to overcome the challenges faced by larger exoskeletons, namely power-hungry battery packs and rigid components. Made from smart textiles (nylon, polyester and spandex), this suit can fit under existing clothing and fitting it is as simple as pulling on a pair of trousers. It works by mimicking the actions of leg muscles and tendons, and

Right: The FORTIS exoskeleton in action at a US naval shipyard. Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin.

then provides carefully timed assistance to the joints. The current prototype features a series of straps around the lower half of the body containing a microprocessor and strain sensor – the Exosuit’s brain and nervous system. These systems continuously monitor data signals including suit tension, the user’s position and more.

THE FLIR ONE In our Technology, Part II edition, we examined the FLIR One mobile thermal imager. Since then, we managed to get our hands on a test model for a week. And we’re no less impressed. The greatest problems working with the FLIR One actually came from our own iPhone – some phone covers seem to be welded to the original casing. Setting up the device was quite simple – download the free app from the Apple Store,

slip the cover onto the back of your iPhone and then follow the instructions via the app. From there, you simply point and shoot. The app is a handy interface which lets you take pictures and video, view the current temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius, monitor the charge in the unit’s standalone battery and easily share your images. Shoot settings include Rainbow, Contrast, Arctic, Coldest, Hottest and Iron.

At the moment, only users with an iPhone 5/5S can make use of the device, but FLIR Systems has said that a device compatible with

selected Android models will be available in 2015. The company are also due to release additional apps to make the most of their thermal imager, allowing users to take thermal time lapse videos, panorama shots, images with blends of colour and thermal elements and close up images at distance of 12-16 inches.

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The Original, Re-Imagined

CONOR FORREST OFFERS HIS THOUGHTS ON THE NEW JEEP CHEROKEE.

L

ooking at the new Jeep Cherokee, you sense a coming together of past and present. The iconic front grille is still there, but has been pulled over the bonnet somewhat, the boxier shape and simple headlamps replaced by flowing curves and aggressive daytime running lights.

Stitched into the leather steering wheel, which features voice activation control, is the phrase ‘Since 1941’. It’s likely a divisive overhaul in the looks department, but you really need to see it in the flesh before you make up your mind.

Our test version was the Limited 2.0L turbo diesel with FWD and 138hp, married to a six speed manual gearbox.

You can also get 4x4 versions of the Cherokee with either 140hp (six speed) or 170hp (nine speed auto). Once you get behind the wheel, you’ll quickly realise that it’s a SUV built for comfort rather than performance. Max speed is 187, 0-100km/h takes 10.9 seconds (which, to be honest, feels a little sluggish). Annual road tax is d280, given CO2 emissions of 139g/km, and we averaged a combined 6.5L/100km (43mpg). It’s a little jumpy on the road at low speeds, particularly when moving off in first gear, but independent front and rear suspensions result in a smoother ride and decent handling when you get moving, and the Cherokee feels comfortably planted on the road. Though it seems quite large from the inside, it’s got a turning circle of 11m and is surprisingly manoeuvrable in tight spaces.

Equipment levels are one of the Cherokee’s strongest aspects. The basic Longitude trim level offers some fancy gear including a touchscreen media centre, rear park assist and LED daytime running lights. The next step up is Limited, which adds a bigger media centre, rain sensitive wipers, keyless entry, privacy glass, automatic headlights, heated and cooled seats and quite a bit more. A colour screen

located in the instrument cluster provides a list of useful information, including vehicle info, fuel economy and a programmable speed warning. There’s even a actual spare wheel under the boot’s floor, which was something of a surprise.

The Cherokee is obviously built with the family in mind.

There’s plenty of storage space spread across the cabin.

You can fit a laptop or tablet in the glovebox, and there’s even a hidden compartment beneath the front passenger seat, although the little cubbyhole on the dashboard seems a little pointless. Connectivity won’t be an issue either, with USB, AUX and SD card connections, and 12V sockets in the rear. It’s quite roomy too. There’s plenty of headroom front and back, and four adults (or two adults and three children) comfortably fit inside the cabin. The boot measures 591 litres and can be extended to 714 by pushing the rear seats forward. With the seats folded flat, you’ll find yourself with 1,267L of room – surely enough to carry anything short of a few cattle, and the boot can be opened remotely for those days when it’s absolutely lashing. It’s also one of the safest vehicles to drive on the road. With more than 70 safety features including forward collision warning with crash mitigation (which uses radar to help avoid or limit the impact of a crash), park assist and a reversing camera, the Cherokee was awarded five stars by EuroNCAP. Prices for the Cherokee start from d36,000 for the Longtitude 2.0L 4x2 model, and rise to d50,900 for the 170hp automatic 4x4 version with several options in between. Given the choice, we’d opt for the latter. The extra Limited toys are nice, and then there’s the increased power and offroad capabilities – where the Jeep was originally born to roam.

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The Game Changer?

WILL MITSUBISHI’S HYBRID SUV PROVE TO BE A HUGE STEP FORWARD FOR HYBRID AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES? CONOR FORREST TAKES A CLOSER LOOK.

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eet the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Plug-In Electric Hybrid Vehicle for us mere mortals), a 4x4 that can take you through a rough, muddy field with zero emissions. That’s thanks to the combination of a 2.0L petrol engine with a battery offering electric range of around 50km. It’s like a Nissan Leaf you can herd sheep with.

Available with five seats from d41,950, the Outlander PHEV is an incredibly easy to use vehicle. Three drive modes are available; electric power only – to drive the front and rear motors; a mixture of electric power with assistance from the engine; and parallel hybrid – the engine provides the power, with a boost when needed from the electric motors. If it seems like it’s all getting a little complicated, don’t worry – the car takes care of this for you. You can also choose to hold the battery’s charge, ideal if you’re on the way into an urban environment. The hybrid aspect works best for these short journeys – driving in and around Dublin city, I used little to no fuel at all, and regenerative braking helped to recharge the battery.

A full charge at home will take around 4.5 hours, while a quick charge at any of the charging facilities dotted around the country will give you 80 per cent capacity in just 30 minutes. There’s also a third method which uses the engine to charge the battery – 80 per cent capacity in 40 minutes. Do it at home on the nightsaver rates and you could fully charge the battery for around d1.40. Though it’s relatively comfortable on all road surfaces, it steers quite

well (a little heavy at lower speeds) and there’s acres of grip at hand. We do have a few quibbles, however. The media centre is a little cluttered, and could do with fewer options to distract the eye. And, for the price, the trim isn’t quite worth it – there’s a relatively basic feel to it, although a few options like comfortable, heated seats, automatic headlights and voice control are welcome additions.

The PHEV is probably at its most attractive as a commercial vehicle, or as part of a fleet. Besides the reduced fuel costs and emissions, companies can write off the purchase against their profit levels when buying “qualifying energy efficient equipment.” Having said that, it works quite well as a family car too – plenty of space front and back, with a large boot too (463L).

The Outlander PHEV comes in two styles – Instense+ and Instyle which retail at d41,950 and d47,450 respectively.

Out of all the current hybrid options, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is probably the best choice for Irish roads.

It’s rugged and pleasant to drive regardless of the weather, well able for Ireland’s mixture of smooth (relatively) surfaced motorways and the more uneven national and B roads. Range anxiety is eliminated by in-journey charging and a petrol engine, and it’s only d2,000 more than the regular diesel equivalent. Is it a game changer? Hard to say just yet. But one thing’s for sure – it’s well ahead of the game.

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IMITATION ISN’T ALWAYS FLATTERY

AN AUDI A9?

We’ve driven Audi’s A8, which sits atop Audi’s regular car pile. But that could be about to change. Meet the Audi prologue, which we could easily see slotting into the Audi line up as the A9. A two-door coupe concept car, it’s a mixture of power, comfort and surprising efficiency.

Powered by a 4.0L V8 TFSI engine, the prologue produces 605hp and 750Nm of torque, propelling it to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds. Better get used to the scenery passing by in a blur. Interestingly it also has all-wheel steering – the back wheels can turn up to five degrees, which means piloting the behemoth gets a little easier. If this is the prologue, we can’t wait for the full story.

Jaguar Land Rover were understandably a little peeved when they discovered that a Chinese company had produced a carbon copy of the Range Rover Evoque and displayed it at the Guangzhou Motor Show 2014. At which Land Rover was also displaying their first Chinesebuilt Evoque. You have to at least admire their brass neck.

While a genuine Evoque will cost £40,000, the LandWind X7 is the equivalent of only £14,000. China is JLR’s biggest market, and sold more than 90,000 vehicles there last year.

We’d be a little angry too.

THE CYBER TYRE

THE JCB GT It’s official – JCB have the fastest digger in the world. Built in Staffordshire, the specially-modified JCB GT vehicle (not pictured above) broke the record at Bathurst, near Sydney, Australia, confirmed by Guinness World Records as 72.58mph.

JCB’s demonstration driver, 43-year-old Matthew Lucas, was behind the wheel. That’s quite impressive when you think about it – we’ve driven cars which had trouble getting past 60. JCB invented the popular machine in 1953, and sold more than half a million over the past 61 years. The modified version was designed to perform high-speed wheelies at racing events. That’s not a typo. Just don’t expect to see a repeat performance next time you drive past a building site.

A new tyre from Pirelli has been designed to make driving both safer and quicker: the upcoming ‘Cyber Tyre’. The new generation of smart tyres will feature a tiny Photo: Steve Garner via Flickr. sensor which will provide live feedback on levels of grip you have, for example, or the condition of the road, friction, pressure levels and temperatures. The sensor sits into the tyre tread and communicates with onboard systems, as well as the driver. The project began in 2010 and has recently begun trials on lorries, with a move towards high performance cars likely to be the next step.

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COMMERCIAL PROFILE

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INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

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HORROR IN THE HIMALAYAS CONOR FORREST REFLECTS ON THE BEAUTIFUL NEPALESE REGION OF ANNAPURNA, AND THE DEVASTATING AVALANCHES WHICH STRUCK LAST OCTOBER.

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he Annapurna region of the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal has proved to be a popular destination for trekkers in recent times. It offers a chance to experience an adventure in the homeland of Mount Everest, though not nearly as tricky to conquer. It is a beautiful region, home to remote mountain villages, ancient monasteries and captivating views over valleys, ridges and rivers. The Annapurna Conservation Area is the country’s largest protected area, and covers 7,629km. This section of the Himalayas is home to a number of peaks, including Annapurna I, II, III and IV which are all over 7,200m above sea level at their peak.

Annapurna I – the tenth highest peak in the world – was the first 8,000m peak to be scaled, by a French expedition led by mountaineer Maurice Herzog.

TACKLING THE TRAIL The region is also home to the Annapurna Circuit, a 140km route which offers the experience of a relatively easy trail, when compared to some of the country’s steep and dangerous

peaks which remain the hunting grounds of experienced mountaineers. The circuit attracts thousands of trekkers each year, many of them arriving in October when conditions are optimal. Some of these adventurers have little or no experience and travel for weeks over rough terrain, including the Thorung La pass which sits 18,000 feet above sea level.

Speaking to the Guardian, British mountaineer Alan Hinkes said: “Most of the people who are there are not experienced mountaineers. They’re trekkers, or holidaymakers. You don’t need any massive hill walking experience to go trekking in Nepal. You’re on footpaths between villages. Most of the time you’re on made-up trails between villages and tea shops, and it’s fairly dry, lovely weather. But it can be unpredictable anywhere [and] obviously, it’s more severe at 5,000m.”

The Annapurna circuit was originally used as a local trade route, with traders herding yaks and donkeys. The trail was opened to tourists during the late 1970s, and has grown in popularity ever since. Part of its appeal lies in the stunning

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First page: Bhrake (3,500m). Photo: Julien Lagarde via Flickr. Left: Prayer flags at the Annapurna base camp.

Photo: Vera & Jean-Christophe via Flickr. Above: Prayer wheels near Chame. Photo: Didi via Flickr.

and caught trekkers unaware. Calm and sunny conditions quickly gave way to a blizzard, and visibility was reduced to mere feet.

“I am looking at pictures of my friends in my camera.

One day we were all just hanging out, the next they were dying in the snow. This is just young people, in their 20s, happy people,” said Maya, a 21-year-old Israeli who spoke to the Guardian. Maya’s group left their guesthouse early that morning, at which point it was snowing. Although the guides initially said there was nothing to worry about, it soon became clear that they were in trouble. “We left at 5.30am and it was snowing but the guides said it was OK, then on the way it just turned into the biggest storm ever.

I just couldn’t see anything at all. It took us five hours and we got to the top of the path and into a small cabin there.

We had to decide. Everybody was saying if you stay, you are going to die. Lots of people went out, trying to get down to Muktinath, so did some of my friends. The guys who ran the tea house asked for money from us to guide us out then AVALANCHE STRIKE disappeared,” she said in the article.

On October 14 2014, a snowstorm was followed by Paul Sherridan, a police several avalanches around sergeant from Doncaster, was Annapurna and nearby /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// hiking in the region with a Dhaulagiri, said to have friend when the storm struck. been caused by the tail end Visibility quickly disappeared, of Cyclone Huhhud which and hikers were left stumbling had struck the Indian coast blindly through the snow, several days previous. An hoping to happen upon unknown expert described safety. In a video statement the resultant storm as one he recalled the treacherous of the worst the region had conditions. “Somebody experienced in decades and shouted – and I believe it was within 12 hours, almost six one of the guides – ‘Move feet of snow had fallen at forwards. Move forwards,” higher altitudes. The storm he said. “But as we moved struck at the height of the /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// forwards, conditions worsened climbing season in Nepal, views. Tilicho Lake, for example, lies along the trail, and sitting at 4,919m above sea level, it is one of the highest lakes in the world.

Trekkers begin their adventure from the town of Besi Sahar which is located approximately six hours (driving) from Nepal’s captial city, Kathmandu. Walking the circuit takes around three weeks, during which time tourists pass through various local settlements where they can get food and shelter. In recent years, a rough road to the town of Chame has sprung up, allowing visitors to rent jeeps and and shorten their hike. After travelling the Thorung La pass, hikers descend to Jomsom and can either catch a flight to the popular tourist destination of Pohkara, or continue to walk to their destination. Unlike other, more remote and dangerous trails, those who travel along the Annapurna circuit rarely carry their own tents or supplies, and rely on a system of guesthouses with journeys of a day in between.

“An unknown expert described the resultant storm as one of the worst the region had experienced in decades and within 12 hours almost six feet of snow had fallen at higher altitudes.

The storm struck at the height of the climbing season in Nepal, and caught trekkers unaware. “

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/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Left: Teahouse on Thorung La pass at 5,415m.

Photo: Greg Willis via Flickr. Above: Porters on the circuit. Photo: ah zut via Flickr.

and we became involved in /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// else who could assist with a rescue. Soon after the blacked-out conditions where Nepalese army became the ground became the involved, as did the police, same colour as the sky and mountain guides and foreign it was difficult to see which diplomats. way was up and which way was down. As I descended this abyss of nothing, I A DISTINCT GAP realised that the people I Following the avalanches, was following didn’t know rumours began to swirl /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// concerning some of the where they were. It was at that point that I realised guides, who were charging I had gone from a place of safety into an absolute position large sums of money to guide foreign trekkers to safety. of fear and sheer terror.” As luck would have it, Sherridan One of these was Pasang Tamang, a mountain porter who spotted a pole through the snow. “We picked our way down died during the disastrous events. According to one of the for two hours through this maze of poles that sometimes we local papers in Kathmandu, Tamang’s final actions were couldn’t see for minutes on end, but it seemed to bring some heroic as he gave his own life to save those of 20 trekkers. sort of calmness and order to affairs. It was around that time His superiors, however, said that the desperate trekkers that I heard the rumble of an avalanche and I heard the large pleaded with the porter to save their lives, and gave him thunder and roar of snow falling and I just knew, due to the money to do so. When Tamang’s body was recovered, number of people, that there were going to be fatalities. It 22,500 Nepali rupees (£140) were apparently discovered in was horrific.” the pockets, along with USD$100.

Rescue efforts were apparently launched due to a note According to an article in the Telegraph, for his work in left by one of the Israeli hikers who became trapped in the carrying heavy bags and equipment up the steep slopes blizzard. According to the Wall Street Journal, an Israeli and across the rough terrain of the region, Tamang received woman left a note in Hebrew saying: “There are Israelis around £1 per day. High snow drifts began to consume trapped in the tea shop at the pass. Lives in danger. Help trekkers, who called out for help. With many calling for us. Thank you.” The note was taken by a local who rode to assistance, those with money offered what they had to be a camp further down the route on horseback, and passed it rescued. In the end, whatever the circumstances, Tamang to a small group of Israelis who called the Israeli embassy paid the ultimate price. The same piece quotes some in Kathmandu. Meanwhile a Rabbi, Yehezkel Lifshitz, who Israeli visitors who told of how they haggled over the price worked with the Jewish organisation Chabad, was alerted to for guidance to safety – initially $1,000 (s807) and finally the situation and began calling hiking agencies and anybody around 500 Nepali rupees (d4).

“While the porters carry heavy loads, often discarding their own safety equipment to lighten the load, their own pay is quite small in comparison, as little as £9 per day. “

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/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// While charging people for their rescue might seem distasteful, the gap between the native Nepalese porters and the foreign trekkers is quite wide. Foreign visitors can pay anywhere up to £1,800 (d2,250) to hike the Annapurna circuit. And while the porters carry heavy loads, often discarding their own safety equipment to lighten the load, their own pay is quite small in comparison, as little as £9 per day. Not only that, but their clothing can often be quite unsuitable, as young Nepalese forgo the cost of proper clothing and equipment as they guide tourists through the region for seasonal wages higher than the country’s average. The rescue mission, led by the Nepalese army, uncovered the bodies of locals clad in casual clothing, wearing flip flops or running shoes. “The Nepalis I saw were wearing normal dress, some of them in slippers, some had coats and some didn’t. They did not have proper clothes or protection from the snow...this could be a factor in why so many Nepalis died,” said a Captain Adhikari.

LEGACY The incident has been described as Nepal’s deadliest trekking disaster, and came only a few months following an avalanche which killed 16 Nepalese guides near Mount Everest’s base camp.

At least 43 lives were lost as a result of the disaster, with around 170 people suffering severe injuries. As recently as November 12, bodies were still being recovered from the mountains; the body of a 55-year-old Canadian woman was

recovered from the snow, while the body of an Indian trekker was found the week before. Rescue workers continue to search for the remains of three Canadians and three Nepalese.

Concerns have also been raised about the system of alarm.

“It was in the media. So this was not unexpected. There was a major failure of communication. At least 50 per cent of the blame lies with the authorities,” said Ngamindra Dahal, a climate expert at Kathmandu University. Although access to some parts of the circuit was restricted immediately following the avalanches, trekking activities have since resumed.

There are, however, some changes being put in place.

Following the deadly incident, the process to establish information centres and shelters in the region has been started by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. These centres will provide weather information, location and situation of the trekking routes and access to an internet connection point. Nepal’s government has also begun the process of establishing a National Disaster Management Centre, which would organise preparations for, and response to, such incidents in future. Moving forward, such measures should go some way to countering against natural disasters of this nature and ensuring greater levels of preparedness, although the issues of porters and guides’ pay and equipment levels is still to be resolved. Unfortunately, for those who perished on the mountain on October 14, such changes come too late.

Annapurna (left) and Machapuchare (right).

Photo: Marina and Enrique via Flickr.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

International News

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// EMERGENCY SERVICE NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. USA: ONE LUCKY FROG In what may well be a first for the world of firefighting, a crew in Forth Worth, Texas, rescued the sole occupant of a burning house – a family’s pet frog. As they fought the flames, firefighters moved through the house, searching for anyone who might have been trapped inside.

Although they found no one, the owners’ daughter arrived and asked them for a favour – to save their pet frog.

“Firefighters conducted a search but found that the house was unoccupied at the time of the fire,” said Lt. Carol Jones, a spokesperson for the fire department. “A family member who later arrived explained that the owners were actually out of state and then inquired about the family pet.”

NEW YORK WINDOW WASHERS ESCAPE PLATFORM MALFUNCTION Right from the nightmares of anyone who suffers from a fear of heights, two window washers were stuck for several hours 69 floors above ground at the newly finished One World Trade Centre in New York City. Cables which secured their platform suffered a malfunction, and the platform tipped 75 degrees with the workers inside, who were secured to the scaffolding via harnesses. FDNY firefighters rushed to the 68th floor and began sawing through three layers of glass with a diamond saw, while simultaneously lowering a second platform. The windows yielded first and after an hour and a half, the men were rescued. Both were unharmed, save for an understandable case of mild hypothermia.

ALABAMA: RESEARCH EXPLAINS WHY WE ARE DRAWN TO FIRE Research from the University of Alabama has shed some light on why our eyes are drawn to fire. Christopher Lynn, a biological anthropologist, believes that the relaxing effects of fire is an evolutionary response. Three studies were conducted with participants watching a video of fire burning, with and without sound effects. Those who watched the video of the fire with sound experienced a decrease in blood pressure, and became more relaxed, and sociable. “For early humans, fire likely extended the day, provided heat, helped with hunting, warded off predators and insects, illuminated dark places, and facilitated cooking. Campfires also may have provided social nexus and relaxation effects that could have enhanced prosocial behavior,” the study said.

UK: SHROPSHIRE FIRE SERVICE ONLINE ATTACK The website of Shropshire’s fire service came under attack by a group which claimed they were ‘the voice of Palestine.’ According to the BBC, the group, which called themselves AnonGhost, replaced the website with a logo and a message which read ‘To All Governments of the World, We are watching you, we can see what you’re doing, we control you, we are everywhere.’

Shortly beforehand, the group hacked the Nottinghamshire Police site, replacing it with an image and a message, part of which said ‘We are here to punish you ! since you have been suporting israel because we are the voice of Palestine and we will not remain silent!’ [sic] The group also hacked a number of other somewhat less popular websites including the Senegalese government website, and that of the Keighley Cougars rugby club in London. It’s still not quite clear as to why the hackers targeted regional emergency service websites. Too much time on their hands might well be one explanation.

POLAND: PARALYSED MAN WALKS AGAIN A Bulgarian firefighter who was paralysed from the waist down following a stabbing four years ago has begun to walk once more. 38-year-old Darek Fidyka had his spinal cord severed during the attack, and is now believed to be the first person to walk again following complete spinal cord separation. A team at the University College London’s Institute of Neurology discovered a technique which used nerve supporting cells from Fidyka’s nose to regrow his broken tissue.

The surgery was carried out by a Polish team of spinal repair experts from the Wroclaw Medical University.

Now Fidyka can walk with the help of the frame, and has seen a semblance of independence return to his life, including being able to drive a car again. “We believe that this procedure is the breakthrough which, as it is further developed, will result in a historic change in the currently hopeless outlook for people disabled by spinal cord injury,” said Professor Geoffrey Raisman, who led the team which discovered the technique.

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International News

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// EMERGENCY SERVICE NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE.

JAPAN: PROTESTOR SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE

ARGENTINA: FACTORY BLAST INJURES MORE THAN 60 A fire at a chemical plant in Argentina injured at least 60 people at the Raponi Industrial Quimica SRL plant in Cordoba, around 700km to the north east of the country’s capital, Buenos Aires. Thankfully there were no reported deaths, and local officials expressed relief that more were not badly injured. Speaking to local radio, Radio Continental, Hugo Garrido, the head of Cordoba’s civil defense, said: “The explosion was very strong. A cloud of gasses from the chemical materials was also formed and made breathing hard for nearby residents.” Sergio Hilton Raponi, the factory’s owner, was arrested following the discovery of non-authorised flammable material at the site.

THAILAND: FIRE DESTROYS BITCOIN MINING FACILITY A Thai fire in October of this year wiped out a bitcoin mining facility in Bangkok. Operated by a group of European expats, Cowboyminers mined the Bitcoin digital currency – a resource intensive operation whose primary objective is to confirm past Bitcoin transactions, with the side effect of introducing new Bitcoins into system. Miners are paid any transaction fees, as well as a subsidy of newly created coins. Their five megawatt facility suffered extensive damage, and foul play has yet to be ruled out, though some local media outlets have reported that the fire could have been sparked by a simple short circuit.

A man protesting Japan’s military policies died after setting himself on fire.

A police officer discovered the man’s body engulfed in flames in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park. A note found near the body criticised a decision by Japan’s government earlier this year to remove a ban on the military’s right to collective self defence. In a similar situation last June, a man survived self-immolation near the city’s Shinjuku train station, protesting about the decision which had then yet to be taken. Following World War II, Japan’s military role was limited to defending their own territory, rather than coming to the aid of allies.

GERMANY: GAS EXPLOSION SHAKES GERMAN TOWN One person was killed and 11 were injured when a gas pipeline in the city of Ludwigshafen exploded, sending flames 200m into the air.

Around 25 buildings in the vicinity suffered damage during the incident, as did several vehicles. The company responsible for the pipeline, Gascade, said that the explosion was caused by the pipe being exposed. A local paper reported that the pipe exploded when it was struck by a digger. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene following the explosion at 11.30am, and had the fire contained before 3pm later that afternoon.

AUSTRALIA: HISTORIC HOTEL SUCCUMBS TO FLAMES The historic Royal Hotel Roma in south west Queensland was badly damaged following a fire in November. Thought to have started in the kitchens, the flames spread quickly throughout the premises as a result of the alcohol stored on site. Nobody was killed in the incident. Firefighters on the scene had a lucky escape, however, when the front of the building collapsed into the street. The hotel had been rebuilt in 1915 following a fire, and was a major source of employment for the community in Roma.

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If you smell gas at home...

• Ensure gas appliances haven’t been left on and unlit • Don’t smoke or use a naked flame • Don’t unplug or switch anything electrical on or off • Open windows and doors to let the gas disperse • If your appliances are off but the smell persists turn off the gas at the meter

If you smell gas, call

1850 20 50 50 24-hour gas emergency service

Call 1850 20 50 50 no matter who your gas supplier is. Don’t use a phone in the immediate area of the leak, use a neighbour’s or call from outside. If you smell gas on the street call 1850 20 50 50 immediately. Don’t assume someone else will. www.bordgaisnetworks.ie

Our name is changing but our gas emergency number remains the same

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