Covering the entire spectrum of the Emergency Services
October 2015
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Volume 16 | 5
ESTCONTENTS | 1
IN EVERY ISSUE
60
COMMENT
3
NEWS
4
EVENTS
18
COMPANY PROFILE
32
PROFILES
37 | 42 | 45 | 46
PEOPLE
39
PRODUCTS
94
LAST WORDS
96
IN THIS ISSUE COLLABORATION
11
21
Joint working to ensure a safe resolution to the Alton Towers incident; what the health and social care services can learn from the emergency
13
services; what does the future hold for the Civil Contingencies Act?
89
Plus, fire crews in Scotland look to save more lives by attending cardiac arrest incidents.
THE EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOW 2015 48 Co-responding, community response and the expansion of blue light services into preventative and social care will be hot topics at this year’s Emergency Services Show. Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham from 23-24 September, this free-to-attend event features over 400 exhibitors and three free seminars covering Innovation, Collaboration and Training, in which senior figures from the fire and rescue, police and ambulance services share their knowledge.
64
32
INNOVATION
82
How the emergency services will be transformed by a more connected world; immersive training boosts realism for Essex Fire and Rescue Service and its partner agencies; the Institute of Engineering and Technology report ‘Contacting Emergency Services in the Digital Age’ calls for our emergency services to keep pace with technology; and the Met Police announces the winner of the National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS) contract, which will change the way in which police forces and other potential customers will procure uniform and equipment.
Online registration will remain open for The Emergency Services Show
21
2015 throughout the event – visit www.emergencyuk.com and click on REGISTER to sign up; it’s free admission and free parking!
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October2015
2 | ESTA-Z
Companies Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Age UK..........................................................................................................25
Environment Agency...................................................................................53
London Fire Brigade............................................................................6, 9, 31
ResilienceDirect...........................................................................................51
Alternative Venues North West ..................................................................42
Essex Fire and Rescue Service........................................................6, 22, 85
Lucy Air Ambulance.......................................................................................6
RNLI ................................................................................................................9
Antares TDC.................................................................................................77
Essex Police ...........................................................................................11, 39
Maritime Volunteer Service ........................................................................40
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.................................................39
Association of Air Ambulances...................................................................18
Fire Brigades Union ..............................................................................28, 90
Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime .......................................................11
Royal Life Saving Society............................................................................77
Auto Electrical Services ..............................................................................64
Fire Service College ......................................................................................3
Meiko ............................................................................................................49
Royal Society for Public Health.....................................................................4
Ballyclare Limited..................................................................................39, 60
FLIR ........................................................................................................48, 49
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service...........................................................4
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents......................................9, 69
Bedfordshire Police.....................................................................................40
Ford .................................................................................................................4
Met Office.....................................................................................................53
RSG Engineering.........................................................................................80
Beechwood Equipment ..............................................................................73
Foreign and Commonwealth Office ..........................................................14
Metropolitan Police Service .................................................................11, 89
Scott Safety ..................................................................................................68
Bennett Safetywear.....................................................................................74
Globalstar .....................................................................................................70
Microwave Marketing..................................................................................78
Scottish Ambulance Service ......................................................................28
BMW Group....................................................................................................4
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service...................................22, 25
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service............................................9
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service ..............................................................28
Brecon Mountain Rescue Team.................................................................70
Greater Manchester Police.........................................................................22
Ministry of Defence .....................................................................................60
Scottish Government ..................................................................................28
Bristow Helicopters Ltd...............................................................................13
Hammond Drysuits........................................................................................9
MiX Telematics Europe ...............................................................................66
SHB Hire.......................................................................................................66
British Red Cross ......................................................................14, 32, 51, 53
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.........................................................31
National Air Ambulance Conference.........................................................18
Solarbright Limited......................................................................................94
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service................................................6
Health and Safety Executive.......................................................................96
National Ambulance Resilience Unit ...........................................................3
South East Coast Ambulance Service...................................................6, 39
Bull Products................................................................................................94
Health and Safety Laboratory.....................................................................96
National Association of Police Fleet Managers........................................45
South Western Ambulance Service...........................................................18
Cabinet Office..............................................................................3, 26, 51, 59
HM Coastguard............................................................................................13
National Police Chiefs' Council ..................................................................45
South Yorkshire Police...................................................................................4
Capital Air Charter..........................................................................................6
HM Treasury.................................................................................................31
National Police Coordination Centre.........................................................45
Southport Offshore Rescue Trust ................................................................9
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service ..............................................4, 6, 25, 37
Holmatro.......................................................................................................74
NCEC (Part of Ricardo) ..............................................................................60
SP Services ..................................................................................................53
Chief Fire Officers' Association...................................22, 25, 37, 39, 60, 90
Home Office...........................................................................................18, 63
New Local Government Network (NLGN) ...............................................22
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service......................................................21
Civil Contingencies Secretariat..................................................3, 26, 51, 59
Hospital Aids ................................................................................................66
NHS England ...........................................................................................4, 25
Surrey Police................................................................................................66
College of Policing ......................................................................3, 11, 37, 45
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service...................................................9, 22
North East Urgent Care Network.................................................................4
Telecare Services Association ......................................................................6
The Community Heartbeat Trust............................................................6, 17
Humberside Police ........................................................................................4
North West Ambulance Service.......................................................9, 22, 39
Terberg DTS .................................................................................................48
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service ..................4, 40
Ilasco Limited ...............................................................................................78
Northamptonshire Police............................................................................39
TEXPORT.....................................................................................................67
CrowdControlHQ...........................................................................................6
Independent Police Complaints Committee ............................................66
NSI Group.....................................................................................................42
TFT..........................................................................................................48, 49
Danish Ambulance Service ........................................................................92
Institution of Engineering and Technology................................................86
NXP Semiconductors .................................................................................82
Tracerco........................................................................................................94
Department for Communities and Local Government ........................4, 31
Institution of Fire Engineers........................................................................31
ORAFOL Europe GmbH.............................................................................54
TVS Ltd (Tactical Ventilation Solutions).....................................................68
Department for Transport ...........................................................................13
International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies .............32
Oughtred & Harrison (O&H).........................................................................6
UK Disaster Victim Identification................................................................45
Department of Health .................................................................................18
ISC.................................................................................................................70
Packexe Ltd ..................................................................................................54
Unifire ...........................................................................................................68
Derbyshire Constabulary...............................................................................4
ISG.............................................................................................................6, 68
PatrolStore ...................................................................................................42
University of Central Lancashire ................................................................40
Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service .....................................................4, 39
IST Group .....................................................................................................68
Peugeot.......................................................................................................4, 6
Vauxhall ...........................................................................................................4
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service........................................40
JESIP..........................................................................................26, 31, 59, 73
Pickup Systems Limited .............................................................................73
Voluntary Civil Protection............................................................................51
DHL Supply Chain Ltd.................................................................................89
Keela International.......................................................................................78
POK...............................................................................................................68
Welsh Ambulance Service..........................................................................39
Dräger.....................................................................................................39, 64
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service............................................................9
Police National CBRN Centre ....................................................................63
West Midlands Ambulance Service.....................................................21, 73
Dublin Fire Brigade......................................................................................67
Land Rover ...................................................................................................32
Police National Search Centre ...................................................................37
West Midlands Fire Service..................................................................25, 73
Dyfed-Powys Police.......................................................................................4
Le Maitre Ltd ................................................................................................94
Police Scotland......................................................................................40, 45
West Midlands Police ..................................................................................73
East of England Ambulance Service .........................................................40
Leader...........................................................................................................48
Practical Creative Solutions (PCS)............................................................81
West Yorkshire Police ....................................................................................4
EasyCabin.....................................................................................................94
Life Connections 2015................................................................................18
The Purple Company ..................................................................................78
Xplore Technologies Corp ..........................................................................92
Emergency Fire and Safety Limited....................................................18, 77
Local Government Association ..................................................................60
RAF ...............................................................................................................70
Xtreme Sales................................................................................................80
Emergency Planning College.......................................................................3
London Ambulance Service .......................................................................77
Rapid Response Rescue Services.............................................................80
Yamaha Motors UK......................................................................................74
Emergency Response Driver Training Ltd ................................................69
London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority .......................................9
Realsafe Technologies ................................................................................92
Yorkshire Ambulance Service ................................................................6, 40
Company Name
Company Name
Company Name
Advertisers Company Name
Page No
Page No
Page No
Page No
Auto Electrical Services ..............................................................................87
Emergency Fire & Safety Ltd......................................................................61
MiX Telematics Europe Ltd.........................................................................47
Securitas.......................................................................................................62
Alternative Venues North West.....................................................................5
EP Barrus .....................................................................................................72
NCEC (part of Ricardo)...............................................................................95
SHB Hire Ltd ................................................................................................76
Antares TDC.................................................................................................50
Excelerate Technology Ltd..........................................................OFC, 34-36
NHS Confederation.....................................................................................43
Sierra Wireless.............................................................................................83
APB Mobile Installations Ltd.......................................................................75
Ferno (UK) Ltd.............................................................................................55
OnStar...........................................................................................................52
Argo Vehicles ...............................................................................................38
Flamepro (UK) Ltd ......................................................................................65
Orafol Europe GmbH ..................................................................................84
Armadillo Merino® .......................................................................................75
FLIR...............................................................................................................30
Ortus Technology Ltd ..................................................................................10
Ambulance Service Institute.......................................................................95
Fourth Element TCS....................................................................................15
Orvecare.......................................................................................................76
Ballyclare Limited ........................................................................................88
G7SME Ltd...................................................................................................90
Paraid Medical..............................................................................................16
Beechwood Equipment Limited ................................................................75
Getac UK ......................................................................................................52
PatrolStore......................................................................................................8
TVS Ltd – Tactical Ventilation Systems......................................................87
Bennett Safetywear Ltd ..............................................................................87
Godiva...........................................................................................................47
Peli Products (UK) Ltd ................................................................................12
Terberg DTS .................................................................................................48
Bluelight Roadcraft Driver Training............................................................58
Goliath Footwear (YDS Boots) ..................................................................88
Personal Support Aviation Ltd....................................................................93
Terrafix Limited ............................................................................................19
BOC Healthcare...........................................................................................23
Haagen .........................................................................................................24
Physio-Control UK Sales Ltd......................................................................16
TEXPORT.....................................................................................................67
Bristol Uniforms Ltd.....................................................................................20
Haix® Group .................................................................................................69
Plas Menai ....................................................................................................58
Transvend Limited .......................................................................................38
British Red Cross .........................................................................................58
Helyx SIS Ltd................................................................................................71
Premier Hazard Ltd .....................................................................................27
BMW Group................................................................................................IFC
Holmatro UK Ltd..........................................................................................50
Primetech (UK) Ltd ...................................................................................IBC
TyTek Medical Inc.........................................................................................27
Camping Travel Store..................................................................................95
Interspiro Ltd ................................................................................................84
Quiss Technology Plc ..................................................................................52
Capita PIP.....................................................................................................24
ISC Ltd ..........................................................................................................30
Ram Mount UK Ltd......................................................................................71
Cold Cut Systems AB ..................................................................................79
Jolly Safety Ltd .............................................................................................62
Rapid Response Rescue Services.............................................................23
Crofton Engineering Ltd .............................................................................81
Ledco Ltd – LED Lenser .............................................................................43
Red One Limited..........................................................................................50
DMS Technologies ......................................................................................72
Le Maitre Ltd ................................................................................................79
Resilience Direct..........................................................................................43
Xtreme Sales................................................................................................79
Dräger UK ....................................................................................................41
Lyon Equipment Limited ...............................................................................7
RSG Engineering.........................................................................................38
YPO...............................................................................................................27
DuPont..........................................................................................................15
Manx Telecom..............................................................................................93
Ruth Lee Ltd.................................................................................................76
Zodiac Milpro UK Ltd...................................................................................91
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SP Services (UK) Ltd ..............................................................................OBC Strongs Plastic Products Ltd ......................................................................44 Stryker...........................................................................................................91 Supacat Limited...........................................................................................72
VectorCommand .........................................................................................56 Vimpex Ltd....................................................................................................20 WH Bence Coachworks Ltd .......................................................................29 Woodway Engineering Ltd..........................................................................44
October2015
ESTCOMMENT | 3
ISSN 1472-1090 Date: October 2015 Editor: David J. Holden MEng(Hons) Twitter: @999editor davidholden@brodenmedia.com Advertisement Manager: David Brown davidbrown@brodenmedia.com Advertisement Sales: Carol Fox carolfox@brodenmedia.com Office & Events Manager: Lesley Stevenson lesleystevenson@brodenmedia.com Marketing Manager: Emma Nicholls emmanicholls@brodenmedia.com Circulation: Christine Knoll admin@hpcpublishing.com Joint Managing Directors: David Brown David Holden Published by
Robert Denholm House, Bletchingley Road Nutfield, Surrey RH1 4HW Tel: 01737 824010 Fax: 01737 824011 e-mail: davidbrown@brodenmedia.com www: brodenmedia.com Distribution: EMERGENCY SERVICES TIMES is free of charge to officers and managers who are buyers or specifiers actively involved in the procurement of equipment or services within the emergency response industry and based in the UK and Irish Republic. All other categories of reader are invited to subscribe at £130.00 to UK addresses and £165.00 overseas. Single copy price £25.00 including post and packing. The articles within Emergency Services Times are copyright and are the property of the publisher Broden Media Limited and cannot be reproduced in any media form without permission of the publisher. Application should be made in writing. Reprints of articles and advertisements are available, allow 28 days for delivery. PDF pages are available by email at £20.00 (+VAT) per page (€32.50, $33). Prices on application to the publisher. Printed by Manor Creative Tel: 01323 514400 Studio work by Friskywhiska Design Tel: 01947 811333 Mobile: 07976 917411 charlotte@friskywhiska.co.uk
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Collaborative training for multi-agency coordination Words: Dr Robert MacFarlane, Assistant Director (UK Resilience Training and Doctrine), Civil Contingencies Secretariat, Cabinet Office. It is now more than 10 years since the passage of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) placed statutory duties on emergency responders, including the fundamental requirement to cooperate. Much has been achieved in those 10 years, but persistent challenges endure. The Pollock Report (2013)1 reviewed experience of major incidents over a 24-year period and predominant among the findings were persistent confusion over roles and responsibilities in responding to major incidents, the absence of a common system for inter-agency communication and the often frustrated need to quickly share information between parties. We recognise these of course as symptoms of weak interoperability, a term that has entered the mainstream in recent years. Effecting change
The JESIP programme (now Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles) has not been the first national interoperability initiative, but it has effected change out of proportion to its predecessors and its resources. The support of both senior politicians and emergency services’ principals has been pivotal in this, but clear doctrine, good administration and effective joint training has seen it become embedded at all levels. In the UK we benefit from having sector-specific and multi-agency training institutions of the highest calibre, and the College of Policing, EPC (Emergency Planning College), Fire Service College (FSC) and National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU) all committed to promulgate JESIP principles and guidance. From its inception, the focus of JESIP has been the blue light emergency services, the on, or close to scene levels of command and the first hour of a major incident. This remains the prime focus, but all involved are keen to realise wider interoperability gains wherever possible, drawing
in the full range of emergency responders, and higher levels in the command, control and coordination arrangements. Given the centrality of training in achieving higher levels of interoperability we now are exploring the degree to which the colleges and training establishments named here can themselves collaborate to specify, scope, design and deliver training that has multiagency performance at its core. There are established precedents in the field, notably the Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC) course that is led by the College of Policing and co-delivered with FSC and NARU. The EPC has no single-agency affiliations and exists to deliver multi-agency training. Each of these institutions has different expertise and variable associations with different emergency responders. Following the principle that is core to interoperability, that we can be better informed, do more with finite resources, manage risk better and achieve a greater effect through working together, the College of Policing, EPC, FSC and NARU are at the early stages of a collaborative initiative to scope, design and deliver joint training for Strategic Coordinating Groups (SCGs). Exciting and welcoming
The performance of SCGs is critical in major incidents and wide-area emergencies, but they face an inherently demanding task. They are activated under circumstances that tend to be high-risk, uncommon, novel in some respects, ambiguous and subject to close scrutiny. Additionally, the participants are diverse in their culture and organisational objectives, sometimes unfamiliar with each other and have different sets of experiences and resources at their disposal. SCG performance is self-evidently an interoperability challenge, and the colleges’ commitment to work together in pursuit of this is an exciting and welcome initiative.
www.epcresilience.com Ref: 1 www.epcresilience.com/EPC/media/Images/ Knowledge%20Centre/Occasionals/Occ6-Paper-v2.pdf
October2015
14 | ESTNEWS
British Red Cross responds to Tunisia terrorist attack The world’s attention turned to Tunisia on 26 June, when a gunman opened fire on tourists staying in a popular beach resort in Sousse. The news caused anxiety in the UK straight away; it was well known that many of the holidaymakers in the area were likely to be British. We now know that in terms of UK nationals affected, the attack would turn out to be the deadliest terrorist attack since the London bombings in 2005. When disasters strike overseas, be it an earthquake or a terrorist attack, emergency responders back in the UK have a number of priorities. British nationals who have been directly and indirectly affected need to be identified, repatriations may need to be arranged and people with relatives and friends in the affected country are likely to be worried and seeking information. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has overall responsibility for providing consular assistance to British nationals who are overseas. For the past 10 years, the British Red Cross has provided additional support in disasters, primarily those involving multiple casualties, in the form of a team of psychosocial support volunteers who are able to provide practical and emotional support to people in times of crisis.
Years of experience The Red Cross psychosocial support team (PST) is on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is made up of a roster of volunteers who have professional experience of supporting people in difficult and sometimes traumatic situations. Some work full time as counsellors, others draw on skills from previous careers as nurses or social workers. The PST is always deployed at the request of the FCO and draws on years of experience, having been present at some of the most harrowing events in recent history, from the Westgate mall massacre in Kenya to the Nepal earthquake earlier this year. The PST embeds within the FCO’s rapid deployment unit, which is generally one of the first responders for British people affected by an emergency overseas and is responsible for identifying British nationals and assessing what assistance they might need.
“The aim is to give people the emotional support they need and help them to understand what has happened to them so as to help them come to terms with it.” Deploying to Tunisia Within hours of news of the attack breaking, the decision was taken to deploy the PST to Tunisia. Although not all details were clear at this stage, it was known that there were several UK nationals among the
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A British Red Cross telephone support line volunteer. Photo: Matthew Percival/British Red Cross.
38 people confirmed dead and many more injured. In line with a contractual agreement with the FCO, which requires volunteers to be at an airport within six hours of a call, two Red Cross volunteers were at the Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel less than 24 hours after the killings, where British consulate staff had arrived the night before. As the scale of the tragedy unfolded and a number of family members of relatives who had been injured or killed in the attacks decided to travel to Tunisia, the decision was quickly taken to deploy two more PST volunteers. The PST does not offer counselling or formal psychological therapy, which is believed to be inappropriate in the immediate aftermath of trauma. Instead, the team is on hand to listen to concerns and offer support if needed, while allowing space and time for people to draw on their natural resilience. Upon arrival in Tunisia, the team found a number of survivors who, having been close witnesses to the attack and in some cases injured, bereaved or witnesses to the deaths of others, felt they were almost out of control with anguish, fear and general upset. Much of the Red Cross’s role was to listen to people and reassure them that this was very much the reaction that any person would have to something that was so sudden, unexpected and devastating, according to PST team leader Chris Beck, who normally works for the British Red Cross as an Operations Director. “There were some people who had been awake since it happened. They didn’t want to shut their eyes because of the pictures that would flash before them. They would start reliving seeing the gunman, seeing people being shot, seeing people injured, so they were keeping themselves awake, which meant they were sleepdeprived as well as emotionally distressed,” said Beck. Others who had witnessed the attack were so
traumatised that they didn’t want to leave their hotel rooms afterwards due to fears for their safety, despite also wanting to return home.
Minimise distress In situations like this, the PST try to minimise distress by listening to people who want to discuss their anxieties and provide reassurance that they are experiencing normal reactions to an abnormal situation. This isn’t always delivered through structured sessions, but can take the form of practical support. In Tunisia, for example, the PST made numerous visits to injured UK nationals who were recovering in hospital and to the site of the attack to accompany relatives to lay flowers. The team also escorted a number of survivors to the airport and even back to the UK. The aim is to give people the emotional support they need and help them to understand what has happened to them so as to help them come to terms with it.
10 years of working together The PST’s deployment to Tunisia came shortly after the British Red Cross and FCO marked 10 years of working together in disasters overseas, the first time following the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, and is one of over 50 deployments that have taken place since. In terms of scale, it was one of the largest deployments and saw the Red Cross provide further support back in the UK. This included setting up a dedicated telephone line in order to provide additional support and advice to anyone, regardless of whether or not they were directly impacted, who had concerns in wake of the attack. The Red Cross was also asked to provide psychosocial support volunteers at Brize Norton as the bodies of victims of the attack were repatriated over four days.
www.redcross.org.uk October2015
ESTCOLLABORATION | 21
Joint working ensures safe resolution to Alton Towers incident On 2 June Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service dealt with a complex rescue still attracting national attention several weeks on. At 2.41pm the emergency services switchboard alerted Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control to an incident on The Smiler ride at Alton Towers. Five pumps, a rescue tender, an aerial ladder platform and a rope rescue team were immediately mobilised. West Midlands Ambulance Service was already on site. On arrival crews were faced with two carriages that had collided on the ride, one carriage was empty while the other contained 16 guests. The carriages were suspended within a dip at a 45 degree angle, approximately seven to eight metres from the ground. There were four serious casualties located at the front of the carriage and a further 12 passengers in the rows behind. Alton Towers engineers had already erected a platform to the ride allowing full access to the passengers for initial treatment and to support the evacuation procedure. The JESIP model of response was employed and a silver command point was set up in addition to the rescue zone. Working very closely with the Alton Towers team, briefings in both areas took place every 30 minutes with responders discussing their actions and rationale.
Very delicate operation Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service Station Manager Dale Harrison was the officer in charge of the incident. He said, “Our priority was to ensure that we did not cause any further injuries to the casualties involved and this meant that we had to carry out a very delicate operation, in a controlled environment, alongside the first responders from Alton Towers and the paramedics and doctors from West Midlands Ambulance Service. “The footplate and hand barrier had collapsed inwards on those sitting in the front carriage and so our job was to cut these free in order to release them. We had firefighters harnessed in working at height gear and they used hydraulic rescue equipment to cut the casualties free. This was a lengthy procedure because, on advice of the doctors, we were unable to release the pressure on the casualties too quickly for fear of worsening their conditions.”
“The extrication of the four serious casualties in the front carriage took approximately four and a half hours.” While the extrication was taking place one firefighter was tasked with finding out the mechanics of the carriages to find out the best way to release the chest harness. Alton Towers’ engineers demonstrated how to best achieve this using a dummy carriage. This showed that by releasing a control ‘fly’ lead connected to the rear
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of the carriage casualties could then be individually released to ensure the safety of the others still on the ride. The extrication of the four serious casualties in the front carriage took approximately four and a half hours. During this time the other 12 passengers remained in situ and received support and care from paramedics and Alton Towers first responders throughout.
Minimising risk Dale continued, “The reason we didn’t release the other people straight away was because we didn’t know if moving them would cause the carriage to move, potentially causing further injury to the most serious casualties – it wasn’t a risk we were willing to take. Fortunately the remaining passengers were extremely patient and understanding considering the circumstances.” Of the most serious casualties one was stretchered onto the aerial ladder platform and transported to ground level. The others were put on flexible stretchers and moved across to the platform erected by Alton Towers’ staff. From there level 3 rope rescue firefighters lowered the casualties to the floor, which was below ground level, for further assessment by paramedics before Alton Towers’ rope rescue team then raised the casualties up to ground level for transportation to hospital. The remaining 12 passengers were freed from the carriage and each was harnessed individually and lowered to the floor by the rope rescue team. From there approximately half were raised back up to ground level using the park rope rescue team while the other half chose to use a ladder. All remained harnessed throughout.
Reflecting on the incident, Dale said, “On arrival I briefed the crews and said this will be the most technical rescue you will carry out in your career and I think it’d be fair to say I was right. So many factors such as the confined working environment, the injuries of the casualties, how the carriage was suspended and the fact that although we were below ground level we were also working at height, all contributed to this being an extremely complex incident.”
Joint working Director of Prevent and Protect Dean Stevens, who was also at the incident, said, “We regularly train and exercise for all types of incidents with both our colleagues in the emergency services, as well as the team at Alton Towers, and these skills were fully utilised. The professionalism and the joint working between all agencies and the Park was outstanding and ensured the safe resolution of this very tragic accident.” All 33 firefighters involved from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have now been put forward for Chief Fire Officer Commendations.
www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services will be speaking in the Training Seminar Theatre at The Emergency Services Show 2015 on 23 September at 2.15pm. Officers will provide an overview of the multi-agency response to the Alton Towers incident providing an understanding of the key issues faced and the subsequent learning for all responding organisations. For more information visit www.emergencyuk.com
October2015
32 | ESTCOMPANY PROFILE
Six decades of the Defender and the Red Cross around the world For over 60 years, the Land Rover Defender has been one of the vehicles used by the British Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies around the world. This article highlights just a few examples of how the Defender has been used for emergency relief following natural disasters and to support humanitarian projects across the world. 1980s and 1990s Land Rovers continued to be used to distribute aid and reach vulnerable people in crisis. Defenders were sent to Sudan in 1984, to help distribute aid following the disastrous drought and famine that left eight million people at risk from starvation.
2000s
In 2008, Land Rover donated 60 vehicles, including Defenders, to the British Red Cross on the occasion of the company’s 60th birthday. The vehicles were formally handed over at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Photo: Jonathan Banks
1950s Land Rover donated a long wheelbase Defender Series 1 to the British Red Cross in 1954, for use in Dubai – part of the Trucial States. This was modified for use as a mobile dispensary with a stretcher, water and washing facilities. It was used as a base for treating over 5000 patients in Dubai and the surrounding desert areas, travelling more than 17,000 miles in under nine months. That same year saw Defenders being adapted and used elsewhere as mobile dispensaries. In Kenya and Korea, their role was to visit outlying, remote villages, enabling staff and volunteers to run clinics, distribute milk and provide health education. The British Red Cross annual report for 1954 noted the observations of aid worker Joan Wittington – later to be recognised with an OBE – as she travelled across Kenya in a Defender. It reports, ‘Many of the villages are 9000ft up. I went to several of them, travelling in a Land Rover … the Red Cross team have a Land Rover and visit each village several times a week, running clinics, organising milk distribution and giving health teaching and handcraft instructions to the women and girls …”
1960s Land Rover Defenders were adapted to act as ambulances and transport medical supplies and people to hospitals in Angola and South Africa. In 1961, the British Red Cross reported that, “The ambulance arrived safely in Durban, South Africa. From there it was driven up the spectacular Sani Pass, which is only negotiable by four-wheel drive vehicles and over the Drakensberg mountain range where the jeep track reaches a height of over 10,000ft. The shining white ambulance with its Red Cross markings … was to play
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such an important part in helping to save the lives of their sick and injured. No longer would they have to endure the agonising journey on horseback to the hospital in Mokhotlong village, many miles away.”
1970s Land Rover Defenders transported relief aid in emergencies and natural disasters in places as far afield as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Turkey, the British Virgin Islands and Nigeria. In the Biafran conflict in Nigeria, Defenders enabled aid workers to distribute food and milk to communities in remote areas. On the other side of the world, Defenders were used following Hurricane Fifi in late 1974, the catastrophic cyclone that killed thousands of people in Honduras. The hurricane caused widespread flash flooding, landslides and damage that left many people homeless. When thousands of people were made homeless in earthquakes in Turkey in 1976, a Land Rover Station Wagon and a Land Rover pick-up van were sent to help transport supplies of tents and other relief aid. The British Red Cross sent two consignments of winter coats, sleeping bags and tents, to help the 60,000 people made homeless by the ‘quakes. Two years later, the British Red Cross airlifted vehicles to help the huge relief effort for refugees, displaced by years of fighting in Ethiopia. In response to an appeal for help from the Ethiopian Red Cross, the British Red Cross airlifted four Land Rover Defenders to the area together with three tonnes of medicines donated by the Red Cross in the Federal Republic of Germany. Land Rovers were used elsewhere for community support programmes.
Vehicles continued to be used in UK and international operations. The relationship between Land Rover and the International Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) started to move to a formal footing, and 2007 saw the first phase of a partnership with Land Rover raising over £2.5m and helping the IFRC reach nearly 100,000 people around the world. In 2008, Land Rover donated 60 vehicles, including Defenders, to the British Red Cross on the occasion of the company’s 60th birthday. The vehicles were formally handed over at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Half the fleet remained in the UK, while the other 30 were shipped overseas to Liberia, Lesotho, Mongolia and Sierra Leone. Eight Land Rover 4x4 vehicles were donated to the Sierra Leone Red Cross (SLRC) to help volunteers reach people in remote and vulnerable communities to recover from the trauma of civil war, and provide counselling, basic education, vocational training and help them reintegrate into their communities. As road conditions across the country were poor, the SLRCS had struggled to reach vulnerable people until the Land Rovers arrived.
Eight Land Rover 4x4 vehicles were donated to the Sierra Leone Red Cross (SLRC).
October2015
ESTCOMPANY PROFILE | 33 Other Defenders were also sent to Kyrgyzstan where the Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent Society used them to reach the elderly, disadvantaged, children and young people, vulnerable women and migrants, and people living with HIV and TB. A combination of economic collapse, high rates of poverty, and mountainous, frequently inaccessible terrain at high risk of earthquakes, avalanches and landslides meant that reliable transportation for volunteers on the health and social care programmes was essential. The Defender was put to daily use, both in the capital Bishkek and throughout the country, and was frequently called on at short notice to respond to natural disasters in the region, allowing the disaster team to reach remote areas without accessible roads or snow passes. In Mongolia, the Red Cross used Land Rover Defenders for its health and social care programmes, including a social inclusion programme for isolated and vulnerable people. With its extreme climate, vast steppes and fragile soil, Mongolia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The Mongolian Red Cross is often reliant on 4x4 vehicles to access vulnerable people in rural communities cut off by significant snowfall, earthquakes and floods. With Land Rover’s support, the British Red Cross was able to support a Mongolian Red Cross project called Social Care for Vulnerable and Elderly, which helps with household and personal chores and bringing food and medicines in Ulaan Baatar. From disaster relief in Turks & Caicos following Hurricane Ike in 2008 to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and severe flooding in Pakistan in 2011, Defenders have continued to play their part in ensuring that volunteers could provide essential relief in large-scale emergencies and natural disasters.
The Defender continues to be used by the British Red Cross.
In 2013, the partnership was extended for a further five years with an ambitious new target of providing £15m-worth of support to some of the most vulnerable people around the world. The projects fall into three distinct areas aligned to Land Rover’s CSR strategy: health and social care; water and sanitation; and helping communities develop a resilience to cope with potential disasters and crises.
Today The Defender continues to be used by the British Red Cross all year round as part of its fleet of vehicles
stationed around the UK, which are ready to help in an emergency, reach people in crisis living in isolated areas, or in periods of bad weather such as heavy snow and flooding. The vehicle also continues to be used overseas – in South Africa, Rwanda and Sudan, for example, where Defenders are used at projects such as a water and sanitation installation in Sennar State – one of many funded by the company.
www.redcross.org.uk For further information please contact Penny Clifton: Pclifton@redcross.org.uk
‘Defender 2,000,000’ set for auction Bad winter weather in the UK in 2010 saw Defenders well used across the country to reach vulnerable and isolated people.
2010s Bad winter weather in the UK in 2010 saw Defenders well used across the country to reach vulnerable and isolated people. Additional vehicles were loaned by Land Rover for use in Cumbria. Staff and volunteers used specially adapted Red Cross four-wheel drive Land Rovers and ambulances to support the ambulance service in the East Midlands and in Hampshire where they reached 1000 drivers stranded overnight on the snow-bound A3. 2010 was also the start of a new global CSR initiative, Reaching Vulnerable People Around the World, between Land Rover and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This involved Land Rover supporting projects with financial assistance and vehicles provided to a hygiene and sanitation project in South Sudan (via the Austrian Red Cross) plus funding and employee volunteering to support the Portuguese Red Cross’ health and social care work. As a result Land Rover won the award for best long-term partnership at the Third Sector Business Charity Awards 2011.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
A unique vehicle has been built to commemorate the UK production of the two-millionth Series Land Rover and Defender. With a bespoke design, ‘Defender 2,000,000’ has been created to be a fitting tribute to almost seven decades of Land Rover production in the Solihull plant, UK. Collectors and Defender fans will be given the opportunity to own this unique piece of Land Rover’s history when it is auctioned by renowned auction house, Bonhams. The vehicle will be auctioned at a Mike Adamson, CEO of British Red Cross, helping to fix a part of prestigious charity event, held at the Bonhams auction the two-millionth Defender. house in New Bond Street, London on 16 December. Reflecting Defender’s heritage, all proceeds will be donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners – the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation. Production of the original Land Rover Series I began at the famous Lode Lane facility in 1947 ahead of its launch at the Amsterdam Motor Show on 30 April 1948. Since then two million examples of the Series I, II III and Defender have been produced at Solihull. www.jaguarlandrover.com
October2015
48 | ESTADVERTORIAL
Terberg launches new multi-service vehicle Telstar at ESS2015 The focal point of the Terberg Fire and Rescue stand at this year’s Emergency Services Show (ESS2015) will be the launch of the latest vehicle within the company’s extensive range of proven fire vehicles, known as Telstar (Terberg Emergency Life-saving Support Tactical Ancillary Rescue). Uniquely designed to provide both fire service and first co-response ambulance support, Telstar provides a safe haven for emergency services, giving an effective response to the increasing number of callouts requiring combined fire and ambulance response. In support of this new product launch, Terberg will also be displaying a range of new fire support products from leading brands exclusively supplied through the company’s Fire and Rescue Division, including the TFT Impulse branch with a trigger valve system, new battery powered PPV fans from Leader, as well as new FLIR thermal imaging cameras and the Meiko SCBA washing systems. Announcing details of the company’s display at the show, Alisdair Couper, Managing Director, Terberg DTS, said, “At Terberg, we have developed a reputation for providing the emergency services with a one-stop shop for both fire vehicles and fire fighting equipment. The new product line up at ESS is testament to the ongoing development of our 2015 portfolio of products, with the continuous development of exciting, innovative new equipment for the industry.”
New fire vehicle from Terberg Making its first ever appearance is Telstar, which is based on an extra-long wheelbase Mercedes Sprinter five-tonne chassis and combines a specialist Terberg designed collaborative body with joint fire fighting and paramedic first response equipment. Telstar is designed to be based at local fire stations and meets the eight-minute target response. At the rear of the truck is a fully compliant ambulance compartment, manufactured to full ambulance regulations with easy operator access. This section of
Uniquely designed to provide both fire service and first co-response ambulance support, Telstar provides a safe haven for emergency services, giving an effective response to the increasing number of callouts requiring combined fire and ambulance response.
the vehicle houses self-loading stretchers and all medical support requirements. The middle compartment houses the fire fighting equipment, including an Hale HPX75 pump, a 60m hose reel and 500-litres of water, together with full
breathing apparatus and cutting equipment for rapid entry. Telstar is designed to carry four crew, if required. Other configurations of Telstar can be designed to meet with individual fire and rescue service requirements. “By using this collaborative approach, Telstar can save fire brigades a significant amount of money in comparison to the equivalent new fire engine, as well as providing full first response ambulance support. The first Telstar is now in service with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue on evaluation,” said Alisdair Couper.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
October2015
ESTADVERTORIAL | 49
New fire fighting equipment from Terberg As part of the extended range of fire and rescue service equipment seen for the first time on the Terberg stand at ESS, will be the new TFT Impulse branch with a trigger valve system. This system can be integrated into many of TFT’s highest performing fire fighting branches as an option, providing complete branch operator flow control with only a single hand, allowing the other hand to consistently control stream pattern selection.
The new TFT Impulse branch with a trigger valve system.
The Impulse trigger controller operates smoothly and easily throughout the branches’ rated flow and pressure range and offers the ability to hold multiple valve positions at the operator’s discretion.
“The new product line up at ESS is testament to the ongoing development of our 2015 portfolio of products, with the continuous development of exciting, innovative new equipment for the industry.”
SCBA washing unit Completing the new product demonstrations on the stand will be details of the arrangement between Terberg and Meiko who have partnered together to provide the first fire and recue service automatic SCBA washing unit as well as the Top Clean range for washing masks, respirators and disinfectants. “ESS will be an exciting event for Terberg as it will provide visitors to our stand with an opportunity to see the latest innovative developments for their operations,” added Alisdair Cooper.
http://terbergfireandrescue.co.uk Further information about the full range of Terberg fire vehicles and fire equipment can be obtained by visiting the website on http://terbergfireandrescue.co.uk
Thermal imaging cameras Also on display will be the ground breaking FLIR K2 and K65 thermal imaging cameras for firefighters, that are rugged, reliable and extremely economical cameras specifically designed for fire fighting applications and severe conditions. FLIR’s new NFPAapproved K65 allows firefighters to see more clearly in the harshest environments, manoeuvre more strategically, stay better oriented, and find victims faster. Continuing with the new product theme, Terberg Fire and Rescue will also be demonstrating the new complete range of battery powered PPV fans from Leader that use the Easy Pow’Air technology, developed by Leader. Terberg Fire and Rescue will be demonstrating the new complete range of battery powered PPV fans from Leader.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
The FLIR K2 thermal imaging camera.
October2015
82 | ESTINNOVATION
Transforming emergency services in a smarter world By 2020, the Internet of Things (IoT) will connect more than 26 billion devices1 – a revolution that will transform the lives of millions around the world. One of the key priorities for governments will be the creation of smart, connected cities that offer a rich tapestry of innovative connected services – enriching healthcare and public services, lowering government cost structures, and making life simpler and safer for citizens. Semiconductors will play a big part in transforming emergency services and healthcare solutions in a simple, secure, safe and convenient way for a smarter world. Words: Lars Reger, CTO Automotive, NXP Semiconductors. Improving how effectively and efficiently vital services, such as medical care and emergency services, function and respond is a critical differentiator in the Smart City. In a city with an intelligently connected infrastructure, the function of vital care and emergency services is dramatically enhanced, giving citizens better access to seamless, efficient and effective services where and when they are needed. Medical care will be revolutionised as a proliferation of machine-to-machine (M2M) devices transform existing, and provide new services to patients in-hospital and at home. Response times for emergency services will be slashed thanks to Vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication. Police services will have enhanced access to, and capability to share, critical information thanks to NFC (near field communication). And all while new applications of connected technologies drive government savings that can be reinvested in programmes to better serve the community.
Accelerate emergency services The aim of all emergency response units, whether fire and rescue, police or medical, is to reach their destination as quickly as possible – every second counts for a critical injury or violent crime. In the UK, ambulances have a mandatory target of reaching the scene of an emergency within eight minutes in 75 percent of cases. However, currently emergency services frequently miss their targets as ambulances navigate roads where drivers are unable to see flashing lights or hear sirens, and fail to move to the side of the road. Lack of visibility, an inability to hear sirens, driver inattention and road space limitations can add precious minutes to time critical journeys – risking potentially devastating consequences for people requiring care.
“The ability of a Smart City to provide faster routes for emergency vehicles will revolutionise the emergency services.” In the future, emergency services vehicles will use V2X technology to communicate with their surrounding infrastructure, including traffic lights and other vehicles on the road. V2X will allow secure, real-time messages to be sent to traffic lights enroute, safely switching traffic lights to green and opening a clear route for the
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emergency services vehicle. The technology will also send a secure message to other cars enroute, notifying drivers of an approaching emergency services vehicle before they can physically hear a siren or see flashing lights. In future Smart Cities, emergency services vehicles will also have access to live data on traffic flow, allowing better route planning. Drivers will have visibility into road obstructions or areas of heavy traffic – enabling paramedics, firefighters and police officers to take alternative routes and avoid costly delays. Ultimately, the ability of a Smart City to provide faster routes for emergency vehicles will revolutionise the emergency services – contributing to faster care and ultimately saving lives.
Access vital information securely As well as minimising the time it takes for the emergency services to reach an incident, smart technology will also provide emergency service workers with instant access to vital information while on the road. The police car of the future will be fitted with full connectivity like V2X, telematics and NFC capabilities. Police will be able to quickly and easily transfer case data to and from their mobile device and access the data wherever and whenever they need. Police cars will be fitted with NFC readers, which will automatically authenticate the officer with his smartphone at the car and connect the phone to the police-server in the cloud. This eases quick download/upload of important case files and emails for officers while they work out of the office. At a crime scene, members of the police service will be able to immediately log important evidence, such as photographs or recorded statements, via their mobile device – maintaining a clear and secure chain of evidence. In the smarter world, mobile data can also be logged into the police vehicle and immediately backed up into the cloud – ensuring that evidence can never be misplaced due to a mobile device damaged in a foot pursuit or other incident. When it comes to upgrading public services, cost is a major issue. Perhaps surprisingly, implementing secure, smart systems into police vehicles isn’t costly or time consuming. There is no need to issue lots of newly developed devices to connect police officers to the digital world. They can use their existing smartphones and tablets with secure police apps running on the devices, which will connect via the securely connected police car to the office servers. To equip the police cars one doesn’t need to purchase fleets of new model vehicles equipped with new connectivity technology. Chips can be fitted retrospectively into existing police vehicle fleets, with
Lars Reger, CTO Automotive, NXP Semiconductors
simple and cost effective retrofits predicted to become a popular option as the number of Smart Cities around the world increases.
Smart healthcare – in and out of hospital The smarter world experience doesn’t stop inside the emergency vehicle; this technology can be applied to other scenarios both inside hospitals and when patients return home – creating a seamless experience from incident to treatment through recovery. In Smart Cities, hospitals are adopting wristbands fitted with smart, secure RFID chips that can securely connect to the hospital database with patients’ data. These wristbands can also be used to build an in-door hospital navigation – swiftly directing medical professionals, patients and visitors to the right location. Treatment often doesn’t end at the hospital, and a further period of recovery or recuperation is required at home. A wristband can help detecting the location of a person in a flat, so that a smart home can be programmed to automatically turn off the stove if a patient leaves the kitchen for too long, turn off the bath taps if the bathroom is left for more than five minutes, or monitor movement to identify a fall. It could even go one step further and notify family members if the person hasn’t woken (left bed) by a certain time – all providing reassurance to family members.
Smart Cities are the future Smart Cities are on the cusp of becoming the conventional norm, and connected technology will increasingly be the invisible thread weaving medical care and the emergency services seamlessly into our lives. Innovative applications like NFC and V2X technologies combined with highest level of crypto security will not only decrease the time it takes for emergency services to reach incidents, but they will also improve care in and out of hospital while driving cost efficiency and enabling reinvestment in improved services for citizens.
www.nxp.com Gartner, 2013 – http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2636073 1
October2015
ESTINNOVATION | 89
Met Police announces winner of the National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS) contract On 31 July 2015 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) announced that DHL Supply Chain Ltd had won the competition for the National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS). Paul Butcher, Procurement Director at the MPS, who has been responsible for the procurement, said, “We had a good level of interest from the market and DHL won in the face of some strong competition from the other bidders”. The contract is for up to 10 years and the service is intended to go live from April 2016. The National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS) is a national end-to-end supply chain and logistic solution, which will deliver to customers (both organisations and individuals) a consistent, uninterrupted and on time supply of uniform and equipment. Being an end-to-end service, DHL will not only be responsible for handling orders, returns, recycling and disposal but also the procurement of all uniform and equipment supplied under the NUMS contract as well as providing warehousing and logistic capabilities.
informed decisions regarding rationalisation of the uniform catalogue, which will ultimately drive further cost improvements,” says Paul Butcher. NUMS will reduce the cost of individual customers holding stock and will provide the opportunity for customers to review their corporate real estate footprint to make additional savings. NUMS also has the ability to act as a receptor contract where it represents best value for customers who may require supplementary warehousing and logistic services beyond those required for uniform and equipment items. MPS Assistant Commissioner Helen King, responsible for territorial policing and the MPS’s SRO for the project, said, “With the current financial pressures on policing budgets it is essential UK policing collaborates where appropriate to achieve the maximum value for money for the public and provide maximum protection to front line services. NUMS is the opportunity to do just that with uniform and equipment. It will act as an enabler to standardising specifications across the country and help us ensure that our officers and staff have uniform that is fit for purpose and meets the demands of modern policing.”
National solution While the MPS has led this project and will be the first adopters of the service, NUMS was developed through engagement with forces from England and Wales and has been designed as a national solution. Other customers will be able to on-board from middle of 2016 onwards and, beyond police forces, NUMS is open to law enforcement and other emergency services. Liz Church, the NUMS service lead for the MPS, said, “It has been a great team effort to get to this point but we can’t rest on our laurels as implementation for the MPS as the first adopter begins now, and we know that through DHL, other customers may be on-boarded early on in the contract.”
National strategy NUMS was jointly commissioned by ACPO, the Strategic Police Procurement Board and the Home Office. Three key outcomes were identified: • Simplified contracting landscape and re-alignment of support activities (ie storage and distribution) to reduce cost and improve efficiencies • Increase standardisation and economies of scale to improve affordability while increasing quality • Improving service efficiency and reduce the administration burden on front line officers to access and order uniform.
NUMS impact business rules, automating approvals in a controlled way to save management time,” says Liz Church. NUMS was also identified as a key recommendation within the Home Office’s Collaborative Law Enforcement Programme and will facilitate delivery of the Home Office’s intent for greater collaboration and value for money while being an enabler to standardise specifications, manage demand and providing a national approach to contract management.
Global logistics leader Paul Richardson, Managing Director – Specialist Services, DHL Supply Chain, said, “We are delighted to have been appointed to deliver the NUMS contract. As the global logistics leader, we look forward to providing both innovation and efficiencies in the provision of this exciting new service.”
“Significant opportunities will still exist for suppliers and manufacturers.”
Value for money
“This project is an important demonstration of collaborating successfully,” says Paul Butcher. “We are confident that NUMS and DHL will successfully deliver these benefits and more.” “The IT solution supports the self-service regime we currently operate but will also allow us to roll-out
In addition to the obvious financial benefits relating to reduced unit pricing and shared operating costs resulting from collaboration, NUMS will deliver additional benefits to the MPS and other on-boarded customers. “The management information we will receive will allow us to be an intelligent customer, helping us to effectively manage the demand and make
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NUMS will have an impact and will change how police forces and other potential customers will procure uniform and equipment; it will also have an impact on the market. While DHL has been appointed as the NUMS provider, significant opportunities will still exist for suppliers and manufacturers. Paul Butcher explains, “DHL are vendor neutral. As such they will engage with the appropriate market in a fair and transparent manner when sourcing. This will provide those suppliers who have previously supplied directly to policing with the opportunity to continue to provide product and support the service as a sub-contractor to DHL.”
http://content.met.police.uk
October2015
96 | ESTLAST WORDS
Common causes of BA failure Breathing Apparatus (BA) is often the only line of defence against the many toxic fumes and smoke faced by frontline firefighters. The basic concept of the BA has not changed over the last 20 years but the demands of the job are continually evolving. Can the current BA technology live up to the demands made on it by the modern day firefighter and what are the common causes of BA failure? Words: Nick Baxter, Breathing apparatus specialist, HSL. A common misconception is that BA will provide the wearer with 100 percent protection from the surrounding contamination. However, BA only provides a ‘buffer’, and if this fails, the consequences can potentially be fatal. So what lessons can we learn when BA does fail, to reduce the likelihood of it happening again? Careful independent investigation of the root cause of BA failure is one of the many services that the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) can provide to the fire fighting community, as well as recommendations on how to improve work procedures and maintenance regimes. Recent investigations carried out by HSL for the fire and rescue service have included cylinder valve failures, BA hose kinking, burst BA hoses and BA moisture ingress. HSL is also involved in HSE investigated firefighter fatalities.
Water, water everywhere In one investigation, it was reported that a BA failed to supply air to the wearer. On examination almost a cup full of water was found inside the cylinder and the water content of the cylinder air was more than four times above the maximum limit specified in the European air quality standard. As a result of the high levels of water present in the BA many internal components were heavily corroded. The presence of the water and the corrosion disrupted the air supply to the wearer. Another common issue HSL has found with BA has been internal freezing of the pneumatics leading to inconsistent pressure gauge readings and also failure to supply air to the wearer. In some cases the cause has been linked to moisture inside the BA freezing under the cold temperatures created in the pressure reducer during use.
“Recent investigations carried out by HSL for the fire and rescue service have included cylinder valve failures, BA hose kinking, burst BA hoses and BA moisture ingress.” Both of the above examples relate to excessive moisture levels inside the BA – but how the moisture gets inside the BA is not always clear. In some cases, this can simply be attributed to poor compressor maintenance leading to increased moisture content
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within the air and in other cases it can be down to poor BA cleaning / drying procedures. However, in other cases, these factors have been discounted and there has been no obvious explanation. A number of hypotheses have been drawn and funding for further research to get to the root cause is being explored.
“HSL will be holding a fire and rescue services open day on 17 November 2015.” There’s a hole in my BA set! HSL has investigated BA cylinder valves, which were leaking air through the hand wheel mechanism both while in a static position and while being operated. On examination of a number of cylinder valves, the leaks were attributed to irregularities in the dimensions and quality of the internal sealing O-rings. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of reports of BA failing to supply air to the wearer due to kinking of the pneumatic hoses. In the most severe cases, hoses have actually burst. Detailed examination found weakness and degradation of the internal fibre matrix leading to reduced integrity, with the hose becoming susceptible to kinking. Irregularities and bumps were also evident beneath the surface of the hose where kinking easily occurs.
BA incident investigation HSL’s Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) team provides a number of services specifically relating to the use of BA. These include the independent testing of BA as part of incident investigations, air quality analysis, performance testing against British and European standards, and advice on maintenance, fault finding and storage of BA and associated components. Through incident investigations undertaken on behalf of the Health Safety Executive (HSE), and directly for the fire and rescue service, HSL has developed extensive knowledge and experience of all the major BA manufacturers, cylinders, cylinder valves, compressors, and air quality requirements. Our laboratory facilities include a cutting edge breathing simulator capable of performance testing to BS EN 137, across the full suite of European Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) Standards and also in accordance with the developing International ISO performance standards. In addition, the breathing simulator can be programmed to measure BA performance when subjected to the breathing patterns of real wearers.
The breathing simulator’s unique ‘breath by breath’ analysis of CO2, O2, breathing resistance and temperature allows for detailed dynamic incident analysis and research capabilities. The performance testing capabilities of the breathing simulator ranges from simple filtering respirators through self-contained BA to closed circuit BA where the breathing simulator can replicate the human breathing conditions of 37°C and humid exhaled air.
Technical specialists At HSL we can draw upon a vast range of technical disciplines to support any investigation. Recent investigations have utilised experts within HSL’s Visual Presentation Service (VPS) to provide high resolution photographs and thermal imaging of incident material, analytical scientists with a vast array of detection techniques at hand to identify contamination, materials experts analysing material degradation, and noise specialists to measure the effectiveness of alarms and communications equipment. The PPE team has an in-depth knowledge of all the current European RPE Standards and the developing International ISO performance standards for respiratory protective devices. The team is heavily involved in HSE research and guidance, including the development of fit testing guidance and the Fit2Fit accreditation scheme. The team has an extensive knowledge and contacts base within the UK, European and International RPE arena, including users, suppliers, manufacturers, Notified Bodies and accredited test houses. HSL will be holding a fire and rescue services open day on 17 November 2015, to find out more information about the open day and about HSL and its capabilities visit www.hsl.gov.uk or contact me directly at nicholas.baxter@hsl.gsi.gov.uk.
www.hsl.gov.uk This article describes findings from investigations carried out for the fire and rescue service and for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.
October2015