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Always on call and ready to go the gleaming red mega machines of the fire service are familiar to us all
With their sirens blaring and blue lights flashing they waste no time on their way to the scene
When the alarm goes off the fire engines are in action in seconds
Firefighters must always be on red alert and they must test their equipment regularly
Practice is really important and here at Leicester fire drill plays a major part in normal day-to-day duties between real emergencies
Everybody has their own important job to do but they must all work as a team
Discipline and obeying commands make the job safer for all concerned
Routines are practiced again and again to make sure they are done just right
Much of the machinery used today is high-tech equipment the modern fire brigade is always developing and the firefighter must be trained to work with all the gear
Other people's lives depend on it
The ground crew may be behind you you may be strapped in you know your job through years of experience
But it still takes a lot of nerve and a good head for height to work at the top of a turntable ladder
To be a firefighter today is to be part of a highly efficient and disciplined force using some of the most modern and powerful equipment in the world
Rescue skills must be kept at top level with constant training and practice
The fire service college here at Morton and Marsh Gloucestershire trains over 6,000 students a year from the grades all over the world
They've created pretend railways, motorways, houses and even industrial tower blocks where emergency situations are made as real as possible
They have 32 tenders here including many makes and designs of the most commonly used fire and rescue vehicle the pump engine
They may be made by several different companies and they may look different from the front but they all do the same job
At the fire service college they have a big choice
The pump engine is the workhorse of the service it is the basic all-round vehicle and can be fitted out for specialist tasks
This appliance is most generally used as a water tender ladder rescue vehicle but rather like a swiss army knife when you open up the sides there are tools for all incidents
They carry three types of ladder the longest is 13 and a half meters it comes in three sections and needs four men to use it
The crew includes a driver, the commander and between two and four firefighters
This Leyland Carmichael 180 turbo carries 1800 litres of water and can go at 145 kilometres an hour
Every time the brigade is called out the chances are you'll see one of the many makes of pump engine racing to the scene
Two pump engines race to an exercise at a domestic house fire even in practice they have to respond as if it was the real thing
There's no traffic here but on real roads the driver has to be very careful of other vehicles and can only cross red traffic lights by looking first
He wouldn't want to cause an extra emergency
Pump engines weigh 10 tonnes empty and with a full load the driver has to control a 13 ton vehicle at speed
Morton is the one place where in practice the flames are real everything is just as it would be in a 999 call it's got to be the best way of preparing for a real emergency
Here the commander is the man in the white helmet
Mel, get your crew later off, see to that casualty up there, we'll get some BA men in, right up here, look here
Right, look here, come on now, hold her face, hold her, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay
Quick, stand, stand
Teamwork is essential because conditions at an incident will be dangerous, hot, smoky and dark
and any person caught inside will be frightened, firefighters are trained to be calm
Fires can start on the ground floor and sometimes people can be trapped upstairs so while the flames are being fought the rescuers must get up there as fast as they can
The staircase may be burned out and the only way of escape is from the roof
Firefighters need to be fit because in a roof rescue they may have to use the famous fireman's lift
Before leaving the brigade must make sure the fire is completely damped down so that one burning ember doesn't spark the blaze again
As well as putting out fires the pump engine is used for all types of rescue, nowadays they are called out to nearly as many road traffic accidents as fires
The crew needs to be trained for all sorts of emergency and here at Morton they can learn their skills away from the actual roads and screaming traffic
To keep the atmosphere tense they still use lights, sirens and real cars
Two pump engines and their crews must help any passengers trapped in the tangled metalwork
The door is open, one there, one there, same the other side, okay Steve break the screen in, okay good, tap it through, tap it through under control
Firefighters need to be fit because in a roof rescue they may have to use the famous fireman's lift
Alright let's have a long spineboard in, when he comes back just support him, put the spineboard across here and then we can put Graham onto it
Just support this end, Graham shove your helmet in, just get you in around our casualty as soon as we can
Okay get your head down, slide a bit
The casualties may be dummies but the firefighters treat them just as they would a real person
Easy back up into an eyes forward position, let's have the windows down, take the front screen out Steve
Obviously when someone is injured spoiling the car beyond repair is the last thing to worry about, it's the person who matters
In a case like this when the driver is trapped the fire brigade often decide the best way to free him or her is to remove the roof
To use the cutters without splintering more glass they need to take the windscreen out and to shield their eyes they'll have to wear protective goggles
Now with better access to the casualty the team can give first aid
Fellas as soon as you've got the oxygen and collar on then we'll have the roof off
These hydraulic pincers can cut through metal like a can opener and they are powered by a portable generator
Another vital piece of equipment carried on the RTA tenders
Get the casualties shield in, nice Steve, cut low on the pillar
Okay when we've done this pillar work your way anti-clockwise round the car and end up with the last two cuts close to the casualty
Next comes the roof, the rescuers must obviously try to be as quick as possible but they mustn't rush and cut corners
Okay low on the B pillar
Okay, okay, got it
Steve, use the spreaders, brush the wing there to open up that gap, get the spreaders in and let's take the door away
Okay, let's go for it
Pinching the front wing like this makes it easier to get at the door hinges
Okay Steve
The fire brigade always works closely with the other emergency services and it won't be long before the driver is free
On a genuine motorway incident both the pump engines and the ambulances would try to park so that they don't get in the way
In order to keep the traffic flowing freely where possible they keep at least one lane open
Once again the pump engine has proved its value as one of the most important vehicles in the emergency services
Before leaving the scene the fireman will tidy up broken glass and put sand on any oil spills to stop another accident happening
while other services will remove the smashed cars
Here's another very necessary machine for the rescue brigade's fleet
The chemical incident unit may not look much but it holds special equipment for dealing with situations where there is danger of acid or poison polluting the water, ground or air
As ever the pump engine is on hand to provide power and water
Here at the college they have old chemical rail tankers to rehearse incidents
The fire service often has to gain access to other transport systems
The fire service is on the way to the hospital
One of the college instructors runs through procedures with a colleague as they set up the unit
A possible risk of chemical spillage is that it can spread quickly and a firefighter could get some of the dangerous liquid onto his clothes or boots and transfer it somewhere else
The unit contains a high pressure shower which is fed water from the pump engine
Using the workhorse of the fire service, the fire appliance, opening now the tank valve on the vehicle delivering from the tank and testing that we do have water
They must check that it is all working before they risk getting any chemicals on them
The team must wear full protective clothing and be safe from both liquids or any poisonous gases that may be leaking. These suits aren't easy to get into and to make sure they are fully sealed in the firefighters help each other dress
Oxygen masks are standard as the suits are airtight. The end result is just like a space suit
They've got to check all over the tanker to try and spot any leaks. They'll also be looking for labels or markings which could let them know what chemical the tanker is carrying. Some are more dangerous than others
Leaked gas is invisible and acid can look just like water. Wherever gases or chemicals are concerned the professionals must be called in. Very often the danger turns out to be small but the emergency services can never be too careful
At the end of every exercise the crew must be washed down so just to be safe the pressure shower is always used
The emergency services must be washed down so just to be safe the pressure shower must be washed down so just to be safe the pressure shower is always used
The chemical incident unit is packed with really modern equipment to deal with today's pollution problems
The emergency services must be washed down so just to be safe the pressure shower is always used
The big of fire engines are known as specials and will be called to incidents where the pump engines can't do it alone
Several companies which convert vehicles make specials as well as pump engines. Carmichael is one of the best known. All these mega machines are based on an ordinary lorry with the cabins and lockers specially designed
The turntable ladder is hydraulically powered and when parked can turn 360 degrees and extend to over 30 metres. The reason ladders were made longer and longer is because buildings became higher and higher
Their main job is for rescue. There is a hose which runs up the sides but water is heavy and the ladders being made of strong but light aluminium can be a bit unsteady at the top
Normally a turntable ladder would have a three man crew with a commander, base operator and the one on the end of the ladder
If you were high up on the balcony of a burning building you'd certainly be glad when one of these turned up
Another type of special is the hydraulic platform. Here a Simon Snorkel SS220 is mounted on a Saxon Dodge G16 body
It can only carry three in its basket so it would take rather a long time to rescue a lot of people
But unlike the turntable ladder it is fully stable for spraying water right at the end of its 22 metre reach
The turntable ladder can be used to rescue a lot of people
The turntable ladder can be used to rescue people
Exercises at Morton can start some way away from the incident. A command vehicle, hydraulic platform and pump engine respond to a call
Going to a real fire would probably take different routes so at least somebody would get there if a road was blocked
This drill needs the platform for an emergency at the industrial tower block
Teamwork is here again. The pump engine gets extra water by plugging into the mains. They carry enough hose on board to reach a hydrant a quarter of a mile away. The pressure on mains water varies so to keep it regular it must be fed through the pump engine
So that it is really stable at the top the platform has special legs which pop out at the side. This makes the base wider and stops any chance of toppling over even on very windy days
When it is stable the platform can be connected up to the pump engine for its extra water supply
The turntable ladder can be used to rescue a lot of people
Way above the ground the firefighter is on his own with a job to do. As the saying goes it's tough at the top. He'll go as close as he safely can keeping in constant contact with the ground by phone. If this tower was really a light flames could be licking out feet away. His only protection would be the powerful fountain of water from his hose
The turntable ladder can be used to rescue a lot of people
The platform can squat in one minute the same amount of water as ten fuel baths. But this jet must be controlled because the power could damage the inside as much as the fire. The platform even has a drenching system of its own to make sure it doesn't get too hot near the fire. Keeping cool is part of the job for men and machines
The turntable ladder can be used to rescue a lot of people
London's Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world. At peak times a plane is either taking off or landing every 30 seconds. An airport has more material which can easily catch fire within its boundaries than almost anywhere. Fire protection is really important so they have some fantastic fire engines here
Heathrow has a new custom built fire centre with its own controlled tower. Any incidents big or small which need the various skills of the fire service are controlled from here
Luckily actual plane crashes are very rare but firefighters use extremely realistic practice drills
for exercise, try an aircraft, starboard engine, win a light
The turntable ladder can be used to rescue a lot of people
The biggest machine at Heathrow is the Carmichael Corpus 6x6 airport crash fire rescue vehicle. It is 6 wheeled, rear engine and can accelerate from 0 to 80 km an hour in 34 seconds
It can spray form up to 60 metres from its monitor which can be reached by a crew member while they are going along. There are also two form hand lines kept from the lockers on either side of the vehicle. The siren is the more American style warbler and the whole machine would cost about a quarter of a million pounds
If they were attending a real crash, the airport firefighters have permission to cross the runways.
With both the tower and driver keeping a sharp lookout for planes, within the airport perimeter the fire services must reach any incident in under 3 minutes
If there is a major incident outside the perimeter, as many as 90 fire engines could be called from all around. Air crashes are always extremely dangerous because planes are full of fuel and they need a mega machine to tackle a fire like this
Air crashes are always extremely dangerous because planes are full of fuel and they need a mega machine to tackle a fire like this
The steaming bodywork still needs the final flushes of foam to dampen the debris. When it's all over, the bubbles will drain harmlessly away
From safeguarding the lives of airline passengers to dealing with fires in houses and factories, from attending road traffic accidents and clearing up chemical incidents, the fire brigade of today relies on its fast specialist machines to make the world a safer place
Air crashes are always extremely dangerous because planes are full of fuel and they need a mega machine