FireSiteUK
Welcome to FireSiteUK
This site is going to include a data base of Fire Brigades around the UK. The main Feature of this site is going to be about me visiting different Stations around the UK.
At the moment, please feel free to mail me any information you would like me to put on this site and I will be more than happy to include it on my site.
My address is: stuartsubway@aol.com
Do you know the Abbreviations for the different appliances and items used within the service? If not, here they are:
AFFF: Aqueous film forming foam
BA: Breathing apparatus
BACV: Breathing apparatus control van
BAT: Breathing apparatus tender
BL: Breakdown lorry
Car: Staff car
Risk Categories:
A: High risk, inner city;
B: Large-to-medium sized town;
C: Suburban/semi rural;
D: Rural.
Cav: Canteen van
CIU: Chemical incident unit
CU: Control unit
DU: Driving unit
ELU: Emergency lighting unit
EST: Combined emergency tender/salvage tender
ESU: Emergency support unit
ET: Emergency tender
FBt: Fire boat
FEV: Foam equipment vehicle
FoT: Foam tender
FoTr: Foam trailer
FoU: Foam unit
FPTr: Fire prevention trailer
FST: Foam salvage tender
FTK: Foam tanker
FWP: Featherweight pump
Gen: Generator
GPL: General purpose lorry
HC: Hose carrier
HEF: High expantion foam
HFT: Combined hose layer/carrier/foam tender
HL: Hose layer
HP: Hydrolic platform (height in brackets)
HPP: Hydrolic platform with booster pump
HR: Hose reel
HRT: Hose reel tender
HX: High expantion foam
L4P: Light 4 wheel drive vehicle with pump
L4R: Light 4 wheel drive vehicle (rescue)
L4T: Light 4 wheel drive vehicle with hose reel
L4V: Light 4 wheel drive vehicle
LPP: Light portable pump
Lu: Lighting unit
LuTr: Lighting unit trailer
MR: Mobile radio
MW: Mobile workshop
P: Pump (fire engine with 35ft/10.6m ladder
PCV: Personnel carrying vehicle
PHP: Pump hydrolic platform
PL: Pump (fire engine with 45ft/13.5m ladder
PP: Portable pump
PST: Pump salvage tender
RAV: Road accident vehicle
RIV: Rapid intervation vehicle
RP: Rescue pump
RTA: Road traffic accident
RV: Rescue vehicle
SP: Salgave pump
ST: Salvage tender
STr: Salvage trailer
SV: Service vehicle
T: Tender
TL: Turntable ladder (height in brackets)
TLP: Turntable ladder and pump
TSU: Technical support unit
TV: Towing vehicle
WCar: Staff car with radio
WrC: Water carrier
WrL: Water tender ladder with 45ft/13.5m ladder
WrT: Water tender with 35ft/10.6m ladder
Ranks in the Fire Service:
Firefighter: Crew member of fire engine
Leading Firefighter: In charge of fire engine
Sub Officer: In charge of watch (shift) and fire engine
Station Officer: In charge of station
Assistant Divisional Officer: In charge of larger station/several stations
Divisional Officer: In charge of group of stations (a division)
Senior Divisional Officer: In charge of large division
Assistant Chief Officer: Based at headquarters and responsible for wide range of support activities.
Also takes command at large incidents
Deputy Chief Fire Officer: As for ACO but deputises for CFO
Chief Fire Officer: In command of brigade and responsible for the authority
Fire Station duty systems:
Day manning:
A system which uses professional firefighters who make up the fire engine crew during the daylight hours but respond on bleeper call from their homes near to the fire station at night.
Nucleus manned:
Stations where several professional firefighters are based, with most of the rest of the crew being drawn from retained personnel (qv).
Part-time or retained:
Stations in smaller towns and more rural areas where the crew is entirely made up of part-time firefighters who follow their normal jobs within the close area of the fire station, and turn out from their homes at nights and weekends in response to a bleeper call.
Here are a few sayings that are used in the Fire Service today:
Make up:
The standard term for a fire or rescue situation where more engines and personnel are needed.
Over the border:
'999' calls where part or all of the attendance is made up from fire engines and Firefighters from an adjacent brigade.
Pre determined attendance (PDA):
The number of fire engines despatched to an address dependent upon the prevalent fire risk factor. A city centre fire call will see up to four (4) pumps plus aerial. At the other end of the scale a rural fire may be attended by only one tender.
Shout:
An emergency call.
Stop message:
Radio message sent to Fire Control to indicate that a fie or other emergency is under control and no further assistance is needed.
Supernumerary:
Fire engines normally have a crew of five (5) or six (6), while aerial and other special appliances have two (2) or three (3). Any firefighter crewing above these levels is said to be supernumerary.
Water tender:
The general workhorse fire engine of the British Fire Service. Equipment includes 400 gallons (1800 litres) of water, high pressure small bore hose reels, hose lengths, breathing apparatus, various ladders up to 45ft (13.5 metres), foam, floodlighting, high-powerd rescue and cutting tools, chemical protective clothing. Can also be turmed a pump.
