Firefighters at Carrow are being trained on Welsh rapids: “it’s as fierce water as you can get in the UK, dealing with currents, tides and eddies.”

Once training is complete, a brand new rescue boat will be on hand to respond to major flooding emergencies.

Norfolk is not alone in preparing for major flooding. £2.5m of government funding has been awarded across the country to improve emergency responses to floods in the last 18 months, tripling the number of boat rescue teams by 2012.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have received £250,000, match funded by the County Council, allowing them to purchase flood rescue boats, vehicles and specialist equipment.

On a recent visit to Whitlingham Broad, Flooding Minister, Richard Benyon said: “We are more prepared than ever to protect peoples’ lives, homes and businesses from the devastating effects of  floods.”

Each firefighter is being given basic powerboat training, followed by a week’s rescue course in Wales, where they are taught how to cope with tides and major flood situations.

Locally, the sea defences at Great Yarmouth have come close to being breached in recent years, where a tidal surge could flood homes and businesses in its wake. Certain urban areas of Norwich, including the NR2 postcode, have also been identified as at high risk of flash floods.

Alan Nicholls, Operational Support Officer at Carrow Fire station said: “Through the Met Office, there’s a lot more data available now[..] We’re looking at predictions, working out the number of people who’d need to be evacuated.”

Tenants, who were due to move in last week, have been told they can’t move in until it’s safe.

Around a dozen tenants were due to move in to the former fire station as property guardians. Under the agreement, they would pay low rents on a temporary basis, to prevent squatters from taking over while the building stood empty.

But following an inspection by Norfolk Fire and Rescue, tenants were prevented from moving in. One tenant, who asked not to be named as she’s paid a deposit said: “I’m quite stunned. I can’t believe between professional agents and the council, neither thought to ask if it was habitable or not, until we started to move in. I’m incredibly lucky to have somewhere to go back to, but not everyone does.”

In a statement, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said: “Obviously we are sympathetic to anyone who may have had to change their plans but we have a duty under fire safety legislation to apply the rules fairly and to ensure people are safe.”

The agents, Ad Hoc, who’re overseeing the property guardian scheme, said: “There will be a final walk-through of the property on Monday, involving the relevant authorities with the intention on all sides being for all guardians to move in as scheduled. Should there be any unexpected complications, there are several other Ad Hoc managed buildings within the area that would be offered to guardians. Anyone who is not satisfied with this will be offered a full refund. ‘

The building has been used by on-call firemen for 80 years. Jamie Wyatt from the Fire Brigades Union said he had no concerns that any of his members had been at risk:  ”Whenever there’s a change of use, the fire certificate has to be looked at again to ensure the safety of the public.”

Firefighters have now moved to a brand new £4.5 million base at Carrow. Plans to convert Bethel Street fire station into a mixture of residential, retail and office use were approved by planners in August 2010.

The shift to the brand new station will take place in 2 weeks time.

With it, a new era for Fire and Rescue, including a swift water rescue boat to respond to flooding emergencies.

The final watch at Bethel Street will leave at 9am on 24th August, allowing the next shift to report to the brand new station near Trowse. The building, costing £4.5m, is built for a 21st century fire service, including a conference room which can be turned into a command suite within minutes.

The station will also serve as a base for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust and will house a swift water rescue team to work on waterways and in flood rescue situations. Fire officers are undergoing specialist training to be able to man the craft. Station manager, Phil Berry, said: “It will become a Norwich, Norfolk and a national asset.”

Harry Humphrey, Cabinet Member for Community Protection, said: ”I believe the station will not only improve local emergency cover and give better access to the A47 but also provide immediate back-up for the city centre.” From the station, traffic lights can be controlled to turn them green, allowing firefighters fast access to emergencies.

The new building has been designed to be used by the local community as well, with plans for the local parish council to hold their meetings there.

An Open Day for members of the public is planned for later in the year.

5 fire engines have covered emergencies in the city since 2005.

Concerns have been raised about the impact this will have.

A major shake-up of how the fire service would operate in Norwich was consulted on, and approved in October 2010. Warning the changes would put the public and fire service at greater risk, The Fire Brigades’ Union fought to stop the changes coming in, handing over a 2000 strong petition.

This week, the proposals come into force with one fire engine going from Bethel Street. Jamie Wyatt, spokesperson for the FBU said: “There are already scenarios in the current position when we’re really stretched. We think this is going to become more regular. We’re very concerned about the fire cover for Norwich.”

The union cites examples like the fire at Tombland’s Zizzy restaurant, arguing the cuts will delay response times: “We’ll always attend the most serious fire, especially if there are lives at risk. But there are other things to consider in Norwich, such as buildings of historical value.”

The service already has to prioritise which emergencies to attend. A spokesperson for Norfolk Fire Service said: “Our Safety Plan 2011/14 contained a recommendation that we respond to the falling number of calls in Norwich by stationing one crew at the new Carrow Fire Station [...] rather than the two at Bethel Street and that plan comes into effect on April 1st. Before we opened North Earlham,with two fire engines in 2005, we had three fire engines in Norwich. We are now returning to four.”

This summer, Bethel Street is due to close completely, as one of the crews moves to the new Carrow Fire Station, near Trowse. 24 firefighter posts are being lost. The Grade II listed building is due to be converted into a mixture of residential, retail and office space.

Layla Skalli was 19 when a fire broke out in her bedsit. She was given a 1% chance of survival due to the extent of her burns.

Bethel Street is due to close in the spring.

Group Manager Richard Herrell, who nominated the Bethel Street firefighters, said: “It was only thanks to the quick thinking of Green Watch who used a ladder to break through the bedsit window, the bravery of the firefighters who entered the building and the excellent teamwork of the fire crews on the ground that a very serious incident wasn’t a great deal worse. Layla’s incredible recovery has been down to pioneering medical techniques and the quite extraordinary courage she has shown throughout a most harrowing ordeal. She is a remarkable woman.”

The Certificate of Commendation is one of a number of honours to be presented at the service’s annual awards evening. Others include Long Service and Good Conduct Medals, the Fire Cadet of the Year Award and the Community Partnership Award.

Nigel Williams, Chief Fire Officer for Norfolk, said the awards evening was a chance to officially recognise achievement within its own ranks and beyond.

Bethel Street fire station is due to close in the Spring 2011. The Fire Brigade’s Union say 20 fire fighters could lose their jobs as a result of the move to Carrow Fire Station in Trowse.

Three months ago the Roman Catholic Cathedral installed a new heating system which keeps the building at a regular temperature.

Since then, the fire brigade have been called out a number of times after local people spotted what looks like smoke, coming from the roof. Rev Deacon Patrick Limacher says: ”The problem is that the chimney looks like a spire on the cathedral. When the heating fires up, it looks like smoke is coming out of the cathedral – but it’s not. It’s just steam from the new heating system.”

The cathedral’s new high tech, bio-mass system is a little like a sophisticated wood- burner, heating around 5000 litres of water and keeping the cathedral at a steady temperature. Rev Limacher adds: “For the first time in its life, the cathedral is warm.”

Photo: Rhodri Coleman

50 firefighters tackled a blaze at a Tombland restaurant this lunchtime. At it’s height, the fire at Zizzi’s – which used to be Pizza One, Pancakes Two – needed 10 fire crews to put it out. The smoke could be seen across the city.

A spokesperson for the fire service, Martin Barsby said: “The manager of the restaurant deserves praise. He did exactly the right thing, getting his staff out as quickly as he could.”

The fire comes a day after cuts to the service were approved by councillors, which the Fire Brigade’s Union (FBU) claim will delay response times in the future.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. Martin Barsby also praised the firefighters: “They worked very, very quickly to get the fire under control and have done a really good job.” The emergency services were called just after midday and were damping down at the scene by 2pm.

Yesterday, members of the FBU lobbied County Hall, protesting againstcuts to the service of £1.5M, which will see 24 posts go at Bethel Street. A spokesperson for the FBU, Stefan Rider said: “It would be fair to say that a delay in firefighting would occur if the same incident is repeated this time next year.” He added that changes to the duty system will affect the operation of the aerial ladder platform: “Not having a dedicated crew for the ALP would have delayed the successful fighting of the fire in the roof.”

A demo outside County Hall will be followed by more rallies this month, as public sector workers fear for their jobs. A coalition made up of unions and political parties is organising  weekly protests in Norwich, with a rally planned for the day after the government’s Spending Review.

The firefighters’ union, the FBU, turned out in force today to again lobby councillors at County Hall. They were joined by the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, Matt Wrack, who lead with the rallying cry: “Cuts cost lives.” As previously reported on South Norwich News, cuts to the fire service will see 24 firefighter posts go at Bethel Street.

The firefighters’ anger is mirrored by other unions. Public sector unions and local political parties have come together to form the Norfolk Coalition Against the Cuts. A rally is planned for 23rd October at Norwich’s Haymarket, the day after the Government announces its spending review.

Their coalition includes the University and College Union (UCU), National Pensioners’ Convention, Unison and Unite among its members. On their website, they put the case against the cuts, arguing: “creating jobs will boost the economy and cut the deficit” and call for investment in areas such as housing, renewable energy and transport. They also argue savings could be made by cutting back on the amount the government spends on private sector consultants, rather than front-line services.

The emergency exercise will allow staff at Bayer CropScience to practice their response to an incident working alongside the emergency services. The drill will start just before 10am and last around an hour and a half.

Local people will not be involved in the exercise itself but may notice extra activity, as emergency vehicles go to and from the site on Sweet Briar Road. 

The exercise is being facilitated by Normit, on behalf of Bayer CropScience. Sarah Alcock, Normit Manager at Norfolk County Council, said: “The exercise at Bayer CropScience is one of many emergency exercises involving a multi-agency response organised throughout the county and shows that we are committed to working together to make Norfolk safer. “

Managers claim that reduced call volumes mean that the risk from fire is reduced. However, the volume of calls to incidents which pose a risk to life and property has not decreased significantly and the community risk profile of Norwich has, if anything, changed for the worse. Consequently, the risk to the public remains high and at least the current level of emergency cover is required to keep the public safe.

Managers also claim that the predicted low workload of the 2^nd appliance at Carrow justifies its removal. However, this ignores the activities which fire crews take part in when not responding to emergencies, such as fitting smoke alarms in peoples’ homes and offering safety advice.

This reduction in fire cover will result in a delay in the provision of sufficient resources to safely resolve incidents across Norwich. This means that the lives of the public and of firefighters will be put at greater risk. Homes, businesses and heritage buildings will more likely be significantly damaged in the event of fire.

Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service already provides very good value for money. This proposed saving will come at the cost of a reduction in safety for the residents of Norwich.

Members of the Fire Brigades Union are campaigning against the changes to emergency provision in Norfolk. If you share our concern, let the Fire Service know by contacting the Chief Fire Officer or your local County Councilor. There will be a lobby of County Hall from 08:30 on 7^th September when the proposals are presented to the council.

Article submitted by Stefan Rider, who represents the Norwich branch of the Fire Brigades Union