Oil Fires

[Paranoid]

Now I know what I'll say next will get some unbelievable backlash from certain quarters but...

With news tonight (on ITV anyway) it was reported that fire services attending the oil fires in 'Hempstead were ill equiped and inexperienced in dealing with anything above a 'small' fire...

With the relatively recent fire brigade strikes, and unions arguing that these men and women risk their lives for a crap wage how the hell did they manage to convince government to improve pay conditions above and before updating training and equipment?

What makes me laugh most, however, has to be how Union leaders are apparently calling for an inquiry...as if it has nothing to do with their members (!?!)

This may sound disrespectful to the work of firefighters, and overall I mean no slight on their efforts, but having worked 6 years as a lifeguard, a profession I consider equally important and vital (especially with the number of civilians who believe they can walk on water!) I made damned sure I was properly trained and up-to-date with new methods, and if I wasnt I went straight to the top threatening to go to the papers if my team and I weren't given the proper equipment...and I was only 16 at the time!

[hr]

..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[Haunted]

I remember that bastard fire fighter strikes of what three(?) years ago.
At the time I remember thinking "what a bunch of cunts".
And I'll be damned, I still think that.

There should be a law preventing emergency services from striking/protesting (or even having unions).

[rob 'f*ck off' wine boy]

Quoting Haunted from 00:40, 14th Dec 2005


There should be a law preventing emergency services from striking/protesting (or even having unions).

Get off your high horse! Why shouldn't they have unions?

[flarewearer]

The fact that the fire brigades managed to put out the largest peace-time fire / explosion in Europe in under 3 days is none too shabby. Regional brigades can not reasonably be expected to cope on their own with a diaster of this scale, hence the need to bring in units from neighbouring brigades, which of course takes time. Fire brigades are trained to deal with 1 oil storage tank ablaze and in this case were faced with 20, something never seen or tackled before, that they got them out in 32 hours seems something of a miracle.

As ever the media has jumped right onto this case banging the drum of criticism before the facts and indeed the fires were even out, you only lower yourself to their cretinous levels by doing likewise.

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[Rennie]

Paranoid, speaking as an ex-lifeguard, there is no way you can equate fire fighting, and being a lifeguard. Also, it's not as vital - simple fact. It is however a legal requirement for pools to have sufficient lifeguards, maybe that's what you were getting at.

Also, about being properly trained, each pool legally has to have a certain amount of equipment (spinal board, shock paddles etc..) dependant on size and patronage. If it doesn't have this, it is shut down.

And, thirdly, you have to either do one the job training (40 hours if I remember right) every two years, or else you are not a qualified lifeguard any more and you have to requalify. And pretty much anyone can do it if they are fit enough - it really isn't brain science.

[Haunted]

If I signed up to the fire brigade I would expect not to have union. Its almost a military like branch of the goverment.
They need to be fast and efficent. They need to start treating their role better than just some other 9-5.

[ezra]

Quoting Haunted from 01:19, 14th Dec 2005
If I signed up to the fire brigade I would expect not to have union. Its almost a military like branch of the goverment.
They need to be fast and efficent. They need to start treating their role better than just some other 9-5.

welcome to the middle class . . .

[Haunted]

I was only one uni acceptance away from signing up, but here I am.
Not the best of positions to critise, but the opinion is still there

[flarewearer]

In my limited knowledge you don't just "sign up" for the fire brigade, indeed, it is probably harder to get into than it is to get into St. Andrews ¬_¬

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[Haunted]

Quoting flarewearer from 05:46, 14th Dec 2005
In my limited knowledge you don't just "sign up" for the fire brigade, indeed, it is probably harder to get into than it is to get into St. Andrews ¬_¬

Yeah sorry, should've speficied, I meant "signed up" in that context as the armed forces.
I think that joining the fire brigade should have a similar feel to it (risking life to save/protect others etc).
But it seems people are more than willing to treat it as just another job

[flarewearer]

Quoting Haunted from 09:37, 14th Dec 2005
I think that joining the fire brigade should have a similar feel to it (risking life to save/protect others etc).

Absolutely, some sort of paramilitary, apolitical civil-defence corps might be a far more useful orginisation. Like the police they could have a trade federation, but be prevented from striking.

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[OffHeGoes]

Quoting ezra from 01:21, 14th Dec 2005

Quoting Haunted from 01:19, 14th Dec 2005
If I signed up to the fire brigade I would expect not to have union. Its almost a military like branch of the goverment.
They need to be fast and efficent. They need to start treating their role better than just some other 9-5.

welcome to the middle class . . .

because god forbid he should actually hold such an opinion of his own accord, with valid reasoning and a logical train of thought...

it must obviously just be the middle class gene speaking for him...

[ezra]

ofhegoes: maybe you can see words that I can't, but Haunted's post had neither reasoning (valid or otherwise) or a train of thought. it was just an assertion. precisely the type of assertion you expect to hear from an upper-middle-class kid, one of whose parents works in the civil service, and where the entire family votes Tory. strange, don't you think, that the stereotypes fit so well?

[Paranoid]

Mate you've clearly not worked at the pools up in the northeast...the level of attention to lifeguard training is diabolical!

Quoting Rennie from 01:09, 14th Dec 2005
Paranoid, speaking as an ex-lifeguard, there is no way you can equate fire fighting, and being a lifeguard. Also, it's not as vital - simple fact. It is however a legal requirement for pools to have sufficient lifeguards, maybe that's what you were getting at.

Also, about being properly trained, each pool legally has to have a certain amount of equipment (spinal board, shock paddles etc..) dependant on size and patronage. If it doesn't have this, it is shut down.

And, thirdly, you have to either do one the job training (40 hours if I remember right) every two years, or else you are not a qualified lifeguard any more and you have to requalify. And pretty much anyone can do it if they are fit enough - it really isn't brain science.

[hr]

..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[Paranoid]

...I'm sorry but Haunted upper-class?! (No offence Haunted) but really....have you even met the guy? He spends more time standing IN fires than fighting them!

Quoting ezra from 16:34, 14th Dec 2005
ofhegoes: maybe you can see words that I can't, but Haunted's post had neither reasoning (valid or otherwise) or a train of thought. it was just an assertion. precisely the type of assertion you expect to hear from an upper-middle-class kid, one of whose parents works in the civil service, and where the entire family votes Tory. strange, don't you think, that the stereotypes fit so well?

[hr]

..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[Haunted]

Pretty impressive conclusion show jumping (read as, wrong).

I fail to see what class has to do with it. We are all at the mercy of the fire brigade should we find ourselves in a burning building etc.
Unless, of course, they are on strike

[ezra]

i dunno why i bother, but:

care to tell me what conclusion i drew?

[Haunted]

Quoting ezra from 16:34, 14th Dec 2005
an upper-middle-class kid, one of whose parents works in the civil service, and where the entire family votes Tory. strange, don't you think, that the stereotypes fit so well?

Now I am going to get some articulate arguement about how that wasn't a conclusion but some sort of hypothesis/derogatory comment that you put forward in order to back up your well thought out logical arguement about my original post lacking reason?

[Paranoid]

I believe ya haunted D

[hr]

..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[The Dude]

I agree that it can be detramental to public safety to have firefighters go on strike but they need to have some sort of recourse so that they are not simply walked all over. After all a good portion of them do it for their entiar life while most people are in the army only for a few year when they are young. If you need to be able to sustain a family and decent lifestyal when you are older your pay scale needs to rise.