Health and Safety at Work

#1. ach awa. She's only a wee lassie, needs all the status she can get since the breakup of the Krankies.

#9 Did my firefighting courses at Hull and Plymouth, those four day course were physically demanding but taught you a lot in a short time. Also did another four day course in Plymouth when I was a marine Supt,, they advised me that they had to decline my request as didn't take anyone over 50, anyway they relented when they were advised I was in my 30's. On my previous time there they only had a basic ship accommodation layout, so on my course I presented them with G A Plans of large and small ships and also firefighting equipment plan layout of ships under my control. Still have somewhere? the letter of thanks, I'll try and dig it out to see who signed it. Interesting times

That may have been the period that John Fiddaman was in the fire service In Plymouth what rank he was then wouldn’t know, only that he was a fire chief of some description. Another friend of mine who was master in the yellow perils for a number of years, his younger brother was the chief fire officer for Either Northumberland and then Tyne and Wear.. JWS

The main training centre in England is Moreton-in-Marsh Gloucestershire, they have fantastic training facilities. They have a large scale concrete ship, consisting of 3 decks, hatches, and accommodation , this ship is even set in a dock situation, where they can bring equipment over the water to the ship, as in ship at anchor . there are escape hatches in the side of the ship for emergency situations. The instructor light huge timber fires in the hatches, or engine room, and then the crews have to enter and knock the fire out, believe me, it gets bloody hot going down there. kt

https://www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk...cident-ground/

Back in early 80's one of my neighbours was in Tyne+Wear fire brigade, he told me that they all feared ship fires the most. At that time I had more time on BA than he had; he eventually won a job as an instructor at Moreton in Marsh, never seen him since

#14 If I remember correctly the ship mock ups in Hull and Plymouth were steel and they did get hot, and dragging that body made of wet hosepipes was no fun when of slight (way back then!) build was no easy task.

#15. Didn’t have the surname of Tarne did he ? JS

On the British Captain in Antwerp we had to drag two men out of the tank when they got gassed and started singing, the Mate went down with the mask on and tied ropes around them, my mate was on the bellows, when we went to help pull them out the top, he forgot the bellows, the mate wasn't very pleased, but at least he was out of the tank. The two ABs were in hospital in beds next to the Morgue, they were very lucky to survive.
Smith is a good Welsh name, very handy when booking into a hotel.
Des

Every helicopter landing or take off from a rig or ship is a miniature fire exercise in itself. Before a helicopter is given a clear deck and permission to land or take off, the fireman dressed in the complete fireproof suit and helmet and bearing a strong resemblance to the. Michelin man must be in his position manning the foam fire monitor.
Peoples dislike of the smoke helmet I quite agree with as going into any sort of fire dragging combustible material behind you is foolish in the extreme. As regards combustible material let me quote you one in some statement I made somewhere or other , regarding survival from a burning platform. “ there were numerous liferafts floating in the water which had not inflated , because their opening mechanisms had not worked due to the rope attached to the gas cylinder did not exist and had probably been burned through in the early stages of the inferno , and I would suggest these tag lines should have a steel heart to give them a bit longer life . “. Whether that advice was ever followed through with , who knows.
JS.

#18. Des for a period of 3 months which was allowed in those days , I was Mate on a tanker running from Whangerai to Bluff and all ports in between . There were 3 ships on this run carrying petrol to each port for the garages , only 1 was Kiwi and of course the best conditions. We had a valve not closed properly down one of the tanks, the valve was in the after pump room, I thought I could hold my breath long enough to get down there shut the valve and get back out again . Wrong !!! I came to, lying on the deck with a sore nose and a bad head with grinning Chinese bending over me. I was more embarrassed than anything apart from the sore nose which was broken either for the second or third time in its life so far. As must have travelled the last dozen ladder stairs on my nose. Fortuanetley a Chinese crew member saw me go down and they put the gear on to get me out. Maybe why I give the Chinese so much credit. As said I was never a tanker man , and saw better ways of making a living.
JS