Catastrophe Avoided!

Tinwheeler
Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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edited May 2019 in General Chat #1

Don’t you just love this?  I bet she thought "What’s all the fuss about?" 😽

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-48455242

 

Comments

  • macwomble
    macwomble Forum Participant Posts: 54
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    edited May 2019 #2

    Bet the firefighters were overjoyed at having their time wasted.

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #3

    Do you get charged for this type of rescue? And what happens if there is a major incident somewhere else at the same time?

    I often think the same when mountain recuse teams have to rescue pet animals, though I hope people make a donation after the recuse of their pet?

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,037 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #4

    Never trust a cat! We left my sister looking after ours as a kitten. He climbed up into our big apple tree, and course, she thought he was stuck. So out came the ladder, she fell off breaking her nose. Kitten calmly came down to see what the fuss is about.

    Corners, it’s good PR for Fire Service. Plus they have pumps roving nowadays rather than on station waiting for calls. So it was no doubt a rather interesting job for firefighters. If the brigade hasn’t got cover elsewhere in area ( bearing in mind this is Plymouth, likely to have a few pumps) then heaven help the locals. Most folks after rescues of this sort are very generous, I know after fires etc.... up here, fire crews often got free meals, drinks all sorts of things donated. And some give to Fire Service Benevolent Funds, which cares for bereaved families and injured Firefighters.

    By the way, there’s nothing shifts a cat out of a tree quicker than a hosepipe......... 😂

    Glad the puss in Plymouth was fine.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #5

    Seems it was the Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service as it happened on the Saltash side but that’s splitting hairs. It’s good to hear people are generous towards the brave men and women who do these dangerous jobs.

    It looks as if Saltash is manned by retained firefighters. You might find this of Interest, TDA.

    https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/community-and-living/cornwall-fire-and-rescue-service-homepage/about-us/your-local-fire-station/saltash-community-fire-station/

     

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,037 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #6

    Thanks for that Tinny. They cover a large area. Notice they cover Cotehele as well, special building. Many stations operate on retained nowadays. When we used to camp at Bodinnick, the milkman who came round each morning had two or three pagers on his belt. We got to know him quite well down the years. He was not only a retained firefighter, but also an RNLI volunteer, he often shot off at high speed from camp 😁

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #7

    It often seems to be the way that the same person will volunteer in several roles. Special people, I reckon.

    Does your OH remember the days of Firemen's Call Bells? It wouldn’t have involved him and may have  been before his time. They were installed by BT in the firemen's (and they were only men in those days) houses before pagers came along. 😀

  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Forum Participant Posts: 2,401
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    edited May 2019 #8

    When we used to camp at Bodinnick, the milkman who came round each morning had two or three pagers on his belt.

    That will be Des who is an ‘on call’ Firefighter, Community Responder,  Auxilliary Coastguard and a blooming nice guy-oh, and he is also our milkman.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,037 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #9

    Yes he does. He started at an old station, big one, very busy and some of the older hands still lived in houses close to station with the links in. Not in use though by his time. He says they had signs up up on houses as well, so people could run to them to report fires, before days of everyone having a land line, let alone a mobile!😲

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,037 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #10

    Wow, I wonder if it is the same fellow, I am going back 20-25 years here. He was very nice I do recall, but I can’t remember his name. The site we used was Yeate Farm, which later became, and still is, Penmarlam Caravan Site. It was a smashing place when we used it, we loved the Oliver’s who owned it. Only stayed a couple of times when it was sold on, still very nice. We have some fantastic memories of this place, made lots of friends, had some lovely times.....😀

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #11

    I was relieved to hear the cat had got itself home this morning, I bet half of those watching SW news felt the same, I don't know, but better than some news! wink 

     

    🐱🐱🐱

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited May 2019 #12

     So very pleased , as you so rightly said, Brue  laughingHaving only left  St Agnes Beacon at 9:00  this morning I'm Pleased  to get that bit of news without having to trawl the world this evening.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #13

    Happy to be of service, Brian. 

    It's on the telly as I type. She looks a bit feisty.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited May 2019 #14

    Their time was never wasted McW,  Its  all put down to gaining experience and training.  They just have to pretend its a fallen child or even a parachutist stuck up the tree, cliff or whatever.

    As for the DGB bells in firemen's houses, I remember only too well the wiring up of such things --  you never hung them on the 'party walls'  in semis or, heaven forfend, aged Victorian Terraced houses innocent - properly adjusted they could wake the neighbour's very deaf dog yell,  you know the one stuffed and glass dome mounted in Herself's Sunday Living Roomwink

  • byron
    byron Forum Participant Posts: 120
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    edited May 2019 #15

    I remember  a false alarm at one place I worked, the FB arrived and turned it into a full on exercise, always something to learn

  • macwomble
    macwomble Forum Participant Posts: 54
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    edited May 2019 #16

    Their time was never wasted McW, Its all put down to gaining experience and training. They just have to pretend its a fallen child or even a parachutist stuck up the tree, cliff or whatever.

     

    I don't doubt the training aspect. However, these are retained firefighters so (if they are employees) their employers have been inconvenienced & (if they're self employed) their clients have been inconvenienced....and that's not to mention the cost (in pound notes) to the fire service.

    A lot of inconvenience, and costs, created.....& all for a cat.

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2019 #17

    As a council tax payer in Cornwall I’m very happy for the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service to have enhanced their training by climbing up to the Royal Albert Bridge. Had they rescued the cat, it would have been a bonus. As it is, it’s experience gained and who knows when any one of us might be glad to benefit from their experience.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited May 2019 #18

    MacW, I honestly think you are wrong in these cases.  Not for a second do I think the Fire & Rescue Service were scrambled to help a moggy who had gone 'A Bridge Too Far'  laughing.  Full time staff may be sent if they are available, have enough cover,  and capable of being diverted to a genuine Emergency shout. The part-timers ( Retained Men as you correctly point out ) would only be used during their "On Duty" time. In many ways it is no different to the R.N.L.I who also turn out to rescue dogs, sheep, and various people who go beyond their abilities & fall down sea cliffs purely at the request of the Maritime & Coastguard.  I'll not knock them either.

    Brian

  • macwomble
    macwomble Forum Participant Posts: 54
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    edited May 2019 #19

    Tell you what....let's agree to disagree on the subject laughing

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
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    edited June 2019 #20

    OK, MacW,  After  all  it's a new month so .. .. .. .. .. .. ..wink