Roving reporter gets 999 call to become firefighter for the day

HURTLING through town as cars parted like the Red Sea, I think I may have discovered the solution to beating Warrington's traffic jams!

However, while I got to try my hand at most things when invited to spend a day with the Red Watch at Warrington Station, road users will be pleased to hear that the firefighters were too well trained to let me behind the wheel!

After being kitted out in the regulation gear, my Monday morning began with parade and a quick briefing of the activities to come.

First up was a visit to Latchford to fit two free smoke alarms in a pensioner's home.

The crew had identified the possible dangers faced by a woman living on her own and explained how she could help make her home safer.

Next was a training exercise in the smoke house on Winwick Road, designed to recreate the experience of entering a property wearing full breathing apparatus.

I was shown how to look for a casualty using a thermal imaging camera and challenged to crawl into the building through a series of tight tunnels.

Firefighter Adam Fletcher had talked me through the equipment stored on the team's two fire engines and I was soon on board and on the way to my first job.

One risk for the fire service is that motorists often pull to one side expecting one engine, not two.

But arriving at the Pyramid arts centre restaurant in Palmyra Square, it became clear that the automated alarm was not a cause for concern, although I was pleased that the waitresses saw my new uniform.

Breaking for dinner, I was impressed with the camaraderie and team spirit between the firefighters, who really seemed to relish their working day.

Another training exercise saw us use the HAZMAT (Hazardous Materials) unit, to recreate the decontamination procedure after working in areas with dangerous chemicals.

Seeing the level of detail that goes into preparing how to respond to different scenarios is certainly reassuring.

And the speed with which we abandoned the exercise to quickly attend another call - this time a kitchen fire in Northway, Longford - could have been vital.

Thankfully, I am happy to report that neither alarm I attended was serious - in fact, I have a 100 per cent record!