News release text
Two crews from Dartford and one from Swanscombe arrived at the scene and had to go into the building, wearing breathing apparatus, lay out equipment to carry out simulated firefighting and search and rescue activities enabling them to successfully locate and rescue three ‘casualties’ from a second floor accommodation block.
Exercise Director, Dartford Crew Manager, Julian Light, said: “Conditions in a burning building are usually extremely hot and very dark, which makes searching for casualties very arduous. It’s one of the most important and dangerous aspects of our job, not only for those trapped inside but also for our crews.
“The floor layout in the building was quite complex which is something that crews are frequently faced with but when a room is full of smoke, the visibility can be very poor and it’s easy to get disorientated. Our firefighters were put through their paces working as they usually would, in teams of at least two and carried out a search of the rooms, picking out landmarks such as windows, doors and furniture. This is invaluable to them in a real fire situation and helps them locate casualties and find their way safely out.
“We are grateful to the owners, staff and residents at Darenth Grange for providing us with a realistic training venue; it makes a huge difference and helps our crews keep their skills at the top of their game.”
Francis Nuttman, Director of DFA Care Ltd said: “Everybody at Darenth Grange is pleased to be able to support Kent Fire and Rescue Service by providing a venue in the community that they can use for training to hone their skills.”
The training exercise lasted for two hours and was carried out with no disruption to the residents.
