Heacham fire station hosts annual open day

Residents of a West Norfolk village learned some of the many life-saving skills of their firefighters on Saturday when the doors were opened for their community station’s annual open day.

The event in Heacham proved to be a popular attraction with not only adults but many children.

They took the chance to watch visiting cadets from Hunstanton be put through their paces in a training scenario showing how they would put out a fire.

This involved connecting with a water source, running out hoses, directing a jet of water at the seat of the fire and then emptying hoses of residue water prior to cleaning up after the incident.

Crew manager Guy Tavener said: “We’ve had a big turn out.

“It’s great to see the public and the community come together and really enjoy the show.”

Firefighters were on hand to explain how their wide range of equipment is used. Visitors got the chance to scramble aboard the vehicles and experience what it was like to sit behind the wheel of a real fire engine.

But firefighters do more than just extinguish fires. The Norfolk Fire Museum provided a static display of a typical road accident car showed how hydraulic equipment that has saved many lives over the years is used to rescue occupants.

On show were massive metal cutters often called the Jaws of Life and spreaders, used to force metal apart.

It was a display that also underlined what the fire service call the ‘fatal four’ causes of many road deaths: excessive speed, alcohol, use of mobile phones at the wheel and non use of seat-belts.

Youngsters dressed in, for them, oversized fireman’s kit were even able to experience what it was like to direct water from small but powerful hoses at a simulated fire in a car using a smoke generator.

Supporting the event were a range of stalls including Heacham in Bloom, a tombola with fire-service related toys as prizes, a plant stall and several competitions and displays.

Money raised from the event will go towards the Firefighters’ Charity, which helps firemen injured in the course of their work and their families.

Potential new cadets are always welcome and anyone interested between the ages of 13 and 18 should go along to the Hunstanton station on Wednesdays between 7 and 9pm.