Misfits, Dad's Army Types et al...
Discussion
Willy Nilly said:
I feel truly honored.
As a naive newcomer to the world of 4x4 Response, I have vision in my mind of Response HQ where women in a smokey room push little Land Rovers around a large map of the rescue site with them snooker cue things like they did in WW2 while a Bryl Creamed General listens to his crackling CB while puffing on a Woodbine and occasionally barking orders. Tell me this is true, tell me.
A photo of the HQ was posted a few pages back....can't tell you which page....OpSec you know!As a naive newcomer to the world of 4x4 Response, I have vision in my mind of Response HQ where women in a smokey room push little Land Rovers around a large map of the rescue site with them snooker cue things like they did in WW2 while a Bryl Creamed General listens to his crackling CB while puffing on a Woodbine and occasionally barking orders. Tell me this is true, tell me.
In any case it will take many years of service before you are allowed to visit Gold Command.
jdw100 said:
Shakermaker said:
To add to my earlier post... And having read this entire thread
I think I narrowly avoided becoming one of these types when I was a bit younger.
I was 18, and had just started a brand new summertime job eager to earn a few quid before heading to uni.
The issue was that this job was at Gatwick Airport. Oh my goodness, this is the kind of the place where the people described in the thread above are able to thrive, and worse, possibly breed.
Being young and naive, i was keen to make a good impression and do the job right, and so soon after my induction training I was off, with my access nearly all areas airport pass, a Hi vis jacket and a radio. I felt like Charlie big potatoes almost as soon as I worked out the basics of my job. People came to ask me things, and I knew the answer to these things, and of course, because I worked there, I was privy to seeing all the secret stuff that none of you lot get to see (unless you watched BBC Airport like seemingly everyone else in the 1990s... The secret stuff at Heathrow is nearly the same)
Thankfully, someone managed to steer me just off course of becoming 'that guy' before it was too late, but witnessing the airport staff it's clear that these people are regular inductees - they aren't actual security staff, but mandatory security knowledge gives them enough self belief that they can tell people not to do things 'for security reasons' and make overt displays of using their radio to call it all in, and using in many cases their own invented version of three letter acronyms and radio speak with their mates, to the bemusement of all others.
I understand where you are coming from.I think I narrowly avoided becoming one of these types when I was a bit younger.
I was 18, and had just started a brand new summertime job eager to earn a few quid before heading to uni.
The issue was that this job was at Gatwick Airport. Oh my goodness, this is the kind of the place where the people described in the thread above are able to thrive, and worse, possibly breed.
Being young and naive, i was keen to make a good impression and do the job right, and so soon after my induction training I was off, with my access nearly all areas airport pass, a Hi vis jacket and a radio. I felt like Charlie big potatoes almost as soon as I worked out the basics of my job. People came to ask me things, and I knew the answer to these things, and of course, because I worked there, I was privy to seeing all the secret stuff that none of you lot get to see (unless you watched BBC Airport like seemingly everyone else in the 1990s... The secret stuff at Heathrow is nearly the same)
Thankfully, someone managed to steer me just off course of becoming 'that guy' before it was too late, but witnessing the airport staff it's clear that these people are regular inductees - they aren't actual security staff, but mandatory security knowledge gives them enough self belief that they can tell people not to do things 'for security reasons' and make overt displays of using their radio to call it all in, and using in many cases their own invented version of three letter acronyms and radio speak with their mates, to the bemusement of all others.
Back in mid 90's I was involved in setting up a new high tech (especially for the area) factory in North Wales.
Once up and running and in production I was issued with an internal pager...clipped it on my belt. Then a pager linked to our freeze drying systems so any failure of equipment and I would be paged...on my belt. Then we had photo ID cards for restricted areas etc....on my belt. I was an early adopter of the mobile phone....yes you guessed it (to my shame) belt holster.....(kill me now).
I would swan around after work in my Next shirt and tie with these four items clipped to my person...bear in mind this was North Wales at that time so a lot of people were still amazed by seeing a mobile phone.
I felt I was mr mega important Charlie f
king big potatoes at 22 years old. Think Gareth from the office.....I waltzed into a take away one one summers day after work, ID badged and with my high tech laden belt bristling with gadgets.
A big Welsh chap day munching on a burger looked up and said "well you look like a proper
don't you?" Imagine that in a thick north welsh accent.He was right - I really did. I was deflated.....embarrassed....who was I trying to impress?
Had a good think about that and next day - left the ID card at work and the internal pager as well.
Had to keep the emergency pager on but stuck my mobile in a jacket pocket.
Whoever that guy was I probably owe him......
Over and out.
jdw100 said:
In any case it will take many years of service before you are allowed to visit Gold Command.
Is there a suitable level for Walts? What is below bronze? Maybe "rust" command? A hastily erected B&Q gazebo with a plastic table with someone half asleep, one eye watching their phone?Vaud said:
jdw100 said:
In any case it will take many years of service before you are allowed to visit Gold Command.
Is there a suitable level for Walts? What is below bronze? Maybe "rust" command? A hastily erected B&Q gazebo with a plastic table with someone half asleep, one eye watching their phone?I'm late to this one, but it has certainly amused me.
Can nobody simply offer a stuck fellow motorist a short tow without feeling the need to plaster their 4x4 in stickers and lights?
I live rural. I've managed to get stuck myself in a 2WD car, and been out and about in the pickup truck and if I happened across someone stuck, one simply offers them a tow. Once they're good you pull over, un-hitch the tow rope and they say "Thanks mate" and that's the end of it.
It's possible to be a decent human being without all the fantasy bullst that goes on.
Can nobody simply offer a stuck fellow motorist a short tow without feeling the need to plaster their 4x4 in stickers and lights?
I live rural. I've managed to get stuck myself in a 2WD car, and been out and about in the pickup truck and if I happened across someone stuck, one simply offers them a tow. Once they're good you pull over, un-hitch the tow rope and they say "Thanks mate" and that's the end of it.
It's possible to be a decent human being without all the fantasy bulls
t that goes on.Jamie, you're doing it wrong. You need a go-pro camera and the ability to load it to You Tube. How else will anyone know of your selfless acts.
And I'm concerned you haven't mentioned a risk assessment, nor any course you may have attended.
You're going to tell us all your married and don't live with your mum and neither do you wear rapists glasses.
And I'm concerned you haven't mentioned a risk assessment, nor any course you may have attended.
You're going to tell us all your married and don't live with your mum and neither do you wear rapists glasses.
austinsmirk said:
Jamie, you're doing it wrong. You need a go-pro camera and the ability to load it to You Tube. How else will anyone know of your selfless acts.
And I'm concerned you haven't mentioned a risk assessment, nor any course you may have attended.
You're going to tell us all your married and don't live with your mum and neither do you wear rapists glasses.
Yeah what an amateur!And I'm concerned you haven't mentioned a risk assessment, nor any course you may have attended.
You're going to tell us all your married and don't live with your mum and neither do you wear rapists glasses.
I was laughing so hard at this, here in the North West Sector 7 Ops command room, that my mum had to pop her head round the door and remind me it's lights out after 22:00.
Shakermaker said:
Vaud said:
jdw100 said:
In any case it will take many years of service before you are allowed to visit Gold Command.
Is there a suitable level for Walts? What is below bronze? Maybe "rust" command? A hastily erected B&Q gazebo with a plastic table with someone half asleep, one eye watching their phone?jdw100 said:
Shakermaker said:
Vaud said:
jdw100 said:
In any case it will take many years of service before you are allowed to visit Gold Command.
Is there a suitable level for Walts? What is below bronze? Maybe "rust" command? A hastily erected B&Q gazebo with a plastic table with someone half asleep, one eye watching their phone?and despite the piss taking the gold-silver- bronze command levels is legit ( the reason the 'metals' are used is becasue it;s rank / grade insensitive - it is entirely normal for a PC or 'ordinary' Paramedic/ tech to be a bronze commander at a modest event / small multi casualty incident - but trumpton can;t even check a hydrant out without a supervisory grade present ) rank / grade of commanders amy also change depending on the scale / size of the incident / event.
gold command is also really quite boring ... off site usually in one of the 999 services command centres/ Highways Agency control room or the boardroom of an organisation involved in the incident ...
mph1977 said:
gold command is also really quite boring ... off site usually in one of the 999 services command centres/ Highways Agency control room or the boardroom of an organisation involved in the incident ...
A few people got a bit excited when I fell off my chair (really should stop leaning back on chairs), caught the plug for the router with my foot and took down the entire network for a gold HQ. Luckily it was a training exercise not a real emergency and I managed to get the network back before too many people spotted it 
I'm thinking about starting Small Hatchback Response. I have unfettered access to a small, Japanese hatchback and would willingly sleep with one eye on the phone, quite possible gripping my pillow tight, in case anyone needed rushing to the shops or their nan picking up from the doctors.
Willy Nilly said:
I'm thinking about starting Small Hatchback Response. I have unfettered access to a small, Japanese hatchback and would willingly sleep with one eye on the phone, quite possible gripping my pillow tight, in case anyone needed rushing to the shops or their nan picking up from the doctors.
My gran would struggle to get into a standard hatchback now, too low down.Would need a mini MPV type thing so she doesn't do her hips in!
When we had some serious Christmas flooding a couple of years ago, my wife's train back from london couldn't get to Horsham so I 'braved' driving along the well lit roads in the rain, carefully avoiding all the big puddles in my Mondeo of the time.
When i go to three bridges where the train had stopped, I kindly offered three people a lift with me who needed to get to Horsham as well to save waiting for a taxi, took a grandma, mum and child who looked like they needed it and we're glad of the offer
Should I have put some battenburg and lights on the Mondeo to do this?
Shakermaker said:
Willy Nilly said:
I'm thinking about starting Small Hatchback Response. I have unfettered access to a small, Japanese hatchback and would willingly sleep with one eye on the phone, quite possible gripping my pillow tight, in case anyone needed rushing to the shops or their nan picking up from the doctors.
My gran would struggle to get into a standard hatchback now, too low down.Would need a mini MPV type thing so she doesn't do her hips in!
When we had some serious Christmas flooding a couple of years ago, my wife's train back from london couldn't get to Horsham so I 'braved' driving along the well lit roads in the rain, carefully avoiding all the big puddles in my Mondeo of the time.
When i go to three bridges where the train had stopped, I kindly offered three people a lift with me who needed to get to Horsham as well to save waiting for a taxi, took a grandma, mum and child who looked like they needed it and we're glad of the offer
Should I have put some battenburg and lights on the Mondeo to do this?
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