Misfits, Dad's Army Types et al...
Discussion
In terms of national flooding there is a national asset register of declared teams available to the country, to be called upon by the fire brigade National Control Centre.
To be one of those teams there are very strict requirements. Teams are typed, type A doesn't really exist (it requires you to have your own helicopter amongst other things!), Type B is powered boats, type C is unpowered boats (usually inflatables used in slower moving water), type D is a wading team etc.
There are national standards set by DEFRA for the technicians and managers of those teams:
Level 1 is water awareness, a basic course for those working around water,
Level 2 is Swiftwater First Responder, the ability to self rescue, skills in shallow water working, basic boat handling and basic rope work
Level 3 is Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Technician, we're the guys who wear red helmets and do the majority of the rescues in a big flood, our training includes rescue swimming, rope systems, all sorts of stuff
Level 4 is Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator, operating powered boats in flash floods and swiftwater
Level 5 is Management of Flood & Water Related Incidents, the team manager's course.
We're audited, have to have continuous training (you could die pretty easily if you get it wrong in swiftwater, and about a grand's worth of PPE per person.
Amongst the declared teams on the national asset register are independent lifeboats such as ours, Maryport Rescue, Bay Rescue etc, lowland search teams, mountain rescue teams, RNLI flood teams plus some fire and rescue units have teams declared. On a big job you'll find teams from all over the country get called, in Cumbria in December we worked with Maryport, Merseyside fire and rescue, RNLI, Bay Rescue etc etc.
TL;DR Lowland search teams do a great job and are far from walting it up.
To be one of those teams there are very strict requirements. Teams are typed, type A doesn't really exist (it requires you to have your own helicopter amongst other things!), Type B is powered boats, type C is unpowered boats (usually inflatables used in slower moving water), type D is a wading team etc.
There are national standards set by DEFRA for the technicians and managers of those teams:
Level 1 is water awareness, a basic course for those working around water,
Level 2 is Swiftwater First Responder, the ability to self rescue, skills in shallow water working, basic boat handling and basic rope work
Level 3 is Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Technician, we're the guys who wear red helmets and do the majority of the rescues in a big flood, our training includes rescue swimming, rope systems, all sorts of stuff
Level 4 is Swiftwater and Flood Rescue Boat Operator, operating powered boats in flash floods and swiftwater
Level 5 is Management of Flood & Water Related Incidents, the team manager's course.
We're audited, have to have continuous training (you could die pretty easily if you get it wrong in swiftwater, and about a grand's worth of PPE per person.
Amongst the declared teams on the national asset register are independent lifeboats such as ours, Maryport Rescue, Bay Rescue etc, lowland search teams, mountain rescue teams, RNLI flood teams plus some fire and rescue units have teams declared. On a big job you'll find teams from all over the country get called, in Cumbria in December we worked with Maryport, Merseyside fire and rescue, RNLI, Bay Rescue etc etc.
TL;DR Lowland search teams do a great job and are far from walting it up.
Some Gump said:
^ IMO Mountain rescue / lowland rescue divers / Coastguard types have nothing whatsoever in common with fat men in ebay high viz stickering up a rusty Nissan patrol.
I take offence to that comment as a Patrol owner. As far as I was aware, if you don't own a Land Rover, then your not welcome in 4x4 Walt brigade. Edited by Prev on Wednesday 29th June 10:09
I am off to an event this week. I won't be in the Discovery Sport but my X-Reg MGF.
I will have a Hi-Viz vest. I think it has Thanes Water or Severn Trent on the back. I will have an electric tyre pump in the boot and a bottle of anti-freeze.
I see myself as potentially an agile, light weight, air-portable rapidly deployable responder.
I am 45. I have a greying beard and I'm not thin.
I'm tucking lots of boxes here.
I - because I am important.
Who do I report to please? Or do I just start bossing people about and assume authority.
Please advise.
I will have a Hi-Viz vest. I think it has Thanes Water or Severn Trent on the back. I will have an electric tyre pump in the boot and a bottle of anti-freeze.
I see myself as potentially an agile, light weight, air-portable rapidly deployable responder.
I am 45. I have a greying beard and I'm not thin.
I'm tucking lots of boxes here.
I - because I am important.
Who do I report to please? Or do I just start bossing people about and assume authority.
Please advise.
Proper Walt response is over and out* 
This thread... I didn't do enough work this afternoon. But I needed the pick me up. Amazing.
I miss my land rover but the pseudo-military speak is so accurate at events where certain people volunteer. They are the bane of my dad's life when he is roped in to help the village fete by my mum .. they turn up, put on a special hi vis and then proceed to mostly try and get free cakes from the charity cake stand for all their "hard work" at pointing people to the car park.
However I think my favourites are the special types who man one of the very large beer festivals I attend each year. Now I love a good beer, and I love the festival, but the particular type of volunteer at these types are amazing.
Required equipment is:
Orange hi-vis, worn on top of the orange event team polo shirt/jumper they are given which stands out anyway. (Nothing like a bit of redundancy)
Stout boots
gloves
a ludicrously large swiss army knife/Leatherman type thing (NOT a Victorinox or actual Leatherman/Gerber)
Duct tape
Radio
Massive beer gut
Ugly wife
All to ensure people don't lean on the herras fencing or move too quickly in the queue. But mostly to again, get the free beer tokens
I miss my land rover but the pseudo-military speak is so accurate at events where certain people volunteer. They are the bane of my dad's life when he is roped in to help the village fete by my mum .. they turn up, put on a special hi vis and then proceed to mostly try and get free cakes from the charity cake stand for all their "hard work" at pointing people to the car park.
However I think my favourites are the special types who man one of the very large beer festivals I attend each year. Now I love a good beer, and I love the festival, but the particular type of volunteer at these types are amazing.
Required equipment is:
Orange hi-vis, worn on top of the orange event team polo shirt/jumper they are given which stands out anyway. (Nothing like a bit of redundancy)
Stout boots
gloves
a ludicrously large swiss army knife/Leatherman type thing (NOT a Victorinox or actual Leatherman/Gerber)
Duct tape
Radio
Massive beer gut
Ugly wife
All to ensure people don't lean on the herras fencing or move too quickly in the queue. But mostly to again, get the free beer tokens
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 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.
Tango13 said:
RizzoTheRat said:
My Mrs is a fairly active CAMRA member and usually works on setup and the bars at local beer festivals as well as the GBBF in London...they all hate those stewards too 
Does the location that they are hanging around make them bar stewards?
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.
Willy Nilly said:
Is there a hierarchy with hi-viz re colour? There's blue, yellow, orange and battenburg, so which would Private Willy wear and which would General 4x4 Response wear?
Is there a hierarchy....? Rolls eyes...Did you not get the 184 page guide as part of your membership pack?
Anyway you can't just buy hi-viz and put it on! That would be like ordering a karate black belt over the Internet!
It has to be earned, the hard way. Time-served is the only route.
With one eye open on the phone sleep you must, my young padawan...mmmmm?
However since you have shown such an interest in this thread.....you may don a plain sleeveless hi-viz in yellow. No more than four strips of Velcro on the front and one, only one mind, reflective strip running across the back in the upper half of the vest.
This gives you very limited powers over ordinary members of joe public (as we affectionatly term them) so don't let it go to your head.
jdw100 said:
Willy Nilly said:
Is there a hierarchy with hi-viz re colour? There's blue, yellow, orange and battenburg, so which would Private Willy wear and which would General 4x4 Response wear?
Is there a hierarchy....? Rolls eyes...Did you not get the 184 page guide as part of your membership pack?
Anyway you can't just buy hi-viz and put it on! That would be like ordering a karate black belt over the Internet!
It has to be earned, the hard way. Time-served is the only route.
With one eye open on the phone sleep you must, my young padawan...mmmmm?
However since you have shown such an interest in this thread.....you may don a plain sleeveless hi-viz in yellow. No more than four strips of Velcro on the front and one, only one mind, reflective strip running across the back in the upper half of the vest.
This gives you very limited powers over ordinary members of joe public (as we affectionatly term them) so don't let it go to your head.
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.
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.
Do you mean a fat old bird in a portaloo? With a king of fry ups banging on the door, shouting that there heated prawn curry from last night is moving rapidly?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.
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