Firefighters: Banned from climbing ladders

[Slowpoke]

Barmy: Firefighters have been banned from scaling ladders for health and safety reasons. If there was so much as a cat stuck in a tree, the firefighters of Ampthill would be up their ladders in a trice. But now they have been told they cannot even bring down old festival bunting... because that would be too dangerous.

The crews have been barred from cleaning up after their community's Gala Day, which took place in early July. The annual event is always marked with colourful bunting throughout the Bedfordshire market town. In previous years officers have pitched in afterwards to help take it down. But this year, nearly four months after the event, the bunting is still in place.

Councillor Mark Smith, the former mayor, said: "The reason the festival bunting is still up arises from the fact that due to local health and safety advice the local fire brigade is unable to take the bunting down."

Councillor Smith has apparently received complaints that the flags are now getting a bit tatty. On an online forum, where Ampthill residents air their views about the town, some say they are exasperated with the situation. Resident Charlie Garth said: "I'm sure our brave firemen aren't frightened about falling off a little ladder. They have never looked afraid of heights to me."

Deputy chief fire officer Graeme Smith said: "Yes it sounds like the world has gone mad. Firefighters will climb ladders to rescue people from burning buildings but not to remove bunting after a festival.

"But one is a 999 job where, in order to save lives, we will take calculated risks. The other is a maintenance job which is covered by standard health and safety rules which we would have to abide by, the same as everyone else.


http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_03/AmpthillFireLogoL_468x287.jpg

Ampthill station: Firefighters banned from climbing ladders, "That could mean closing the road and using a platform to reach the bunting. "Unfortunately if we went down that route people might ask why we are paying firefighters to use our top-level rescue equipment to remove a few flags, when a local contractor could do the job just as well."

It is not the first time firefighters have fallen foul of health and safety laws. In August 2006, staff at Devon fire brigade were told to use the stairs instead of sliding down their poles - in case they hurt themselves. Health and safety officials decided the poles were a hazard despite them being used to shave off vital seconds for 130 years.

As a result, Devon's newest fire station - the £ 2.4million Greenbank station in Plymouth - was built without one - leaving officers flabbergasted. At the time, Station officer Ken Mulville said: "I would say it takes about a second and a half to slide down the pole, as opposed to 15 or 20 seconds to run down two flights of stairs - but those seconds could be critical."

Gloucestershire Fire Brigade was the first in Britain to ban its firemen from using their poles in 2002 after taking into account European safety directives. And poles in Cheltenham fire station were sealed behind padlocked doors and firemen's beds moved downstairs so they respond more quickly to latenight call-outs.

In December 2005, fire crews in Merseyside were also banned from going running – in case they injured themselves and claimed damages. The order was imposed after colleague Gavin Bassie, 38, won £100,000 for injuries sustained when he slipped as he was running at his base. Firefighters were then told: "All forms of running as part of physical training will be prohibited for all service personnel until further notice."

erm, what the hell!

[Nemo]

i think its ok as long as they can for 999 calls, so its ok...

[GommeInc]

That's stupid, what is health and safety trying to really prevent? If they fall over, they can go to the hospital if they have major damage. If they try to sue God knows who, stick your middle finger up at them "/

[Slowpoke]

Health and Safety is unbelieveable these days. Worlds gone mad tbh.

[alex 1889]

who will saves the cats???

[Mrchins]

they're stupid imo.

[Jamesy]

It's at times like this that I really hate being in the UK. Sure we have good(ish) services but the god damned red tape streaming from London is driving me mad. If I want to climb a tree I'm going to go climb a tree. There are limits to how for these stupid health and safety know nothings can go, sure maybe sometimes they are useful. If I was a fire fighter I would bloody use my ladder and do my job instead of letting a bunch of idiots tell me that what firefighters have done for the past 500 years is now suddenly unsafe.

*angry*

[VPSwow]

That is just daft lmao.

[Jamesy]

yay I made a long contribution :)

[xxMATTGxx]

Sorry but whats next? They can't go into burning houses to put out fires due to "Health and Safety" what is the world coming to.

[Jamesy]

this is what it is coming to:

http://www.nortonprocleaning.com/Media/Documents/S0000000000000001051/Sponge%20Pads%20-%20Cellulose%20Sponge.jpg

[Technologic]

Health and safety officals make these stupid rules because insurance companies have increased the cost of insurance incase they get sued...

[Jamesy]

Well maybe if the government got a backbone and actually said no perhaps we wouldnt be in the PC slop that we are in now.

Remember that boy who drowned while 2 "cops" watched?

[-:Undertaker:-]

All I can say is.

That's the UK for you!

[Charlie]

They are FIREFIGHTERS, they go into burning buildings to save people and they can't even climb a ladder? How stupid.

[Jamesy]

All I can say is.

That's the UK for you!

Agreed. And I'm swinging towards conservative, I don't like gordon brown and David cameron been making some good policies lately...

(my friends think I'm strange for being interested in pollitcal happenings)

[reindeer.]

I sure there firefighters wouldn't give a **** if they fell off a ladder - if they volunteered to do it then they're aware of what might happen and what the dangers could be. They take their own responsibility. If I was one of these firemen I would climb up there and do it in my spare time. If they can climb a LONGER ladder up to the roof of a BURNING BUILDING, then go inside, GRAB SOMEONE, sling them OVER THEIR SHOULDER, then CLIMB BACK DOWN the ladder, then I'm sure they can climb a seven foot ladder to grab some banners. Dear me, what is going on with the world?

[&]

It's at times like this that I really hate being in the UK. Sure we have good(ish) services but the god damned red tape streaming from London is driving me mad. If I want to climb a tree I'm going to go climb a tree. There are limits to how for these stupid health and safety know nothings can go, sure maybe sometimes they are useful. If I was a fire fighter I would bloody use my ladder and do my job instead of letting a bunch of idiots tell me that what firefighters have done for the past 500 years is now suddenly unsafe.

*angry*
Firefighting IS unsafe :).

H&S is just ridiculous these days/

[CrazyColaist]

its stupid

wot happens if i woz in that building in stevenage (which cort fire) and i couldnt get down stairs den wot?!

[Jamesy]

stairs would be banned, they have sharp corners and you can fall down them. no wait. ban gravity. thats what causes a lot of health and safety problems. no wait, mass genocide, if they are already dead they can't get hurt!

*showing how far it could go*

[Kross619]

Play it out

Burning kid:Help!!!!

Firefighter:I'm coming for ya, lad! *Grabs ladder*

Health and Safety:I hope you aren't planning on climbing that!

FF:There's a wee kid burning up there i have to save him!

BK:AAAARGH!

H+S:Did you know that the average taxpayer pays £1,000,000,000 extra each year for firefighters who risk the safety of themselves and others.

BK:*dies*

FF:You M****rF****r *Hits health and safety guy with ladder*


Innocent lives put at risk to save a few quid and buy PM Brown a few new Jags, nothing is worth that price!

[Jamesy]

Gordon brown will be booted out next election.

[Kross619]

But, we'll have to put up with him until then, David Cameron FTW!!

[GommeInc]

It's at times like this that I really hate being in the UK. Sure we have good(ish) services but the god damned red tape streaming from London is driving me mad. If I want to climb a tree I'm going to go climb a tree. There are limits to how for these stupid health and safety know nothings can go, sure maybe sometimes they are useful. If I was a fire fighter I would bloody use my ladder and do my job instead of letting a bunch of idiots tell me that what firefighters have done for the past 500 years is now suddenly unsafe.

*angry*
Exactly, the UK is a stupid country now. I am amazed other countries aren't mocking us as much as they should do.

If you broke your leg, it is your fault and if you don't want to do it again, you won't. Why prevent someone from climbing a tree when if they are mentally scarred from it, they won't do it again anyway? In schools, did you know that you cannot blow up your own balloons using a helium cannister, because it is against health and safety? Did you know that you can't do fun charity events like tying each to each other or making a slippery ground surface for people to wrestle on, because of H and S? It's rediculous, and doesn't solve anything. If you try to sue a park because you climbed a tree and fell from it, it is your fault and you should probably be sued for wasting their time.

I hope you didn't mind me using your tree climbing example, iSucks :P

[Virgin Mary]

waits for them to ban firefighters from going near fires......

[Plank]

is it only in a certain place? because they still use them in my area.

[Jamesy]

Exactly, the UK is a stupid country now. I am amazed other countries aren't mocking us as much as they should do.

If you broke your leg, it is your fault and if you don't want to do it again, you won't. Why prevent someone from climbing a tree when if they are mentally scarred from it, they won't do it again anyway? In schools, did you know that you cannot blow up your own balloons using a helium cannister, because it is against health and safety? Did you know that you can't do fun charity events like tying each to each other or making a slippery ground surface for people to wrestle on, because of H and S? It's rediculous, and doesn't solve anything. If you try to sue a park because you climbed a tree and fell from it, it is your fault and you should probably be sued for wasting their time.

I hope you didn't mind me using your tree climbing example, iSucks :P



Not at all, I feel honoured :)

Back on topic to above, yes that will happen. Unfortunatly there is one place where al lthis H&S crap came from, usually where we get all our fads from, the US. I am in no way blaming the US but for the stereotype amercians usually sue anything that moves. So people over here begin doing at and we end up in the god awful mess we are in now. I've been hurt before and you learn from it. Wrap children in cotton wool, not only do they miss out on important skills and joys of life but they are more prone to disease and problems later in life. Let kids be kids. however we shouldn't go to the complete opposite side of the scale though.We still need some important health and safety for just that. Health and safety. But, THEY SHOULD STOP WRAPPING THE WHOLE COUNTRY IN THE COTTON WOOL THAT THEY USE EQUALLY AS MUCH IN IMMIGRATION MATTERS.

[Virgin Mary]

It's all the ***** adults, they're like "i fell over =[ NOW I GT £1328389 COMPENSATION >=]!!!!"

[Recursion]

That is just totally rediculous!

[GommeInc]

Not at all, I feel honoured :)

Back on topic to above, yes that will happen. Unfortunatly there is one place where al lthis H&S crap came from, usually where we get all our fads from, the US. I am in no way blaming the US but for the stereotype amercians usually sue anything that moves. So people over here begin doing at and we end up in the god awful mess we are in now. I've been hurt before and you learn from it. Wrap children in cotton wool, not only do they miss out on important skills and joys of life but they are more prone to disease and problems later in life. Let kids be kids. however we shouldn't go to the complete opposite side of the scale though.We still need some important health and safety for just that. Health and safety. But, THEY SHOULD STOP WRAPPING THE WHOLE COUNTRY IN THE COTTON WOOL THAT THEY USE EQUALLY AS MUCH IN IMMIGRATION MATTERS.
Americanisms are dreadful, they should be kept in that country so that we can have a enjoyable life again. Another thing which I find stupid is bacteria killers like detol that kill 99.9% of all germs... Don't people realise that getting ill from most of those germs builds up your immune system?! Kids are healthier, true, but when they are older they're going to seriously get ill when they forget to use their precious Dettol. When I was little, people only got slightly ill, a sniffle there etc, now you see children who have to stay at home because they're burning up, all because of their crappy immune system which has Dettol etc to blame.

ANYWAY, back on topic about Health and Safety...

Did you know you can't cook your own biscuits and cakes for college/school charity events? They have to be strictly from a super market/baker.

[Jamesy]

Americanisms are dreadful, they should be kept in that country so that we can have a enjoyable life again. Another thing which I find stupid is bacteria killers like detol that kill 99.9% of all germs... Don't people realise that getting ill from most of those germs builds up your immune system?! Kids are healthier, true, but when they are older they're going to seriously get ill when they forget to use their precious Dettol. When I was little, people only got slightly ill, a sniffle there etc, now you see children who have to stay at home because they're burning up, all because of their crappy immune system which has Dettol etc to blame.

ANYWAY, back on topic about Health and Safety...

Did you know you can't cook your own biscuits and cakes for college/school charity events? They have to be strictly from a super market/baker.

Ha! I'm very luck to go to what I think are one of the most anti government ******** high-schools, and middle school a while ago too. We had conkers matches organised by the teachers! it is ********. Instead of teaching us about health ans safety why don't they le us get some god damned experience in school learning life skills? Sure algerbra is all fun and good :rolleyes:, but learning to cook is kind of important for like... you whole life? Again back on tpic (bad at this aren't we?) it is stupid. Said it many times, those firefighters should give them the finger and do there jobs like they volunteered to. Soon we ar going to lose all passion we have in this coutry (what little is left) and become another greyed out little boresville like I don't know where.

Rue brittania, britannia... oh crap, I'm sorry. I'm now sued because of a terrorist's human rights to not like that song. :rolleyes:

[GoldenMerc]

That looks very alike to Kenilworth's fire department its wierd lol

[-:Undertaker:-]

The Health and Safety crap (Political Correctness) isn't from the US, it comes from morons in our government and the lovely EU.

[Browney]

Americanisms are dreadful, they should be kept in that country so that we can have a enjoyable life again. Another thing which I find stupid is bacteria killers like detol that kill 99.9% of all germs... Don't people realise that getting ill from most of those germs builds up your immune system?! Kids are healthier, true, but when they are older they're going to seriously get ill when they forget to use their precious Dettol. When I was little, people only got slightly ill, a sniffle there etc, now you see children who have to stay at home because they're burning up, all because of their crappy immune system which has Dettol etc to blame.

ANYWAY, back on topic about Health and Safety...

Did you know you can't cook your own biscuits and cakes for college/school charity events? They have to be strictly from a super market/baker.

On a different but slightly related note, my sister was told to eat nuts during her pregnancy. At first, they believed eating nuts caused an allergy to the baby in later life but they've now found that if you eat nuts then your baby will build a resistance to the allergies. Thus there's been an increase in children with peanut allergies.

At our last sports day we weren't allowed sack races because of health and safety. We ended up using bin liners anyway. Good old lazy attitude techers, eh? ;)

[GommeInc]

The Health and Safety crap (Political Correctness) isn't from the US, it comes from morons in our government and the lovely EU.
It is strongly related to Amercans even if it didn't come from there. What other country sues someone else for something very trivial?! Is being P.C. actually realted to Health and Safety? Because I didn't know you're health and safety is down to being politically correct?

Health and safety is stupid, if they've disallowed students to do a sack race... Wouldn't bin liners be crap? You'll tear them easily "/

[Browney]

Ha yeah, by the end people could just run because their feet ripped through.

[lAdmire]

That's dumb. Suppose there is someone trapped on the roof of a burning building? Suppose it's not possible for them to jump unless a ladder is used? Some laws countries come up with are so stupid. I wonder who came up with this one. In order for a firefighter to do their job effectively, a ladder is definitely needed. Imagine how many people will die because of a dumb law like this.

[PaulMacC]

Cats better watch out, if they get stuck in a tree, there doomed!

[stratosphere]

This is worse crap than what I do in the toilet.

[DeejayMachoo$]

what if they need to get a cat off a tree?

[Jamesy]

This is worse crap than what I do in the toilet.


Bashing the Bishop isn't a bad thing...

[dannyismazin]

bit stupid

[Misawa]

Sod England.

[Nereo]

this could possibly the most stupidest thing i have ever heard