Specialist lift rescue training recently provided by Caltech Lifts to a Dundee fire station proved to be very timely – when they were called out to three lifts within days!
A few weeks ago Caltech Managing Director, Andrew Renwick, received an unusual call for its expert help — from Debbie Feeney, Crew Manager of Green Watch at Blackness Fire Station. She asked if his firm would provide specialist lift rescue training for their fire officers.
Every month each watch tackles a different training topic and for July it was lifts. They were looking for someone to come and give a talk at their station, but Andrew thought it would be far better to bring the firefighters to some actual lifts in Dundee so Caltech could demonstrate emergency release training and show the general workings and features of lifts.
Emergency release
The firm also felt it was important the firefighters were trained on both hydraulic and traction lifts, as they’re very different in how they operate and how an emergency release is achieved.
Caltech’s next mission was to find appropriate lifts in Dundee where they could have 12 firefighters close enough to all see the training. It enjoys an excellent working relationship with Dundee City Council and when asked council officials were extremely keen to help. They allowed the firm to use the lifts in the car park at the new Olympia Swimming Centre and the lift at their Dundee East House on Pitkerro Road.
After both sites were checked for suitability by Caltech Managing Director Andrew Renwick and Watch Manager Serge Kabamba, the 12 firefighters and officers met with Caltech’s Technical Manager Paul Phillips and Senior Lift Engineer Dylan Wood at the new Olympia on July 31 for the morning’s training before moving on to Dundee East House .
‘Huge success’
Afterwards, Caltech was told the Fire Service deemed the training a huge success and many of the firefighters commented positively about how they’d gained valuable new information. Little did they realise they’d be using it on three separate callouts involving hydraulic lifts within days.
Speaking about the event, SFRS Watch Manager at Blackness Road Fire Station in Dundee, Serge Kabamba said: “Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is always looking for new ways to broaden the skill sets of its crews or to enhance existing skills. This event allowed us to do just that and provided us with an excellent opportunity to work with private sector business and our local authority partners in a constructive way.”
Partnership
Andrew Renwick added: “We’re very glad our training proved to be useful so soon. Many other lift companies charge for this but we think it’s important that as a local business we work in partnership with our local emergency services, so we provided the training free.
“The Fire Service in and around Dundee do a fantastic job and although being trapped in a lift can be scary, it’s actually a perfectly safe place to be unless the occupants become ill or have a panic attack.
“If we can provide some training which will allow firefighters to release trapped passengers with little or no damage to lifts, then it’s a huge bonus to our Dundee clients as well as meaning less time out of service and no repair bills!”
“We’d like to thank Dundee City Council for their invaluable support with this training session.