Kildare Fire Service complete Tower exercise in Maynooth town to train for the possibility of high-rise fires

By Kim O'Leary

A year on from the tragic Grenfell tower fire in the UK where 72 people lost their lives and the recent Metro Hotel/apartments fire in Ballymun in Dublin, firefighters from Co Kildare have carried out a 'Tower exercise' to train themselves so that they would be prepared in the event of a fire in a tall building.

Fires in tall buildings are particularly dangerous for firefighters as they also have to carry their heavy gear and equipment as well as to ensure that all inhabitants have been evacuated from the building.

In a social media post, Kildare Fire Service confirmed the recent training exercise, saying: "In Kildare, we have 2 hydraulic platforms (truck mounted platforms) which are based in both the north and centre of the county and can be called upon at any time for any height-based task. Occupied throughout the academic year with students and summer course/ Erasmus students during the summer period, Kildare Fire Service worked along side MU’s Health and Safety officer Brendan Ashe to co-ordinate an exercise to which would replicate an emergency on the 6th floor. The conditions were set that security were able to search floors 1 to 5 and there were no casualties or persons reported on these floors. KE14 (Maynooth) Alpha 1 (Main Appliance), Kilo 1 (Tanker) and Juliet 1 (Fire Jeep) were first to arrive on scene, shortly followed by KE16 A1 (Leixlip). Station officer Eoin Matthews of Maynooth was incident commander for the exercise and following his D.R.A of the scene, issued roles to the firefighters."

The firefighters' first job was to connect into the dry risers, which were located to the rear of the building in question. 1.4. Alpha 1 and Kilo 1 were brought around here and immediately set to work connecting into the building. A hydrant was also fed to the tanker, the tanker then fed the Alpha, and 2 lines were attached to the riser to ensure that enough water pressure could be pumped through the building.

And while this was being carried out, a bridgehead was being set up on the 4th floor, 2 floors beneath the fire floor. The crew brought up several hoses, spare cylinders and other ancillary equipment that may have been necessary to complete the task.

Hydraulic platform in use

9 story apartment block in Maynooth University

Dry Riser at rear of apartment block

The firefighters' first port of call was to connect into the dry risers, which were located to the rear of the building in question. 1.4. Alpha 1 and Kilo 1 were brought around here and immediately set to work connecting into the building. A hydrant was also fed to the tanker, the tanker then fed the Alpha, and 2 lines were attached to the riser to ensure that enough water pressure could be pumped through the building.

Crews taking equipment to the relevant areas

While this was being carried out, a bridgehead was being set up on the 4th floor, 2 floors beneath the fire floor. The crew brought up several hoses, spare cylinders and other ancillary equipment that may have been necessary to complete the task.

Crews bringing equipment to the bridgehead inside the building

Firefighters lift was used to aid firefighters equipment

BA members were tasked then to connect a 70mm hose to the dry riser on the 4th floor (Bridgehead) and this then fed 2x 45mm lines off a dividing breach. Once everything was connected and brought to the fire floor, the call was made for “Water On” which charged through the building and onto the lines for firefighters to enter the compartment fire.

A search and rescue procedure was initiated throughout the apartment consisting of 5 rooms. 2 teams of 2 entered the apartment with 1 team on each wall, left and right. Each room was thoroughly checked whilst constantly reporting back to ECO located at the bridgehead. A casualty was then found within the kitchen/ common area of the apartment and retrieved by one of the BA teams to safety.

Casualty located on the 6th floor

Kildare Fire Service said: "Whilst this was only a training exercise, and all the conditions were favourable to the firefighters eg. no heat or smoke from fire, 100% visibility, daytime etc. However beneficial to the firefighters, there were also extremely valuable points and lessons learnt throughout the drill. Knowing where hydrants were, use of the emergency roads, firefighters lift, key cards for opening doors, layout of the building, these were all contributing factors towards gaining more knowledge about this building and site. It was also of great benefit to Brendan and the safety members of Maynooth University to understand how and what the fire service may need, should an incident occur and vice versa."

Debrief between senior officers and firefighters

A debrief was held following the exercise to give each of the firefighters a chance to voice opinions on ways that could improve things during a real incident. Also in attendance was SACFO Niall O’Riordan, ACFO Niall Burke and S/O Nigel Tobella of Newbridge who were able to overlook the incident as a whole and deliver valuable feedback on where, and what, we as a service could improve in the future.

According to Kildare Fire Service; "A drill like this is imperative for the fire service to keep up to date with local structures and ensure confidence in the community to which our stations deliver to. Overall, this was an extremely important exercise for both the Fire Service and Maynooth University to understand more about the processes involved in an emergency situation. The Fire service appreciated the time it took to set up the exercise in the college and the members of staff who assisted in the planning and implementation of the drill."