Amazing Photos

[SteveDude]

A great slideshow of a crane Collapse in Croydon, London last weekend...the trapped workers were rescued by a Fire Rescue Unit (Rescue Co) Line Rescue Crew from London Fire Brigade...

Crane Collapse (http://www.sitbonzo.com/crane/)

[EFD840]

WOW!!!! :eek: :eek:

[len1582]

WOW is right...
Great stuff Steve, thanks

[dday05]

Glad to see the operator is ok. Interesting pics!

[RFxplr326]

Very interesting.
Thanks Steve.

[t0asty]

Reminds me of what happened in Bellevue (next to Seattle) last year. Still It is amazing to see.

[2andfrom]

Steve---If I had still been in the job

If I had still been stationed at H31 Croydon

If I had been on duty on this day


If I had been riding the E.T or Pump or P.Escape or operating the Ladders
I would have been on this job--imagine that!

Could have made the papers-or TV who knows? They could have made a series- a Steve Irwin of the LFB- I could have been a star!

[PaulGRIMWOOD]

Great link Steve .... the report stated a 'new' lines rescue technique! I remember back in the early 1980s when I was pushing London Fire Brigade Chiefs to get a line rescue team up and running after we struggled with a crane rescue when the operator suffered a heart attack. I had a running battle with them for several years over the viability of this project and remember well the two original fire officers who were then evaluating high-angle rescue options - Micky Pinchen and Pete Gwillam around 1985. It appears to have taken some 20 years to achieve this aim!

[SteveDude]

Paul,
I remember it well.... When we changed from Emergency Tenders to Fire Rescue Units in the early 90's we were ready to go with Line rescue, due to the extensive trails and skills acquired by those with an interest.... However, despite the size of the City and magnitude of the risks, it was decided, by those who have more of a political agenda that an Operational agenda... and despite the success of teams in similar Cities such as NYC that is was a non-starter.

Funnily enough, after the big wake up call that the LFB got following 9/11, all of a sudden we went from 5 FRU's (Rescue Co's) up to 10 then 16 and now they are trained to do just about everything because everyone realised no one else was prepared, equipped or capable of doing it???

[PaulGRIMWOOD]

So it took 9-11 to get London's FRU's increased to 16:eek: hey do you think there is any potential for getting our ladders back :D

[Landy01]

Great pics, thanks for posting them

[OneL1L]

Great series of photos. Amazing that the photographer was able to capture that.

For info on the Bellevue collapse that was previously mentioned, go here:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/crane/

Had the Bellevue collapse not happened on a Thursday night after work hours, it's certain that many, many people would've been killed. The crane caused a partial collapse of one building and fairly serious damage to two others when it fell. The fatality was a guy sitting in his apartment who basically had the end of the crane come through his roof and fall on him. Really, really tragic.

[mdcook]

SteveDude,
Thanks for the link to the narrated slide show. Very interesting.
Good job you Lads from London.