In the last fortnight I visited Moulton Fire Station where I met Stephen Mold (Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire) and the Chief Fire Officer of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, Darren Dovey, as well as other officers and firefighters.
This visit presented me with the opportunity to hear about the different roles each member of the team does when a fire breaks out, and the specifics of how to fight a large fire. I was given a demonstration of a piece of equipment called ‘The Cobra’, a super high-pressure water hose which has the potential to reduce temperatures in a room from 800 degrees to 50 degrees in a matter of seconds due to the tiny size of water molecules used. The stream is so powerful that it can penetrate cut into hard surfaces.
This equipment’s speciality is its power; there is no need to send firefighters into a building to combat a fire because this hose has the capacity to break through walls. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue quickly saw its potential in saving lives and efficiently fighting fires, and was the very first fire service in the country to invest in one.
The Chief Fire Officer then invited me to go up in the ariel rescue cannon, which extends to a peak height of 28 meters! I was strapped in with a safety harness and lifted up with the expert guidance of one of the firefighters, reaching the full height of 28 meters to have a great view of Northampton.
I thank all of Northamptonshire’s firefighters for the work they do, providing exceptional public service to keep us safe, and I will continue to support them wherever I can.