Mark Hannant
The wail of sirens cut through the whine of aircraft engines as two fire tenders sped past the static park and the hordes watching the flying display. On the third day of the Show this was no practice. Firefighters were on the scene in minutes but the adage 'no smoke without fire' proved wrong on this occasion.
Smoke had been reported belching from the Exhibitors Club behind Hall 5. When the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service investigated they found a rarely-used generator had been turned on and was producing smoke - but no fire.
The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has been on hand 24h a day from 17 July, the day verification began, and will be until next Monday when the show has finished. There have been no major incidents this year, nothing more than a minor gas leak and fires in dustbins. But the service, which ensures the safety of visitors and exhibitors alike, has spent many months planning and practising for an incident.
"We began our planning in November last year," says Gary Green, who has been here throughout the Show and will return to his regular post as station officer in Basingstoke after it's all over. We meet with the local authority, the aerodrome's own fire brigade, the ambulance service and the show organisers to plan our approach carefully. During the business days of the show there are two fire appliances and a Land-Rover on what's known as the domestic side of site. For the public days an extra two fire appliances are drafted in.
These complement the airside appliances positioned strategically around the airfield. "Thankfully there hasn't been a major flying incident since the crash of a Breguet Atlantique. We hope that will remain the case for many years to come."
Source: Flight Daily News
