Ipswich Dock cautionary tale.

Biggles Wader said:
No is the short answer.The ambulance service is part of the NHS and is therefore run like a factory production line rather than what you or I might think of as an emergency service.There simply would not be time or resources for staff to "familiarise" themselves with local areas as efficiency requirements mean they have to be flexible as where and when they work.The local area might therefore cover many hundreds of square miles.
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Do they still do major disaster exercises with trumpton and dibble? That sort of thing used to be done at places with space like docks, warehouses etc.
 
penfold said:
Do they still do major disaster exercises with trumpton and dibble? That sort of thing used to be done at places with space like docks, warehouses etc.
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There wont be any spare time for the front line operatives to do that sort of thing.These exercises do still happen but they seem to be for managers to get training rather than for the actual workers.There is a now quite famous quote from the ambulance controller on duty in London on the day of the tube bombings.Something like-----Ive got enough officers,please get me some ambulances.Sign of the times I suppose.
 
sailorman said:
Most car nav systems do not show "un digitized" roads so totally useless in your situation. a lat / long might have worked
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It is a difficult problem when many ambulance drivers do not come from Ipswich and the majority of people who do come from Ipswich don't know where it is either. Go to

http://www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk/publications.html and click on Wharves and Quays then scroll down to the last page. The only one I would quibble with is Black Wall as I have never heard of it before. Incidently we start our winter talks at UCS on Wednesday and you can join for a fiver. On Wednesday you can buy a meal too if you wish.

Toyboy
 
Cantata said:
Folk like the Coastguard (I was one until recently) regularly drive round their patch and familiarise themselves with the harder-to-reach areas in preparation for such incidents, especially difficult at night obviously. Around here I see the Fire Service doing the same thing. Never noticed ambulance crews cruising around doing this, though - do they?
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If the carrier is across the road it gives the impression of being the end of the road. I have never even seen the cops on South West Quay.

Toyboy
 
Brigantia said:
Not sure I quite understand the OP or the follow ups. And pardon me for being a bit sceptical about a new user starting his/her career on the forums with an axe to grind, or so it seems anyway

First query: Who was driving around Ipswich Docks "as usual" at 3:00am? And why were they being obstructed by security? Was it the OP or somebody else? Did they have authority / permission to be driving around the docks? ????

Second query? Why is the gate illegal? As far as I can ascertain, and I have tried to find out for myself, it is on private land where there is no public right of way. If that is not the case and it obstructs a PRoW the the local authority Highways Department should (and in my experience would) be all over the case like a rash.

The above queries aside, the OP does raise an interesting and safety critical point about crew members not being aware of where precisely they are in case of emergency. That has given me pause for thought as I suspect it's often the case when we're out and about. I nearly always make a point of the top page of the log or chart table notepad having our co-ordinates if we're anchored or which marina we're in clearly visible but it never occurred to me to add pier / berth details as well. Shall be doing so from now on!
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Sorry my opening post is an axe to grind. I have used the River Orwell and Gipping all my life as I live here and I am annoyed by ABP putting up unlawful gates and notices especially when I saw this distressed lady who had been on the phone for 38 minutes with her husband flat out on the floor and was getting nowhere until I chanced upon her. I was driving around the dock at 3am as I do most mornings when there is no traffic jamming up Ipswich and ABP do not like me doing that. It is a public area but the security guards get bored and some like to give me a hard time. The gate is on land owned by ABP but it is unlawful as it blocks a right of way and as for SCC being on top of rights of way obstructions, they often don't even know where the rights of way are even. Those they are informed of they often ignore if it means upsetting a large property developer such as in this case. SCC and IBC are virtually at war fighting for survival as on is destined to take over the other and the winner will probably be SCC but until then they are not gathering enemies. The thing that struck me about this situation is the lady knew how to switch on the navigation lights and yet apparently did not know how to use the VHF unless of course she was too distressed to think straight. In her position I hope my wife would go to ch 16 Thames Coast Guard for help as it appears to have been a life or death situation.

Toyboy
 
penfold said:
Do they still do major disaster exercises with trumpton and dibble? That sort of thing used to be done at places with space like docks, warehouses etc.
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I have seen the Fire Brigade practise with their hoses on Orwell Quay and I once saw the coastguard practising with RIBS but that is about it. I believe the area is very political as even the local newspaper want planning permission to develop it's site nearby and nobody is about to upset a monopoly news organisation during the present struggle for survival.

Toyboy
 
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