Military crews wait for fire call

Geraint Williams, pictured right, with the Red Goddess

Endless waiting and checking equipment - which took just the first hour of their 10-hour shift - meant a restless day for the army and RAF personnel on Blue Watch as the first day of the fire strike started.

The Bridgend watch began at 0900GMT but it was 1500GMT when the first 999 call rang through the hall.

The military crews' hours of training at one of the temporary stations at Litchard Cross was soon put to the test with the call from the operations control centre base on the other side of town.

Senior aircraftsman Geraint Williams:' Waiting is the worst thing'

With police sirens blaring the new Red Goddess, a Green Goddess and a breathing apparatus team were despatched to a nearby house fire.

Minutes before their departure one of the crew members, Geraint Williams, talked about his new role covering this part of south Wales for the next eight days.

"I don't feel the pressure or stress, we have got to just do it," said Geraint, originally from Neath.

The 28-year-old's normal job would be in the engine bay at RAF Odiham in Hampshire but since last week he has been a temporary firefighter, first seeing action in Cardiff.

He works with a crew of seven others on the Red Goddess vehicle - or Red Fire Engine - which they prefer to call it.

Last week's 24-hour stoppage saw him attend a car fire in Cardiff city centre which came in just one hour after he started his shift.

Two Red Goddesses are based in South Wales

"I was quite nervous for the first job, I was in the back with the crew when we went out," he said.

"It was a car fire in an urban area so we had to deal with it quickly but there was no-one hurt.

"When I saw the Green Goddess and you were told how old they are I thought 'what have we got here' but they are reliable," he said.

The Blue Watch crew has had about a day and a half of training on the new Red Goddess, which is 14 years old.

"We have had what I would say is a conversion course, it is the same basically but we had a course just to familiarise ourselves with it," said Geraint Williams.

The Blue Watch crew has to do 12-hour shifts, swapping over with Red Watch for the nights.

Blue Watch crew wait for their call

At the end of their shift Williams and his fellow temporary firefighters will be taken back by minibus to RAF St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.

He thought his time in south Wales might have meant some time to see his family back in his home town but the long shifts have put a stop to any thoughts of visits home.

Station officer at RAF St Athan, Flight Sergeant Robin Jackson said he was pleased to take delivery of the red Goddess, one of two engines deployed to Raglan and Bridgend.

"They're obviously quicker," he said.

He said the Red Goddess can be brought into use a lot quicker, has better hose reels and can carry more water.

Last Friday's strike saw the crews in Bridgend deployed to a house fire, a barn fire and a road traffic accident.

"The worst thing is the waiting"

Flight Sergeant Robin Jackson

"The Red Goddess is a better asset, there's no argument about that," said the flight sergeant.

Speaking minutes before the 999 call, Flight Sergeant Jackson said the men - and two female firefighters - were keeping themselves busy checking their equipment, watching television and playing table tennis.

But for him, and the crews, listening for the call is something they will have to get used to.

"The worst thing is the waiting," he said.