Hoax call delays response to old people’s flats fire

A HOAX call by children cost firefighters an estimated five minutes in responding to a genuine call to old people’s flats.

Bexhill’s full-time fire crew had turned out to an abandoned call which had claimed there was a fire in Old Town when the genuine call was received.
Retained firefighters downed-tools at their day-time jobs and responded as did a full-time crew from Bohemia Road, St Leonards.
They found that food left on a stove in a flat at Glovers Court, Glovers Lane, Sidley, had overheated, filling the flat with smoke.
Four firefighters had to don breathing apparatus to get into the flat and deal with last Thursday lunch-time’s fire.
Two terriers rescued from the smoke-filled flat were successfully revived using oxygen from the firefighters’ breathing apparatus supply.
By the time Bexhill full-time crew arrived from the hoax call colleagues were beginning to clear the smoke from the flat with a positive-pressure ventilator.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue warns that hoax calls are no laughing matter and can cost lives.

Source: http://www.bexhillobserver.net/news/Hoax-call-delays-response-to.4349496.jp

Bexhill Observer – News 10:54 1-Aug-08

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