Which base did you do your training at ?
It used to be at Horsea, right out on a little spit of land.
I remember how it could be a sweltering hot July day, and yet it was always bloody well freezing cold.
It’s a minor miracle of modern physics, how is it possible to be bordering on hypothermia whilst firefighting in an enclosed space, in fearnought suit and breathing appuratus in the middle of summer ?
It doesn’t seem to get any colder in winter either, its just frigging cold all year around.
Did you do the search and rescue (SAR) exercises, where they black out the visor on your BA and you have to locate and rescue casualty in a smoke logged compartment with a tray of diesel fuel buring away in the corner ?
That is quite stressful, personally I always found the worst routine was going into a smoke logged comartment with no BA, crawling on a cold wet dirty concrete floor, dragging a 2 gallon gas/water extinguisher alongside, and then having to wait until the last of your group of 5 gets into position, and then you are allowed to attack the fire.
Crap in your eyes, nose, ears, and it takes days for it all to wash out, which reminds me, why was the shower room so bloody cold, and yet the tiny trickle of water from the showers so frigging hot, a choice of freeze or boil at the same time.
The canteen didn’t exist, lunch was just a packed meal from your own ships canteen.
When you get back to your own place, you are tired, cold, dirty, hungry, your eyes are sore, and you’ve probably bashed a few fingers, ankles, shins on hard stuff, which you won’t notice until the following morning all at once, you’ll be lucky to get back without any black fingernails.
Ah, the joys of RN firefighting training.
The damage conrtol training is differant, takes place at the same location, you get far wetter, and much colder, but not as dirty - more squashed digits, bashed heads, scraped shins and big splinters from the shoring up beams.
Take my tip, bring at least three sets of spare clothing and woolly hats.
Such fun.
