Environmental and Incident Support Unit

ENVIRONMENTAL and INCIDENT SUPPORT UNIT

On the 27th May 2010 an EISU was put on the run at Kilsyth for a six month trial period (May to November 2010). The vehicle is a Vauxhall Vivaro with a 500Kg Palfinger tail lift and carries 5 Pods, similar to the Hill Billy ESUs (Emergency Support Units which were later replaced with Transit RRUs). There are controls for the tail gate on the rear nearside and also on the tailgate there are two heavy duty foot switches which when used in the right combination allow the tail gate to be raised or lowered by the person standing on it. It is crewed by one person and doesn't travel on blues. Its function is to transport equipment in Pods to the incident scene drop off the required equipment then return to station and when the incident is over return to pick up the Pods. The vehicle carries 2 BA Pods, 1 Welfare Pod, 1 Salvage Pod, and 1 Lighting Pod. There is also equipment for Pollution and Spillage but no Pod so if this is required a Pod has to be emptied and the the Pollution and Spillage equipment put in that Pod. The EISU is available on request and is not on PDAs. The area it covers is North and South Glasgow and North and South Lanarkshire. The vehicle is fitted with a mobile phone and a Satellite Navigation Unit, no main scheme radio or VMDS but this might just be as it is a trial vehicle. During the trial all of the crew are paged and one man assigned to the EISU. Anytime there is only enough crew to man the Pump then the EISU is put off the run to keep the Pump on the run. If the trial is successful more EISUs may be put on the run throughout the Service's area but I would think using a Hi-Top vehicle as you can't stand up in this vehicle.

November 2010 the trial has been extended for another six months.

March 2011 another three PODS have been added two of which are Ground Monitors and the other Gas Suits. The Vehicle now has a crew of two.

The Pods are:

BA Pod 9 BA cylinders. One BA pod also has a BA Main Control Board.

Welfare Pod Bottled Water, Hot Cans and Wipes.

Salvage Pod Salvage sheets, Floodsax, Buckets, Mops and Squeegees.

Lighting Pod 4 Peli Lights (Rechargeable, 6 hour charge lasts 15 hours economy/8 hours high), stands, 110V Halogen Lamps which work off the outputs on Rescue Pumps.

Pollution & Spillage Pod Oils Socks, Chemical Socks. (This equipment is not on the vehicle and has to be put into a Pod which is then put on the EISU)

The above are some of the equipment in the Pods, not a detailed list of everything.

The first turn out for the EISU was on the 1st of June 2010 to an incident involving Acetylene cylinders in Kilsyth when the Welfare Pod was requested. It has also been deployed to supply the Lighting Pod to a school fire in Glasgow and has been turned out seven times in the three weeks it has been on the run.

Vehicle

SF58MVC Vauxhall Vivaro Kilsyth N13G4