It’s 2am and expeditioners are awaking to the noises of alarms ringing and flashing lights within their rooms. A quick reaction by all is required to the alarm and the urgency of making their way to the allocated muster point, so they can be accounted for is understood by all. Everyone is in various codes of dress and all asking the same question, "What’s going on?”
The fire team respond promptly to the Fire Porch, to make themselves ready for whatever problem lays ahead. The Fire Chief is awaiting the information of this particular alarm and is already calculating what troubles the team may face. The chief knows their actions may mean saving the life of a fellow expeditioner or saving an important building, to sustain their continued existence in this harsh environment. The report comes back from our on-call Sparkie and it’s found the Operation Centre is the cause of the alarm.
Communications are established with the Station Leader, relaying information and advising the team is ready for action. The on-call team are made up of station expeditioners, who until this season, haven’t seen breathing apparatus, let alone wear a unit and have had very little exposure to fires or other emergencies. The training received back in Kingston, has allowed people to have a basic understanding of dangers associated with fire and the safest way of putting fires out, or as Monty Python would say, “Run-away”.
The team is lead out the door by their team leader, torches on, as it is pitch black and a slip on an icy surface could spell disaster of another kind, carefully they make their way. The team are instantly hit with traditional Mawson katabatic winds, as they make their way down the gravel pathway to the Operational Building (Heart of Mawson). They bravely battle the cold and gusting winds, to reach their destination, looking for the tell-tale signs of an active fire. To the Fire Chief's relief, there doesn’t appear to be the ominous orange glow of a raging fire.
The Fire Chief checks in with the Station Leader and report what they have seen and request permission to delve deeper into the building. The chief turns to his BA operators and give them the all clear to carry out further investigations. With their extinguishers and thermal camera at the ready, the two operators give the thumbs up and enter the building expecting trouble at every doorway. Good news, the visibility is clear, apart from the flashing lights within the building and the constant ring of alarm bells. Isolate the noise and check the alarm panel, to try and identify the location of the alarm. The operators welcome the silence of the bells and can start making their way towards the alarms point of origin. The problem is not over yet, checking openings as they work towards the alarm area, just to make sure no other issue is lurking in the shadows. Sweat trickles down the operators' backs, as they work hard to complete the task at hand, a silent look between the operators acknowledging they haven’t much further to go before locating the problem. On the outside of the building, the fire chief and remaining operators wait patiently for any communication from the inside team, these are tense moments but the team work well together and have the trust of the chief to get the job done.
At last, communication from the inside team, they located the cause of the alarm, a leak within the sprinkler system has created a low-pressure alarm, a sigh of relief from the chief and the team, no major fire to contend with today. The find is quickly reported to the waiting station leader and fellow Masonites, who are all very keen to return to their warm beds.
Thankfully, one of our trusty plumbers is on the BA team and knows what to do about this pesky leak and gets straight to work. The remainder of the team assist where they can, until they can all make the journey back to the fire porch. Getting back to the warmth of the main building is a welcome relief by the team and the mood lightens, jokes are rolling and the chief thanks the crew for a job well done again. They all welcome the non-event alarms but deep down they know, someday, a real event might present itself and they will look to the fire chief for guidance and assurances. The team are a well-oiled machine and trust each other to carry out their roles safely.
Fire is a real danger in the harsh Antarctic environment, we may not have grass and trees but the buildings in which we live and work, are an integral part of the community’s protection. The fire teams are incredibly important to protecting the station and strong friendships are forged while carrying out this important role, as you need to trust one another and know you are being looked after by your partner.
The seriousness of fire is not lost on the expeditioners, with extremely cold temperatures, limited water resources, no moisture in the air and highly flammable materials, any fire can have serious consequences to the station as a whole. Attempting to use the fire appliance (Hagg) and any attempt to run water through external hoses, more than likely will have the water freeze before getting to the BA operator. As a result, everyone on station is responsible for fire safety.
