Fire chief fights school blaze as crews strike

The county’s chief fire officer was forced to lead a makeshift crew during yesterday's strike after a blaze broke out at a primary school.

Leicestershire's top fireman Dave Webb, who has not manned a pump since the 1980s, took charge at Mercenfeld Primary School when a fierce blaze destroyed classrooms and threw plumes of black smoke into the sky.

The fire broke out at the building in Oakfield Avenue, Markfield, at about 2.15pm - during a four-hour strike by the county’s fire service.

It meant just 40 staff and a small unit of eight engines were left to cover the whole of Leicestershire and Rutland.

They were led by Mr Webb, who donned breathing apparatus and directed fellow firemen at the Markfield scene as flames tore through the school.

His skeleton crew consisted of a handful of senior fire officers, many of whom had not handled a hose for a number of years.

Mr Webb said: “The crew fighting the fire were all a little more hands on then they’re used to.

“Don’t get me wrong, they’ve all been given training to refresh them, but they haven’t been hands on for a while.

“For me, it’s been about 30 years - but my role was more of a command function. I’m still the boss.”

Mr Webb said it was thought the school’s solar panels caused the fire, but that investigations were ongoing.

“It was an extremely hot fire,” he said. “And it could have caused some substantial damage if we had not been available to do some fire-fighting.”

Chris Robson, 67, witnessed the fire and made his way to the scene to pick up his two grandchildren, who go to the school.

He said: “There was lots of thick black smoke, and you could see the flames from the road.

“No-one was injured - that’s the main thing.

“The building was evacuated and the children were tucked into one corner of the playground.”

The blaze left two classrooms severely damaged and destroyed the building’s roof.

It broke out as hundreds of the county’s firemen and women protested over Government proposals to extend the retirement age from 55 to 60.

Hundreds of crew members picketed stations across the county.

Crew member Chris Rollestone, who works at central station and has been in the service for 29 years, said: “The Government is proposing to extend the retirement age, but maintain fitness levels, which doesn’t make sense.

“Anyone who fails to meet the physical expectations will be forced to retire and will lose their pension.

“I didn’t join the service to be a millionaire, I joined to help people, but we can’t let them change it.”

The Fire Brigades Union said that no one wanted to take industrial action, but the organisation had been left no choice.

Graham Vaux, the organisation’s chairman for Leicestershire, said: “It’s a complex subject to get across, but we hope people understand our position.

“Now we have to get back round the negotiating table and sort this thing out.

“The Government’s own statistics show that 64 per cent of firefighters wouldn’t meet fitness standards if they extended the working limit. The proposal is ludicrous and dangerous.”

The fire service said that during yesterday’s strike, just seven incidents were reported. These included a lorry fire and a tree which had caught light.