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East Sussex disaster report |
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An explosion at a fireworks factory, near Ringmer on Sunday December 3, 2006 resulted in the tragic deaths of two East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service staff, Brian Wembridge and Geoff Wicker. Other members of the team suffered injuries and trauma in pursuance of their roles to protect local communities from fire and other hazards.
The Mobilising and Communications Centre at East Sussex received in excess of 25 calls reporting a fire at a fireworks factory on the afternoon of December 3. The first call was received at 1349. Crews from Lewes and Uckfield were the first to be mobilised at 1350 and were in attendance at the scene within nine minutes. Before being declared a major incident at 1458, pumps had been increased to eight.
The severity and intensity of the incident is one of the worst in the history of East Sussex Fire and Rescue, and as the incident escalated, additional specialist appliances were also mobilised. Appropriate officers were sent to carry out specific roles and emergency cover was put in place to ensure sufficient coverage within the rest of the county. The fire spread rapidly and appliances and crews were being repositioned when the fatal explosion occurred at 1450. The blast blew windows out of nearby homes and caused serious damage to adjacent commercial property. A large number of emergency appliances, including police vehicles, suffered blast damage and have had to be taken off the run. They have been subsequently written off. Shortly afterwards the CFO, Des Prichard, arrived on site and as part of the incident command procedures, ACO Gary Walsh went to Gold Command at Police Headquarters in Lewes with the DCO Chris Large, taking command of operations within East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters. Fire crews were withdrawn to a safe distance, and the multiple small seats of fire on the site were allowed to burn under supervision.
An exclusion zone was set at 200 metres. The use of the police helicopter allowed fire officers to survey the scene from the air due to the danger of acetylene cylinders and other unexploded ordinance. An army bomb disposal robot was used to search the site and the USAR team from West Sussex assisted with the removal of unexploded fireworks. The control room, in liaison with the Incident Commander met the requirements for relief crews and all additional support that was needed. The scene was finally declared a safe zone a week later. The efforts and professionalism of the fire personnel involved at the incident, as well as the Duty Watch in the Control Room is truly commendable. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service would also like to thank surrounding counties, particularly West Sussex and Kent for their assistance on the incident ground and the Hampshire Catering Unit that fed everyone on site, including the police and ambulance crews, for an entire week.
The police, along with a team from the HSE and the Fire and Rescue Service, are investigating the cause of the explosion. In both the accident and fire investigations, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is being assisted by officers from Merseyside, London and West Sussex. The support of these and many other fire and rescue services has been invaluable and greatly appreciated.
Brian Wembridge and Geoff Wicker gave their lives serving the public and will never be forgotten. They are greatly missed by both their colleagues and the wider community in which they served. their colleagues and the wider community in which they served.
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