Smoke hoods for fire engines after inquiry

Firefighters working across Tyne and Wear will now have access to smoke hoods when responding to call-outs.

On Tuesday, January 14, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service announced that all of its fire engines will now carry the hoods to support both members of the public and its officers.

As one of the key recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1, the hoods are made to give those being rescued from fire-related incidents 15 minutes of protection from buildings filled with smoke.

The hoods help members of the public access clean air, reducing any chances of smoke inhalation while they are being rescued, or escaping, from incidents.

They will also help firefighters when they are rescuing people from the fires, if their escape route is affected by a toxic atmosphere.

A filter removes the toxic gasses from the air being breathed in.

Each front-line fire appliance will have two hoods, made accessible to the firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.

Chris Lowther, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Chief Fire Officer, said: “I believe the introduction of smoke hoods will further strengthen our rescue capabilities and support even greater community and firefighter safety.

“They are already in use by some other fire services, including Greater Manchester and London Fire Brigade who have already reported back positively on their effectiveness.

“We can use the smoke hoods to get someone out through a smoke-filled area and the hoods will allow us to rescue a number of people simultaneously.”