EGSS/Stansted zero rate following bus fire
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EGSS/Stansted zero rate following bus fire
Last edited by zonoma; 30th Mar 2018 at 21:15.
I suppose it depends on how bad the “smoke damage” to the front of the terminal was, but with the fire extinguished at 1700 local no departures until midnight local seems it does a bit extreme...any idea on what happened to the arrival rate?
Someone, poorly educated in the task and backed by a scared management, armed himself with a risk assessment form and, well, there you have it.
It's the same reason you have signs plastered all over the place, usually stating nothing but the bleeding obvious.
It's the same reason you have signs plastered all over the place, usually stating nothing but the bleeding obvious.
From the BBC..
Simon Calder, travel editor for The Independent, estimates that 15,000 travellers and 100 flights - to and from Stansted - were affected by Friday's cancellations.
He told the BBC the problems stemmed from a decision to move people from the smoke-filled check-in area to the air-side zone beyond security.
"As a result of that, because they hadn't been screened - because they were taken there in a hurry - no flights could depart until everyone was re-screened and the air-side area had been swept by security services to make sure no passengers had stayed behind."
He said the whole process took so long that by 20:00 BST the airport and airlines agreed to shut down for the rest of the evening in the hope of minimising the impact on the following day's flights.
He told the BBC the problems stemmed from a decision to move people from the smoke-filled check-in area to the air-side zone beyond security.
"As a result of that, because they hadn't been screened - because they were taken there in a hurry - no flights could depart until everyone was re-screened and the air-side area had been swept by security services to make sure no passengers had stayed behind."
He said the whole process took so long that by 20:00 BST the airport and airlines agreed to shut down for the rest of the evening in the hope of minimising the impact on the following day's flights.
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That sort of assumes that armed terrorists are waiting, poised, outside every airline terminal waiting for a bus fire so they can sneak inside once the doors are re-opened
pretty unlikely I'd say
pretty unlikely I'd say
Not a good response by the ARFFS - the bus didn't go from normal to totally destroyed in 30 seconds.
The ensuing chaos is typical of airports at a holiday weekend, when there are no or few management around who are "allowed" to take decisions, even simplistic ones like authorising overtime.
The ensuing chaos is typical of airports at a holiday weekend, when there are no or few management around who are "allowed" to take decisions, even simplistic ones like authorising overtime.
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Looking at the photos and videos that are now available, it is possible to see why the reaction of the staff was so strong. The flames and smoke are severe:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...uttle-bus-fire
Stansted Airport bus fire: Flights resume after cancellations - BBC News
All of that aside, it should be no surprise that one pax said:
another said
Stephen Fottrell, a BBC journalist, was booked on Ryanair to Shannon. He told Radio 5 Live: “We were standing outside in the wind and rain for two hours.
“It was chaos, with very few ground staff.”
Passengers who were waiting for delayed services saw them simply vanish from the screens.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...uttle-bus-fire
Stansted Airport bus fire: Flights resume after cancellations - BBC News
All of that aside, it should be no surprise that one pax said:
"Announcements were telling us to leave the building, but the doors were not open - so people began pushing and panicking."
"It was the usual situation of very few staff on the ground and they were doing their best but they were saying they didn't work for the airlines."
“It was chaos, with very few ground staff.”
Passengers who were waiting for delayed services saw them simply vanish from the screens.
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Well thats a shame.
These old London ' bendibus ' machines are well known for catching fire, hence one of the reasons that they were removed from the streets of London.
Ban these buses from airports now !
These old London ' bendibus ' machines are well known for catching fire, hence one of the reasons that they were removed from the streets of London.
Ban these buses from airports now !
The airfield fire station is pretty much visual with this fire. Surely we are not saying they sit there while the Essex service come out from Bishops Stortford ?
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ARFFS do not attend landslide incidents at any airfield .
Simple reasons they are not trained the same as regulars and the airfield firecover will be reduced or removed , resulting in the zero flow rate complained of above !
Simple reasons they are not trained the same as regulars and the airfield firecover will be reduced or removed , resulting in the zero flow rate complained of above !
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Stansted AFS were the first to respond however having to come from airside to landside and then get through the traffic would slow anyone down. They are trained to deal with anything from a wastepaper bin fire to a 787 and that includes bendy busses. They also deal with chemical spills and all manner of other hazards. Also have at least one paramedic on each crew. One might like to enquire what the hell a bus is made of to go up so quickly.
Fire reported at 16.20
Fire under control at 16:40
Fire extinguished at 17:00
Fire reported at 16.20
Fire under control at 16:40
Fire extinguished at 17:00
Last edited by carousel; 31st Mar 2018 at 13:33.
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I am very familiar with STN, and this is the smoking area, by the way!
With that wind, on a Easter Fridayafternoon with anything from 1 to 3000 people at departure level checking in and lining up for security in the west part of the building, I can defiantly see the need to evacuate into the departure hall.
The slight inconvenience of sorting out the mess later after a happy ending is academic!
If you want to evacuate the check-in at STN your only option is out he front, if not using plan B, as executed here.
With that wind, on a Easter Fridayafternoon with anything from 1 to 3000 people at departure level checking in and lining up for security in the west part of the building, I can defiantly see the need to evacuate into the departure hall.
The slight inconvenience of sorting out the mess later after a happy ending is academic!
If you want to evacuate the check-in at STN your only option is out he front, if not using plan B, as executed here.
The airfield fire station is pretty much visual with this fire. Surely we are not saying they sit there while the Essex service come out from Bishops Stortford ?
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
it seems to me, as an ex Stansed-operator, that the staff did pretty well, and if the figures quoted by Carousel are correct, pretty quickly to boot