Feature – Page 62 – Gibraltar Insight

Behind the Scenes at the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service

5 years ago in Features by Jo Ward

Safety is the main concern at airports and it’s down to the Gibraltar Airport Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) to protect the life of passengers, workers and tourists at Gibraltar Airport and in certain other instances around the Rock. As we already know, Gibraltar Airport has its own challenges with a short runway and with the sea at both ends. There is also the added complication of having a main road crossing the runway, which brings its own problems, but the AFRS is always prepared for any eventuality and ready to respond. Senior Fire Officer Nicky Viñales shows Insight’s Jo Ward behind the scenes and lets her get up close to their new state-of-the-art fleet of vehicles.

Nicky Viñales has worked as a firefighter for the past twenty-seven years, but took on the role of Senior Fire Officer in 2015, at exactly the same time as the new fleet of firefighting vehicles arrived. He explains that the airport is MoD owned and operated but that the civilian side has its own Air Terminal. “In October 2015 the Defence Fire & Rescue Service was handed over to the Gibraltar Government, who now owns the organisation, but the MoD continues to co-fund the organisation as well as the procurement of the equipment.”

The Airport Fire Station situated near the North Barrier at the side of the airfield consists of the usual administration offices, a training room, rest room, gym and a kitchen that at the time of my visit was emitting some very pleasant cooking smells. “One of the firefighters is detailed every day to cook,” Nicky says. “Shifts start at 8 am and finish when the air field shuts which is usually around 9 pm at night, so the bulk of the work is undertaken in the morning and then in the afternoon it’s stand down time and when training takes place.”

There are a total of 28 firefighting personnel operating on a two-watch 13 hour shift system. “It is a small organisation but we have lots of capabilities,” Nicky tells me, continuing: “We do pretty much everything that the Gibraltar Fire & Rescue Service (GFRS) does, except diving, as well as the aviation side of things, so we are nearly fully interchangeable.”

As well as providing support to the GFRS on request, the AFRS form part of the MoD Nuclear Emergency Response Organisation and were on hand for the blaze at the North Mole Bunkering Facility in 2011. They also carry out numerous skills and specialties including Aviation, Structural (working at height and in a confined space), as well as Maritime where they provide fire cover for naval vessel ammunitioning of ships and submarines and for road ammo. Nicky adds that the firefighters are First Responder First Aid trained and that they also have some hazardous materials advisors.

Both the AFRS and the GFRS work to British procedures with training primarily done in the UK, other than for refresher courses. “Next year we are all due a refresher and in the past we used to have to fly people over to the UK to different training establishments, but now we are able to bring out a couple of instructors and they can train the whole station over a week or two,” he states.

It goes without saying that firefighters are imbued with integrity and dedication, and that ongoing and daily training is an essential part of what they do. There is also no doubt that if any of them had a childhood dream to become a firefighter, they could not have envisaged the magnificent bespoke vehicles that they now operate.

The new fleet consists of three Rosenbauer PANTHER 6×6 trucks, one 4×4 Rosenbauer PANTHER, two command support utility vehicles and a light rescue unit. Rosenbauer is the world’s leading technology and service provider of fire fighting vehicles and it is not just the vehicles that are different to the ones they have replaced, it is also the firefighting tactics, as Nicky outlines. “The other vehicles carried a lot less water and foam on board and you had to be very measured in terms of how much water and foam you were using because it was expelled at 6,000 litres per minute and the water/foam was gone very quickly, so it entailed a lot more manual firefighting.” With the new roof monitor water can be deployed with a 90 metre jet throw.

The three bigger vehicles have a water capacity of 11,500 litres and 1,500 litres of foam, whilst the smaller vehicle has a water capacity of 6,500 litres which is only slightly less than the old large vehicles at 6,800 litres.

The award-winning modern firefighting vehicles have been designed specifically for the needs of Gibraltar’s AFRS. “Different airports have different requirements and one of the items we requested were, for instance, extendable hose reels on an arm that swings out,” Nicky says. The other thing that is noticeable is that everything is automated. “This is very much for the PlayStation generation,” Nicky laughs as he explains that his firefighters have no real issues with joysticks, screens and buttons. “However, it has involved a lot of retraining because the old vehicles had more conventional levers and switches.”

Everything about the vehicle is evocative of the sleek big cat with which it shares its name – the Panther, full of power and elegance. It is a high climb up into the cab of the 6×6 which offers a comfort previously unseen in older trucks. There is room for five or six personnel, and the automated system allows for one firefighter to control everything from inside whilst the rest of the team are deployed dealing with the incident. Nicky points out the electronically controlled high reach turrets which extend up to 16 metres high, but it is impossible not to notice the impressively huge tyres, which he points out have rear wheel drive steering making it easier to manouvre the vehicle.

The smaller 4×4 can carry similar equipment, but is more geared towards the rescue element, carrying the bulk of the cutting and hydraulic lifting gear. “We have got total flexibility within our fleet but they all have a specific role within the fire vehicle line-up,” Nicky comments.

Another specification asked for was a pump that could withstand corrosion. Nicky explains that the vehicles normally carry fresh water but the hydrant systems in Gibraltar contain sea water, so obviously they needed a pump that would be more resistant to the corrosive nature of salt water.

Back in his office, Nicky gives me a short history of the AFRS. “The origins stem from the Army Fire Service which used to exist at Europa, and when the Admiralty Fire Service at the Naval base closed in 1992, it amalgamated with the RAF Fire Service, replacing RAF personnel, he tells me, “which then became the Defence Fire & Rescue Service up until 30th September 2015.”

The airport is civilian owned and has its scheduled flights, but Nicky explains that the AFRS operates very much within an aviation compliance regime. “Everything that we do, all the training, the testing of equipment and the competencies of the firefighters, has to be recorded and for this we use the RedKite Management software system.” They are also subject to periodic UK Civll Aviation Authority and MoD audits.

Although hard work and training are an integral part of a firefighter’s job, they provide a vital public service that we rarely think about until they respond to an incident, and this is particularly true of the AFRS who work and train hard to keep our community safe, now with even better vehicles and equipment to enable them to do so.

Catalan Bay – `La Pompa’ & Other Places!

5 years ago in Culture Insight/Features by Richard Cartwright

Place names and labels are generally very welcome, and Catalan Bay’s caretakers, `The Village People’ are forever on the lookout for ways to improve the villagers’ – and those entering the neighbourhood – safety and comforts whilst preserving the hamlet’s long held traditions.

If there’s a wedding, communion celebration or other big event, I’m led to understand the whole of the village is invited! As a rule, that’s the closeness of the Catalan Bay community. The chain of command is headed by the Catalan Bay Social Club Committee for any formal changes that require seeing to and other community matters. Meanwhile, the Village People take on board smaller issues that concern the residents and improve the environment. Spokesman for the group and former `Foreigner’ – he’s not an indigenous `Caleteño’ – Johnny Walker, sat waiting for my arrival on `El banco de la’ shalaura’. “Well this is one of our improvements right here. We now have this covering or shelter to shield us from the hot sun and rain in winter as we sit and chat away `shalaura’ sometimes, and have a good view of the beach!” Johnny used to drive down to the village on his motorbike with a group of friends and that’s when he met his wife Marina, who is a true Caleteña! “As an outsider it took me quite a while to be accepted and integrated into the community and when you get your name in the `fat book’ and pay an annual subscription at the club, then you become an adopted Caleteño.” Johnny is also referred to as the `Mayor’ or `El Alcalde’ and has always taken an interest in helping to spruce up the nooks and crannies around the village and in approaching government departments to seek their help and advice. Johnny, along with Aida Yome and an English lady called Lizzy, make up the `Village People’ trio or, `Los Caseros’ (Caretakers) which is another name they come under. So whenever there’s a little problem as in faulty lighting in one of the estate’s stairwells for example, it’s quickly seen to by Johnny’s self-appointed Village People. In summer he liaises with the beach life guards to keep things under control. Whilst there, the `cake man’ arrived blowing his whistle to attract beachgoers to partake of his goodies and his whistle produces the same sound as the one life guards use to attract the attention of misbehaving swimmers. Johnny hopes to get the cake man to swop his, same-tune-as-the-lifeguards-whistle, for a different one! “Oh yes, and that’s another issue which we hope to remedy. During heavy levanter days the red flag is taken down at 7pm at the beach and we think it should stay up till much later and also raise it during the winter months when the `Levante’ kicks-in. It’s warm and sticky and the sea might look welcoming and not particularly rough but when it’s heavy levanter or easterly the under currents are strong and very dangerous so visitors especially need to be warned. We’re next to the Caleta Hotel and many guests come down to the beach in winter too.” There are many village issues the team has worked on and had implemented. The row of coloured lights all along above the beach wall are now allowed to stay lit all summer through to September after National Day. A wooden walkway was built at the instigation of `El Alcalde’ from the car park to the village entrance, allowing easier access for families and visitors to the beach. There’s Walkers Gym at the top of the hill and the latest job is giving street names to the little alleyways around the back of the estate’s blocks, bars and restaurants.

I’ve often wondered how postmen and other visitors have found their way to an address in the village! “Well those alleyways have never had street name plaques on the walls. They’ve always been known by some object, use or somebody’s name and everybody’s found their way to any address that way.” Johnny tells me that now, after approaching the elders of the committee who welcomed the idea, they’re having plaques made bearing those names by which they have always been known like, La Cochera, La Pompa (the water pump) – where you went in days gone by to rinse the sand off your feet – La Trocha, Conti, Patio del Pozo, La Cantina and there’s a `Conchita Street,’ named after a lady who with her handicraft efforts has mounted seashells on walls and plant pots along the alleyway! And there’ll be more names on rocks and walls too. At the far end of the beach we have, Lo Scheggi (of dubious origin) and plaques or signage for the famous, La Mamela and La Maseta, are still to be mounted… and then there’s a `Don’t Worry’ sign that needs to be read! Male club members don’t escape the trendy names either. They’ve been given nick-names also. We have El Commando, El Kuki, El Chacarin, El Aver, El Nene, El Take It, El Caleta and so on.

It’s clear the Village People have their work cut out especially during the busy summer months and Johnny was eager to rush off to see about another inquiry but not before we were attracted to a gentleman standing in the sea close to the shore making hand signals for the benefit of those Caleteños looking out to sea from their balconies wanting to know what the sea temperature was like. He apparently uses a thermometer and then passes on the information to potential village bathers by displaying, on this occasion, a full hand of five fingers four times meaning 20 then adding four individual fingers to his performance: Bingo 24%! Tony – a village regular albeit, a `foreigner’ – was communicating the message to the community’s populace… at that temperature, perfect for a lovely dip!

Yes Catalan Bay’s customs and conventions are pleasantly quirky. It’s the place which once again this summer has achieved `top spot’ for `ambiente’ (great atmosphere) and where it’s clearly evident, you come across the `in crowd’! In the meantime and on the lookout to assist as always, you’ll find…The Village People!

The Value of Dyslexia

5 years ago in Features by Jo Ward

Many of us may have preconceived ideas about what dyslexia is and how it can impact on someone’s life. As a result, people with dyslexia often have to overcome numerous barriers, despite the fact there are many positive differences and sometimes hidden talents. However, it is those perceived barriers that sometimes give people the strength to overcome them and to achieve success because of, and not despite of, dyslexia.

Ten percent of the world’s population are believed to be dyslexic, but dyslexia is still often poorly understood. We all know the high profile entrepreneurs, business leaders and celebrities with dyslexia, such as Lord Sugar, Anita Roddick, Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver and Ikea founder Ingvar Kampradand, and there is no doubt that with the right support, the strengths and talents of dyslexic people can really shine. However, change is needed, especially by educators and in the workplace, so that dyslexics can reach their full potential.

To raise awareness of the problems surrounding those issues, The Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group (GDSG) in association with the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses (GFSB) will be hosting a Diversity & Inclusion Seminar in September to highlight the positive impact of dyslexia in the workplace.

Stuart Byrne, who works at the GFSB and is also Chairman of the GDSG, explains how the seminar came about. “This is something that the GDSG has been wanting to do with the business community for a number of years, but so far a lot of our efforts and work has been mainly focused on children, the education system and helping youngsters and parents, but it has always been our aim to open the scope a bit more and to try and help dyslexics in the workplace as well.”

An invitation to the Global Summit from Made by Dyslexia in London, a global charity led by successful and famous dyslexics such as Richard Branson, with the purpose to help the world properly understand and support dyslexia, led Stuart to thinking that this was now the perfect opportunity to reach the local business community in Gibraltar. At the Summit a report was handed out to all delegates on The Value of Dyslexia, created in collaboration with EY, which showcased in depth how neurodiversity will become increasingly valuable within the working world, highlighting key facts and research into dyslexia and its unique thinking skills.

“I approached the GFSB and they thought a seminar was a great idea and were happy to support it,” Stuart explains, “and from there we branched out and got in contact with other organisations that we thought would be interested in supporting it, such as the CIPD, Women in Business and the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce, amongst others, and together with our sponsors we are able to bring expert speakers over to participate in the seminar here in Gibraltar.”

These guest speakers comprise Kate Griggs, Founder and CEO of Made By Dyslexia, Benjamin Cooke, Senior Strategy Consultant at EY London, and Edward Davis, His Excellency The Governor of Gibraltar and Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group Patron.

As a dyslexic himself and with two children with dyslexia as well, Stuart is passionate to raise awareness of dyslexia and realises that businesses, schools and people can all make small changes that can result in big differences.

“Dyslexia has always been fighting its case for reasonable adjustments to be made in the workplace, but with companies investing in diversity and inclusion programs at the moment surrounding gender, race, sexual orientation, disability etc., it seemed to be the perfect time to include dyslexia in that mix to heighten awareness and create an inclusive environment for dyslexics in the workplace, and I think it is about time the business community starts thinking about how better to serve their staff,” Stuart states.

So what reasonable adjustments could businesses think about to help support people overcome the challenges posed by dyslexia? Stuart says that the list is endless! “The important thing is looking at people as individuals, and to recognise that if you have two dyslexic members of staff it does not mean that they need the same assistance.” Part of that is working towards their strengths and supporting their weaknesses.

“You have to be individualistic and holistic in your view of your staff, maybe putting a creative person alongside an academic person, maybe letting someone record things audibly, being a bit lenient on spelling on internal correspondence, or having someone to double check their work before an email gets sent out to a client.”

“There are lots of little easy simple things that can be done at either none or minimal cost to the business, it is just a mentality shift, and hopefully we can start building on that with this seminar,” Stuart states.

The Governor of Gibraltar, Patron of the Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group

Edward Davis, His Excellency The Governor of Gibraltar and Gibraltar
Dyslexia Support Group Patron, talks to Jo Ward about the upcoming seminar and about being dyslexic himself.

It was only about a year and a half ago that The Governor found out about the GDSG at a family charity day on the Piazza. “It was a bit of a revelation when I came across Stuart and his team and after chatting with them for a bit I was instantly keen to get involved,” he says, “so I was delighted to become the Patron, especially as being associated with the group has given me an opportunity to better understand my own dyslexia at a fairly senior age, which in some ways, I wish I had the opportunity to do before, but I am glad I have done it now, so I want to express my thanks to Stuart.”

The way we talk about personal cognitive differences has changed over the past couple of years – from members of the Royal Family speaking out about their own personal challenges, to politicians and celebrities using their public platforms, and this has transformed the views that people have on personal cognitive differences and altered the way in which we are willing to engage with people with such differences, and that includes dyslexia.

“The community of Gibraltar is a lot better off because we have a better understanding of dyslexia, we are engaging with it and embracing it in a way which is very positive, and I think it has helped me in my own personal journey,” His Excellency states. “I was born in Hereford, made in the Royal Marines and defined in Gibraltar – part of my self-definition journey here in Gibraltar, which I suppose is a look-back over my life so far, is understanding the role dyslexia has played in my life.”

As with many children, Edward Davis found his differences made him stand out at school. “My dyslexia was first recognised by my parents when I was at primary school, so I had some extra tuition, but in those days, the focus was on dealing with the symptoms as opposed to the causes of the difference,” he comments. “This meant that I was just made to read more, rather than addressing some of the fundamental underlying issues, embracing personalised learning techniques or focusing on different educational disciplines so that you could contribute productively as part of your school along with your school mates, in a way which made you not stand out as being different in a negative way.”

Keen to explain that the fact that being dyslexic means that you have different abilities, not limiting abilities, The Governor says that one of the things he has mastered is how he approaches learning. “I have got a very good memory and I can take lots of facts in and remember them – that was very much what got me through my ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels,” he tells me. After joining the Royal Marines, His Excellency says that dyslexia wasn’t a hindrance to his career path as, by then, he knew how to prepare himself for occasions, whether that was reading or speaking in public, where his dyslexia would particularly manifest itself. “It was muscle memory of the brain, so I wasn’t relying on seeing, computing and speaking in real time. I made myself familiar with what I was going to read beforehand; in doing so, I compensated for the short-comings in my ability to speak in sync with my reading.”

Agreeing that the upcoming seminar will help to heighten the profile of dyslexia, The Governor adds that he would describe diversity and inclusion as embracing the power of combinations. “I have lived my personal and professional life by harnessing the power of having the humility to realise that everybody has something to offer and that if you don’t include them then you are going to miss out,” going on to say that he thinks dyslexia will become an increasingly significant difference if utilised correctly. “I say that because the nature of the future workplace, and the business that the future workplace conducts in our increasingly digitally-driven world, will become more and more dependent on some of the inherent skills and attributes that dyslexics have: their curiosity, creativity, innovation and lateral thinking.”

The Governor comments that this is particularly evident in Gibraltar’s context, where it is already a digitally-based economy, and one that will become increasingly more so. “The worldwide figures are quite striking. In the next ten years 60% of jobs and 30% of the activities within those jobs are going to be automated through artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The remaining activities are going to require employees who are able to engage with the digital business enterprise in a far more intuitive and dynamic way. And I believe dyslexics have the differences and the attributes to succeed in such an environment.”

“Against this backdrop, we are, potentially, going to either have to reskill, or train from scratch, up to 4,500 members of Gibraltar’s workforce, to be able to give them meaningful, fulfilling, productive employment in the future and to also provide Gibraltar – the unified jurisdiction – with the workforce skills that it needs to maintain its socio-economic wellbeing,” he states. This can be helped by companies understanding the difference that is dyslexia. A difference that has a lot of the skills that will be needed in a digitally-driven economy. A difference that dyslexic employees already have within Gibraltar’s business community.

“Ultimately, understanding, engaging and embracing dyslexia within the Rock’s business community is all about increasing commercial outcomes in step with improving staff wellbeing. Resulting in greater good for everybody.”

The Governor contends that given the changing nature of the workplace it is a very timely, important and inspired seminar, because in Gibraltar, as in business-led jurisdictions everywhere else, the difference that is dyslexia has the potential to make a difference that matters.

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The Governor of Gibraltar, Patron of the Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group

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