HOW COULD I POSSIBLY DO A MONO SHOT...

...when two handsome firefighters from the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service appeared at our door this morning to do our planned Safe and Well visit.

When I booked the visit, I was excited because I thought they would come in a fire engine, but Mr. HCB said they would probably come in a Fire Service van so you can imagine my delight when I heard they had arrived in a 20 ton Mercedes Fire Truck, which they had parked just down the road.  I asked if I could take a photograph of the vehicle and Lee said that was fine and of course, I did mention Blip and how it works - so my Blip was sorted for today and definitely not Mono Monday - one has to take advantage of whatever drops into one's lap!

Lee and Josh, the two firefighters assigned to us for the visit, were great and despite me telling Mr. HCB last week that we needed to make sure we saw the ID for anyone who came, Lee rang the bell and then stood holding his ID - and I guess the fact that they had this thumping great fire truck almost on the doorstep was a pretty good indication that they were bona fide!

I had looked into booking this Safe and Well visit back in September and today was the day - I asked if they wanted coffee, but they said they were all right, which means "No" of course, but I was anxious to take some photographs of the fire truck, so Mr. HCB took Lee through to the conservatory and started answering the questions that needed answering while Josh, after asking our permission, had a look around house.

Mr. HCB explained that we had fitted new smoke alarms when our old ones went kaput at the end of last year, but Josh fitted a heat alarm in the kitchen and when he saw the boiler in the airing cupboard, he also fitted a carbon monoxide alarm in there.  He finished looking around then came and sat in the conservatory with us;  they both said that we were obviously well aware and they could see that we took safety in the home seriously.  We chatted about exit points and what we should do in the case of a fire - and one of the most important things was to keep the doors closed - so we must remember to do that every evening before we go to bed.

We already had the booklet entitled "A Safer Home" so were aware of many of the things we chatted about - see extra.  They did recommend that the various alarms be tested weekly, and suggested "Test It Tuesday", which we thought was a great idea. 

It was certainly well worth waiting for this visit and I would recommend anyone to have it done - it's a free service and if we had been asked to pay, then we would have done so willingly - there's not much we get free that is really good today, but this is a wonderful free service.  However, the booklet itself is worth reading as it gives some good pointers for keeping safe in your home and I’m sure you could obtain this from your local Fire Service.  

I was just sorry that we didn't have any young children or grandchildren around, as when they left, Lee put on the flashing lights and as they went round the corner at the bottom of the road, he also put the siren on and bibbed the horn!  Mind you, I was very excited, and at 78 years of age and being a dedicated Blipper, it was a great photo opportunity.

I will be sending this to Lee and Josh, so a HUGE THANK YOU to them for their professionalism, knowledge and great sense of humour.  You are both a credit to the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service - we hope we never need your services, but thank you for your time today.