The Firefighters Podcast

#410 National Breathing Apparatus Challenge 2025: The Debrief - Part 1

Pete Wakefield Season 6 Episode 410

In this episode, we head straight to the heart of the 2025 National Breathing Apparatus Challenge where teams of operational UK firefighters went head-to-head in a simulated high-pressure incident: smoke issuing from a rented property, three persons unaccounted for, and two seats of fire to tackle within thirty minutes. Armed with one fire truck & five firefighters each crew faced the same scenario but delivered different results.

I sat down with the crews for some for raw, unfiltered hot debriefs with firefighters from Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, London Fire Brigade, West Yorkshire, Kent, Shropshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear, Scotland, and Gloucestershire. Together they explore how variations in kit, tactics, and service procedures shaped their outcomes and what those differences reveal about firefighting in the UK today. This is not just about competition; it’s about collaboration, reflection, and professional growth.

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