Fires at Manston

I've received a letter from MOD Manston via the Fire Base at Hampshire detailing operations at the Fire School under FOI and EIR freedom of information.

In 2009 there were 1,009 fires at MOD Manston for firefighter training.

About 92,500 litres of foam concentrate was used.

Interestingly there was £17k of non-MOD revenue and and a cost of the water of £36k.

The water and foam runoff was drained into the sewerage system.

Foam wasn't used on any grassed areas and - gulp - monitoring was undertaken by TDC and Amanda Berry.

They only use aviation fuel and wood and don't burn cars or aircraft. I'd have thought burning aircraft was the point otherwise the normal Fire Training would be used?

Seems daft to burn aviation fuel on the water supply even with safeguards.

I've also received another note from Brian Gibson the air quality officer for Kent at Dover Council regarding the removal of the benzene monitor at Kentmere Avenue.

A removal authorised by Amanda and supervised by Brian White with bizarre and incorrect recommendations by the AEA, a civil service organisation, at the time of the night flights announcement in August.

Apparently Heathrow just uses the diffusion test tubes - which is complete cobblers as you'd expect for Europe's largest airport.

Seems a lot of fires and foam though near the water table and towns.

Seems a lot of missing noise and air monitors and now the St Lawrence air quality management area under the flightpath.

Seems a lot of civil servants saying everything's fine.

Seems a lot of councillors and MP's staying very quiet.

Looks to me like the noise and air monitors were removed to allow expansion of the cargo airport without any data on the health problems.

Looks to me like a lot of civil servants and politicians dancing around trying to cover the traces.

A bit of passing the buck onto the juniors or onto a different department.

A quick news release in December from the August monitor removal.

And now night flights readjusted into oblivion by our politicians.

Maybe a quick emergency council session again for some half-baked idea.

Maybe a 0% but 30% pay rise of public funds for a job well done.

Looks like P45's for Messrs Samuel and White when I'm elected MP if our current politicians are too feeble to do so before May.

It;s only 3 years since the noise monitors were removed from the EUJet expansion wiht KCC.

Only a few more months for Paul Carter and Roger Gale to suggest a parkway station to expand Manston.

Looks like they'll be lucky not to have jail time.

No rewards in poisoning your own citizens.

Not this side of Auschwitz.

And an 11 year and 17 year health gap in Thanet.

Maybe it's the cigarettes rather than jumbo jets at rooftop height.

Maybe Thanet Council staff aren't bothered about lax monitoring.

Maybe Kent Police aren't bothered about lax monitoring.

Maybe the RAF and MOD aren't bothered about lax monitoring.

Mabybe Thanet's politicians aren't bothered about lax monitoirng.

And maybe their families aren't either.

And still the planes fly over the towns and onto the water supply.

Failed. Failed. Failed.

Time for Change.