Fireman battling London fire reveals crews were told to label their kit in case they never came out

The officer, called Mick, tweeted this picture of his yellow helmet with his name and the code A33 written on it in permanent marker. Photo: @crispymick/Twitter

Firefighters battling the Grenfell Tower inferno were made to write their names and identity numbers on their kit in case they never came out.

The officer, called Mick, tweeted a picture of his yellow helmet with his name and the code A33 written on it in permanent marker alongside the caption: "You know it's not going to be good when your told to write your name on you helmet before you go in [sic]."

The Arsenal fan originally from Kentish Town who commutes to the capital from Essex was one of 200 firefighters to battle the deadly blaze that ravaged the block of flats in White City, the Daily Mail reported.

His message was retweeted more than 18,000 times, liked more than 45,000 times and has garnered thousands of responses.

Paralympic legend Tanni Grey-Thompson said: "Thank you seems so inadequate," and Coronation Street actress Sally Ann Matthews said: "Thank you x."

The post spread into the world of music and N-Trance's Kevin O'Toole said: "But you still went in - bravery beyond belief."

Throughout the night and day, many smoke- and dust-covered firefighters were pictured taking forced breaks as colleagues took their turns battling the fire and rescuing trapped residents.

Firefighters were tasked with battling the blaze in shifts as under health and safety rules, emergency service personnel can only work in hazardous environments for certain amounts of time.

The heroic servicemen were also hampered by the strict use of self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA), which hold about 30 to 45 minutes of air, depending on the size of the tank and the rate of consumption due to strenuous activities.

Although commonly referred to as oxygen tanks, the units are actually filled with compressed air, as used in Scuba diving equipment, as oxygen would act as a powerful fire accelerant.

More than 200 firefighters were dispatched to the fire at Grenfell Tower in an "unprecedented" response by the capital's fire service.

After arriving on the scene at 2am, firefighters attempted to evacuate as many residents as possible. Those still inside were told to "stay put" as is normal protocol, given that buildings are specifically designed to stop blazes from spreading.

But as the fire took hold of the entire building, the heat became so severe that firefighters were unable to enter the tower for several hours between 3am and 7am.

In the meantime, firefighters used cherry pickers to douse the flames around those waving for help from windows of their flats.

After the fire was subdued at around noon, emergency service personnel began moving up through the 27-storey structure, apparently reaching the 20th floor.

Firefighters were given a police escort as they made their way through the building. Officers were tasked with protecting them from falling debris with their riot shields.