1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212 
THE FIRE PROTECTION OF A YORKSHIRE AREA.
Page 146
Page 147
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
How the Keighley Fire Brigade Covers an Important and Extensive District. Details of the Up-to-date Equipment Used by the Department.
THE covering of an area extending over 40 miles from end to end is undertaken by the Keighley Corporation Fire Brigade, commanded by Chief Officer Normington, The brigade has a permanent staff of seven and an auxiliary staff of 21 engaged in Ordinary work during the day, and the area covered stretches from Oxenhope in the south to Hubberholme, at the headof Wharfedale, in the north.
big stretches of country and many Tillages would be unprotected.
Agreements concerning protection by the brigade are in force with the Keighley Rural District Council to cover an area on the outskirts of the borough of Keighley, with the Oxenhope, Haworth and Oakworth Urban Councils in the Worth Valley area, and with the Skipton Rural District Council with an area of 141,673 acres in the upper reaches of the valleys of the Wharfe and the Aire. A number of private subscribers has also made arrangements with the brigade to call upon its services if they be required and, in one instance, protection is sought in this manner for a residential grammar school at Giggleswick, which is 25 miles away from headquarters.
The extreme limit of the brigade's area is about 80 miles away from the station and, although this may appear to be an extraordinary distance, the protection offered within even a short distance is much better
c40
than in the old days, when horses were depended upon. The greater part of the area was never really covered for fire-fighting purposes until the agreement with Keighley was entered into and, in giving these facilities, the Keighley Fire-Brigade Committee has done its utmost to provide equipment suitable for the tasks which are likely to be met.
Every telephone subscriber in Wharfedale has been supplied with a card to affix near the telephone, giving instructions how to proceed in case of fire. Calls must be put through to the Keighley Fire Brigade Station and the caller must give the exact location of the tire. Usually, details as to the availability of water and such rseful information are obtained forthwith, but, in the meantime, the alarm has been given in the station and, if there be any difficulty, this part of the procedure is dispensed with. If it be possible, arrangements are made for someone to wait at an appointed place to direct the brigade to the scene of the fire.
Immediately a night call is received, the alarm is transmitted to the homes of the firemen. Up to a certain hour the men are called by means of a steam buzzer connected to the boilers at the adjoining electricity works. A six-cylindered Dennis machine with. a 500-gallon Gwynne pump and a 35-ft. Ajax extending ladder is the first to leave for outdistrict fires, this being accompanied by a Dennis trailer-pump of 250-300 gallons capacity. Incidentally, the trailer-pump has been found to be invaluable in the case of country-district fires, as it can be taken to spots otherwise unapproachable by power-driven machines, particularly in the case of farm buildings and watercourses which can be reached only over rough land.
The agreements with the surrounding authorities have meant that Keighley has a bigger equipment and more up-to-date apparatus than would be possible if only the needs of the town were to be met, but the greater advantage is given to the out-districts in which it would be found impossible to maintain an efficient brigade for a small area. Payment for these services is made by the contributing authorities according to the rateable value of the buildings protected, a retaining fee of about id. in the pound on this rate being fixed. In addition, a charge of a 3s. is made for the use of each machine and the apparatus belonging to it, together with expenses for petrol, refreshments and men's wages, when a fire is attended.
The equipment of the brigade, in addition to the sixcylinder Dennis machine and the trailer pump already referred to, has been recently augmented by a 60 h.p. Dennis appliance, which has taken the place of a machine of earlier type. The new engine, which was delivered in November last, is fitted with the Dennis patent multi-stage turbine pump, with a capacity of 500 gallons per minute, and with a first-aid reel and tank of 30-gallons capacity.
The chassis has been specially built to carry a Simonis self-supporting escape, fitted with monitor nozzle and Davy life-saving equipment. AllenLivemidge searchlights are also fitted for night work. Another machine is a four-cylinder Dennis, of 60 h.p., with a 450-gallon Gwynne pump, a hose tender and a 30-ft. Ajax ladder. All the machines are fitted with drawbars to take the trailer-pump and carry 450 yards of canvas hose. Safoam batteries for dealing with oil and petrol fires are also carried.
The permanent staff comprises the chief officer, station officer, three motor-driver firemen and one night orderly, and, in addition to firefighting duties, the brigade has charge of two ambulances which are managed by the finance and general purposes C ommittee. A Wolseley 16-20
.p. ambulance, with a body by Messrs. Claud Hamilton, of Aberdeen, was given to the town by the special constables,
and this runs about 3000 miles per year. Incidentally, last year 501 ambulance calls were received. For the use of the ambulance in eases of removals to hospital a nominal charge of 5s. per case is made to residents in the borough, whilst, for eases outside the borough, 1s. 6d. per mile is charged.
Calls from the outside districts for the services of the fire brigade are received by telephone, but in the borough and the immediate neighbourhood an opencircuit type of alarm system is in operation, 34 boxes being fixed in prominent places. These are tested weekly by members of the permanent staff.
The members of the auxiliary staff are paid retaining fees and fixed payments per hour when actually on duty at fires.
Fire calls from this wide area average about 50 per year and there is every indication that the arrangement is working satisfactorily. In fact, testimony to the efficiency of the brigade has recently been given by an application to enter into an agreement being made by another authority still farther afield.
Since Chief Officer Normington took charge a number of underground water tanks have been installed in various parts of the borough. These are really underground reservoirs and are placed at suitable points. If a fire occurs in the neighbourhood water is turned into the nearest reservoir from a man.