FIRE PROTECTION FOR AN ANCIENT CITY.
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Details of the Fire Brigade Organization at Norwich and Interesting Features of the Service.
THE city of Norwich is a curious mixture of the medimval and the modern. It has been called the city of churches and gardens, but might aptly be termed the city of narrow streets. Norwich, within the limits of the old wall, is a survival of the days when streets were only made for pedestrian and horse traffic.
The manufacture of textiles was the staple industry of the city until, with the advent of power looms early
in the nineteenth century, Lancashire and Yorkshire took the trade away. The Norwich weavers each possessed their own loom, and houses that were originally built to accommodate them are still standing. The timber in the structure of these old buildings and the narrow seeets and passages that separate the houses are a matter for some anxiety on the part of those deputed to protect the city from fire.
All the city, of course, is not old. The shopping centre, for example, can boast some up-to-date examples of reinforced concrete construction and rebuilding is continually being carried out, so that although the main lines of communication are still as they were huadreds of years ago, the streets are gradually being made wider and are assuming a more modern aspect.
Boot and shoe making may be described as the present staple industry of Norwich, and it is carried on in all manner of factories, from huge, scientifically planned modern buildings which are equipped with sprinkler apparatus to the small adapted factory which is
in the assembly books of the city are the first records. That of December 18 t h, 1437, states that " sufficient ladders a n d instruments called cronies" should be more
adequately distributed in the wards of the city. A later entry for April 4th, 1570, is very precise in instructions for the provision of fire-buckets, etc., a `syqtem of supervision being ordered.
A manual engine was presented to the city by the Sun Fire Office in 1753. It was lost sight of, but came to light again in 1905 and was placed in the Castle museum. Some of the parish churches also kept engines ; an entry in the churchwardens' accounts for the Parish of St. Andrew records the purchase of one of these machines in 1751-2 at a cost of 151. The parishes of St. George Tombland and St. George Colegate are also mentioned as possessing machines. The Norwich Union Fire Office, like many other insurance companies, kept a brigade for the protection of property in which it was interested.
This state of affairs lasted until 1846, when the corporation took upon itself the responsibility of fire-fighting and delegated powers to the watch committee to maintain a brigade. Equipment was taken over from the Norwieh Union Office, there being a board in the
present fire station on which are listed the articles which were received. Twenty-six leather buckets were included and ten of these are still hanging up with some old helmets, as relics, in the brigade headquarters.
Under the authority of the watch committee and the leadership ,z)f the chief constable, Mr. J. H. Dain, 0.B.E., the present fire brigade is formed by the city police force of 140 men, all of whom are trained and experienced firemen.
The motor equipment comprises three pumps, a turntable escape and water tower and a trailer pump. All the pumps, excepting the trailer, which is of 260 gallons capacity, are of the 500gallon type. One pump, used mostly for calls outside the city area, carries a 40-ft. ladder and the usual equipment, the other two are fitted with 55-ft. sliding-carriage escapes, Ajax and Pompier ladders and oxygen apparatus. All machines carry 2,000 ft. of hose. In addition there is a B.S.A. motorcycle combination, which is used for general utility purposes.
The first motor-driven pump was delivered in June, 1912, and at the present time is the one used for country duties. The second engine was presented to Norwich by a number of the city's principal firms in October, 1918, and the third pump was acquired in August, 1924. A 40 h.p. motor-driven 85-ft, turntable escape and water tower was obtained in 1921 The trailer pump, which was acquired in 1924, is chiefly intended for use in country districts or as a stand-by to relieve the larger machines. Quite recently, during a smouldering fire at the gasworks, it performed the feat of pumping continuously for 162/ hours. It is used to answer country calls because it can be made to traverse ground that would be impassable for the selfpropelled vehicles. All the machines are of Merryweather manufacture.
The fire station is situated in the centre of the city. The main exit opens into a narrow street, which is barely wide enough to allow two lorries to pass one another, and, in any direction that the call leads them, the engines must pass through streets that are necessarily only used for one-way traffic. The number of vehicles on these streets, however, is small, so an engine can be manned and be speeding on its way down the Market Place within 60 seconds of the alarm being given. Alarms are not installed in the streets as is the case in some cities, the telephone being relied upon as the principal means for calling the brigade.
The value of property in Norwich which was assessed to be at risk during 1926 amounted in round figures to £620,000, the loss occasioned by fire in the same period being £21,700. In addition to the area embraced by the city and county of Norwich, 59 parishes within a 12-mile radius receive protection. The value of this property amounts to approximately £170,000. The parishes pay 4c1. in the on their rates in payment for the services of the brigade. The most distant of these areas is 13 miles from the brigade headquarters.
Near the station telephone is a frame containing a list of the parishes, each of which has a serial number. Below the frame is a case containing a large-scale map of each district, plainly labelled with
its corresponding number. On these maps are marked all available sources of water supply, so that on receipt of a call from an outlying district, the appropriate map is taken from the case, the actual location of the fire is ascertained and plans are made according to the situation of the water supply. This system enables the brigade to get to work with maximum speed. The total number of calls answered during 1926 was 172, in 1917, 112, and in 1914, 131.
The city ambulance service is under police control, two motor ambulances being garaged at the fire station. The second unit, which was purchased this year, replaced a horse-drawn vehicle that had been in service for a long time. During 1926 1,696 cases were dealt with.
We must express our thanks to the chief constable, Mr. J. H. Dain, and to Superintendent Christie for assisting us in the compilation of this article.