The Maintenance
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of an Important
FIRE-FIGHTING FLEET
SINCE the completion of the extensions to the Salford Central Fire Station the two sub-stations at Pendleton and Broughton have been closed and the motor tenders stationed at these points transferred to, and operated from, headquarters. Although the fleet strength of the brigade has been reduced by two vehicles, its efficiency has been actually increased. The municipal fire-brigade is under the progressive administration of Supt. J. Stranaghan, who also has under his surveillance the municipal fleet of ambulances and the machines—motorcycles and prison vans —used by the Salford city police.
The Salford fire-fighting fleet comprises six vehicles, one of which is a tender with a body built in the fire-station works, mounted on a Napier 60 h.p. chassis. On May 10th, 1010, the corporation introduced its first self-propelled vehicles. They, were two Merryweathers, incorporating 55 h.p. engines and having reciprocating pumps, with a discharging capacity of 400 gallons per minute, and 65-ft. escapes.
At that time the fire-fighting equipment included the following horse-drawn vehicles :—Two steam pumps, three escapes and three tenders, all of which were replaced soon after the Merryweather appliances were put into commission. Last year two John Morris machines were purchased to super
sede older outfits. One carries an Ajax 35-ft, ladder and the other a 55-ft. sliding-carriage fire-escape.
The fleet is constituted as follows:— A Leyland 500-700-gallon turbine pump, fitted with first-aid tanks ; three John Morris machines of similar specification; a Morris-Magirus 85-ft. turntable ladder and water tower, and a 60 h.p. Napier with a body built at the firestation and equipped with foamgenerator apparatus for use at oil fires. Use is also made of a Daimler generalutility lorry, which is convertible into a van. When not required for the purpose of transporting miscellaneous supplies, it can be equipped with a van body and employed for police purposes, such as the transfer of the personnel, but, in the main, this vehicle is reserved for employment by the fire-brigade.
Some idea of the efficiency of the brigade may be gleaned from the fact that the "first turn" can take to the road within 12 secs, of the receipt of a fire call by day or night, and there have been occasions when this machine has left the . station in 8 secs. The station is operated on the three-shift system, and at all hours of the day and night there is a crew available to man the first-turn engine. The remainder of the staff is always within call and can turn out within a few seconds after the dispatch of the first machine. The firstturn engine is the Leyland and the second the John Morris, but whenever a fire call is received at least two machines leave the station for the scene of the outbreak of the fire. The Leyland engine carries 20 25-yard lengths of 23-in. hose and four lengths of 4-in. hose, and the other machines 20 lengths of 2i-in. hose and four lengths of 4-in. hose. The total length of hose in use is 7,500 yds. of 24-in. and 1,500 yds. of 4-in., which is reckoned to have a useful life of 15 years. Every year 500 yds. are purchased to replace a similar quantity which is condemned.
Danger.. zone Equipment.
lathe city of Salford there are 3,038 hydrants, and water is delivered at a pressure of 75 lb. per sq. in. In the danger zones underground water tanks are installed, so that, in the event of a fire in a cotton mill or a chemical works, the brigade can be assured of an adequate supply of water. There are 30 of these tanks, which are fed from the mains, and they can be depended upon to supply sufficient water for two pumps working at full capacity.
Oxygen breathing-apparatus is carried on the three principal engines, the Leyland embodying two sets of the one-hour type. In addition, the Leyland also has included in its equipment an acetylene cutter outfit, acetylene flares and smoke helmets fed by air pipes from the pump. Smoke masks are carried on the John Morris engines and acetylene flares en the Morris-Magirus engines.
The firstand second-turn machines are adapted to render first-aid, and each carries 40 gallons of fresh water, medical boxes and cylinders of oxygen. When a fire call is received at head
quarters an ambulance is immediately dispatched to the scene of operations together with the fire-engines.
• The Area of Activity.
The city area for which the Salford Fire Brigade is responsible comprises 15,202 acres, the local population is 247,000, and the rateable value is 11,379,653. The fire-brigade is also called upon to render fire-extinction service in Pendlebury, Swinton, Clifton, Prestwich and Whitefield, in accordance with arrangements made with each of the local councils. The farthest distance of a machine from any possible location of fire is 10 miles. In the city of Salford, the Gamewell close-circuit firealarm system is in operation, and there are 36 points of call. Supplementary to these are 96 police call boxes.
When the police call boxes were first introduced, a test call was made from a box 4i miles away. In 63 mini. a fireengine was on the spot. The ilearest call box is 300 yds. from the station. T-wentylfive factories and workshops have direct telephonic communication with the fire-station and two works make use of the Pearson automatic alarm signal.
During 1930 257 fire calls were received, and of these 19 were false alarms, The average distance travelled per call was about six miles, find 10,225 yds. of hose were used during the year. First-aid was rendered on 112 occasions. Foam extinguishers were used at 25 fires, and the total value of the property
ta which damage was caused by fire was S31,436, as compared with property at risk to the value of 1516,485. .
The Napier tender has foam-generator apparatus, so that an unlimited quantity of this chemical extinguisher can be supplied in cases where oil and rubber are at risk. Each of the other fire-engines carries four 2-gallon containers of Fire Snow.
Routine Tasks.
Every engine in the fleet is the subject of a daily test and report. One of the routine duties of the executive officers is the daily inspection of the tool kits .of each machine. These are never removed from the lockers, unless, of course, to make minor adjustments. Even when a vehicle is in the repair shop the kit suffers no interference.. As the personnel of tbe brigade is exclusively composed of tradesmen—engineers, builders, painters, etc.--it is able to undertake all running repairs. At the brigade headquarters repair shops are maintained and all repairs, even including coachbuilding, are effected on the premises.
The staff of Salford Corporation Fire Brigade comprithes a superintendent, chief inspector, an inspector and 33 men.
ft is remarkable that a busy industrial area like that which surrounds Salford City efi3) be protected efficiently by so small a fire-brigade staff, and only a high standard of efficiency makes this possible.