FIRE BRIGADE AND AMBULANCE SERVICES.
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Co-ordinating Yorkshire Brigades.
WORKING agreement between the fire brigades throughout the whole
i the industrial area of the West Riding f Yorkshire is being drawn up, with the bject of co-ordinating the various fireghting forces of the district and, more articalarly, with the object of making rrangements whereby serious fires, or a eries of fires which need the attention of Lore than one brigade, can be tackled. The scheme inciud-es the brigades of Bradford, Bingley, Halifax, [arrogate, Huddersfield, Keighley, Ossett, PudSey, Shipley, Spen
°rough and Wakefield, and, although :Le general scheme has been-agreed to, eta-us have yet to be worked out and he matter will be further dealt with at conference to be held shortly.
The idea was suggested by a scheme
roposed by the Government in war me, for the dealing with, fires which sight have arisen through enemy action, ir it has been realized that, since the dvent of the motor pump, the radius of 2tion of a fire brigade has been very really increased.
In one instance, a chain of local
athorities encircling a li'Vest Riding °rough has made arrangements with se borough to call upon the brigade 'lien required, and points up to 30 miles way from the station are now in the rea Of-the brigade. In the case of scatLred and thinly-populated districts, this rrangement is most economical and disfactory,but it would have been imassible with horse-drawn machines; but ith a fast machine And 'a professional rigade ready to turn out at a moment's Ake matters are entirely different. ifficullies have arisen in the past. howTer, through lack of standardization of ater service fittings.
Closely allied with the work of the fire rigade of to-day is the maintenance of a motor ambulance, which most towns now consider to be a necessity.. Just as important as the rapid removal of injured to hospital after an accidentis the transfer under the best possible conditions ofa patient from home to hospital, and, generally, facilities for this work are either lacking altogether or are very unsatisfactory Unless the municipality provides the ambulance. The ambulance work is easily arranged in conjunction with the work of the fire brigade, aridthe cost of maintenance is then very low. In many circumstances, the arrangements for receiving fire calls can be
adapted for receiving ambulance calls also, arid this is ah additional convenience. The accompanying photograph shows an ambulance which was presented to the Borough of Keighley. On a 16-20 h.p. Wolseley chassis an ambulance body has been fitted by Claud Hamilton, Ltd., of -Aberdeen, and, although the ambulance was only brought into commission in February of last year, up -So the end of the year it had been called out to 391 cases. This number is eloquent testimony of its usefulness. Provision is made for the carrying of two stretcher cases.