The Empire's Biggest Fire Escape
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A Leyland Fire-fighter for Hull Which Has an Escape Extending to a Height of 150 Ft. BE fire-fighting authorities at Hull I have recently commissioned for ser-vice a new Leyland turntable escape, which is claimed to :be -the tallest in the British Empire, if not in the world. When fully extended, it reaches to a height of 150 ft.—only 20 ft. short of the top of Nelson's Column.
Despite its height, a fireman can be raised to the top within 30 secs. of the arrival of the machine at a fire and, from this elevated position, locate the seat of the fire and direct a jet of water on to it. He can maintain constant touch with the ground crew and direct their operations, for which purpose a two-way loud-speaker telephone is provided at the top of the ladder.
Before the all-steel ladder is extended, the road springs are locked solid by two levers, and four quickacting jacks are lowered to the ground to ensure complete stability. Elevation, extension. and rotation of the ladclet are performed by the aid of the engine, and can be carried out simultaneously, The fireman, strapped on a platform. by a safety belt, is quite safe, for automatic devices make it ImpossiWe for the 'operator to extend the ladder beyond its safety limits. Even if it should strike an abject, owing to elarkness or a pall of smoke, the mechanism is automatically stopped and damage thus avoided.
This fire-fighting robot can be controlled by one man at the foot of the ladder. Coloured lights and warning
bells inform him when the safety limits are being reached, and two dials ,give details of the total extension and the angle of the ladder. On another dial a pointer,-• actuated bythe additional stresses brought about by personnel, windage and jet reaction, automatically governsthe permissible length of the ladder at any degree of elevation, and it indicates whether further hose or personnel can be accommodated in any position. -If the_machine be standing
on uneven ground, an automatic device maintains the plumb position.
Apart from its main purpose of rescuing people from high buildings. the ladder can be extended in. a horizontal position to serve as a bridge. Weighing over 11 tons, and powered by a 115 b.h.p. engine, the new machine is capable of travelling at over 50 m.p.h. and, to ensure its complete safety when negotiating corners at high speed, a new apparatus is used to counteract the sway brought about by the weight of the ladder.
It is understood that, previously, the highest escape of this kind manufactured was 132 ft., and this machine has Jar the past nine months been successfully operated, in conjunction with five other Leyland fire-engines by the Buenos Aires Fire Brigade.