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Business Methods Characterize

24th May 1935, Page 42
24th May 1935
Page 42
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Page 42, 24th May 1935 — Business Methods Characterize
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

LONDON FIRE

RIGADE ORGANIZATION

Efficiency is the Keynote of the London Fire Brigade. Considered as a Transport Undertaking, a Study of Its Operation is of Intense Interest. Its Total Staff Exceeds 2,000 Men and its Fleet, All Told, 210 Machines

SPEED is qa factor of great importance in all transport undertakings, but in the operation of a fire-fighting fleet, the value of a second cannot be over-estimated. The methods employed to reduce delay to the absolute minimum are interesting and instructive. The London Fire Brigade is, we believe, the largest in the world, with the exception only of that of New York, and during the year 19.34 it answered no fewer than 8,742 calls.

With an authorized fire staff of nearly 2,000 officers and men and an administrative, technical and operative staff of more than 150, running more than 200 fire pumps, escapes, tenders, etc., and operatingfrom (15 fire stations, this self-contained public service demands for its efficient working a high standard of organization.

Self-contained is an appropriate phrase, .for the Brigade not only overhauls and maintains its fleet in its own workshops and builds many of its ladders and much of its own body B24 work, but also trains its own men in fire-fighting and the driving and maintenance of its appliances.

The London Fire Brigade serves the County of London. Its headquarters are at Southwark Bridge Road, where are established the workshops and training school, at which there are about 40 men receiving instruction. The area it protects. covers about 117 square miles, and is divided into a . northern division and a southern division. Each of these is again

divided into three districts, every one of which has a superintendent station.

In the northern division, the superintendent stations are Manchester Square, this district having12 stations, Clerkenwell (eight stations), and Whitechapel (12 stations). South of the dividing line, which, in the main, follows the course of •the Thames, they are New Cross, with 16 stations in its district; Old Town, Clapham (nine stations), and Whitefriars (four stations and three fire floats to deal with river outbreaks.

A part of the New Cross area— district D—is on the north bank of the river, approximately opposite Woolwich, and has to have to itself a little station that serves what would otherwise be an isolated section, it being formed by a kink in the bounty

boundary, which • elsewhere, down river, follows. the• centre 'line of the

estuary., _

Under the Chief Officer, who is, of course, stationed at the Southwark headquarters, there are a northern and a southern divisional officer, and each of these three has an .assistant divisional officer. The northern divisional station is at Euston.

• Every fire-station has its own telephone line to its superintendent station, which is, in turn, in communication with headquarters. Small fires are naturally attended to by the stations in the district in which the outbreak has occurred, although they may be notified from Southwark, but, in the event of a big fire, the mobilization is controlled from headquarters.

This is obviously necessary because so large a number of appliances will be needed,. and the organization in the case of a serious conflagration is a matter of no mean complexity. The reason is not at first obvious, but a little explanation will enable it to be easily appreciated.

No district, if it can be avoided, must be " denuded," that is, left without protection in case a local fire occurs. Nevertheless, speed may demand that all the nearest available machines be rushed to the fire. Furthermore, there are the working shifts to be considered. Accordingly the officers in control, having dispatched the necessary appliances to the scene of the outbreak, must then immediately replace them, at the empty stations, with others that can be spared from other stations.

This is all done in the watch room at *headquarters, where for 50 years and more men have been on duty, night and day, without cessation, and the work is facilitated, and the possibility of errors minimized, by the use of a large wall map. On this, at every station, there is a socket for mai appliance belonging to it, pegs of different colours, to denote the types of machine represented, normally being stuck in the sockets.

Below and at each side of the map are racks, denoting the positions of the appliances temporarily away. When a fire pump or escape leaves its station to attend a fire, its peg is placed in the fire rack, and thus an unmistakable indication of all movements is afforded. The other racks represent workshops, test shops, etc. There are some 30 spare machines available to enable all stations to be kept up to strength, while overhauls and so forth are being executed.

Fires are by no means the only occurrences with which the London Fire Brigade is called upon to contend. While we were obtaining the photographs reproduced in the accompanying illustrations a few days ago, just as an emergency tender was about to take up its position in front of the Camera, it was called out to deal with a,n escape of ammonia gas. Within 30 seconds of the receipt of the call it was away, and, little more than half an hour later, in the watch room, we learned that the gas escape had been checked, whilst brief particulars of the work done, the number of gas masks used and so forth were also available. Shortly afterwards, the vehicle returned and the photograph was taken. In every case, such details are recorded, there and then, by a fireman in the watch room.

The system by which outbreaks are located is worth brief mention. The message states the address; this is at once turned up in an indexed book, in which every street or part of a street is shown against a number. From the last-named all further necessary particulars can be as readily ascertained as the other details.

Incidentally, accustomed as we are to obtaining photographs of machines in manufacturers' works, operators' garages and so forth, we were immensely struck by The almost immediate appearance of the machine required for the camera after the instruction for it to be driven out into the quadrangle had been given. Inspecting the workshops, we oba25 served a sectioned Dennis power unit. This, we were told, was originally exhibited at a recent Commercial Motor Show at Olympia, and had been bought by the Brigade for its training school. It is not now kept in a glass case, but apparently serves a very useful purpose. A cut-away Dewandre servo motor is similarly employed.

One section of the shops is at present engaged in remaking all gallows—the superstructures on which hook ladders have hitherto been carried on the motor pumps—to enable a 40-ft. extension ladder also to be mounted on the engine. The manufacture of these appliances is occupying the attentions of another department. These 40-ft. ladders, although about 10 ft. shorter than the wheeled escapes, have the advantage of being suitable for use under conditions for which the latter are impracticable.

We inquired whether the solid-tyred vehicles in the fleet were being converted by the substitution of pneumatics, and learned that, where the probable life of the machine justified it, this had already been done, but that no further conversions would be made, as the old solid-tyred appliances would gradually be replaced by new pneumatic-tyred machines, and that the whole fleet would be thus equipped by 1940. Roadworthiness is enhanced and vibration, with consequent damage, is reduced by the use of pneumatics, and, as the vehicles are capable of speeds approaching 50 m.p.h., this is of some importance.

Two machines of recent acquisition at the headquarters, and to which our attention was particularly drawn, are a Dennis chassis on which is mounted a Morris-Magirus turntable ladder, and a Dennis emergency tender. The former is equipped with a steel ladder that can be extended to 100 ft. Among its many points of interest is the fact that it is the first pneumatictyred turntable ladder to be used by the London Fire Brigade. It is provided with four quick-action screwdown jacks.

The latter is equipped with a 3i-kw. 110-volt generating set for lighting and running electric hand tools, and carries four floodlights and two cluster lights for lowering into ships' holds, cellars and so forth. Its equipment also includes eight sets of self-contained breathing apparatus, rubber gloves and boots, nonconducting helmets, oxy-acetylene cutting plant, resuscitating apparatus, two special jacks and, of course, firstaid kit.

There are also among the headquarters fleet a new dual-purpose machine, comprising a pump and an escape, and a foam tender.

With regard to the system of overhauling, a new machine, at the end of three years, receives a top overhaul. Then, after another three years, a complete overhaul. These are repeated until the vehicle is replaced. Those now being disposed of have served from 14-20 years. This period is being reduced. and, we understand, replace B26 meats are being made earlier. Machines are displaced rather to keep the fleet up to' date than because they are worn out. The average mileage per annum of a motor pump is about 1,500, whilst that of an escape is 800.

Besides the chassis and pumps, there are 100 wooden escapes to keep in repair, which come in for test every year. Quite recently, a programme of painting was launched; the works are endeavouring to repaint each vehicle every two years.

There are, in addition, countless. small parts to maintain, and, largely with the object of minimizing damage by water leakage, a campaign ha,s been commenced to bring all hose couplings, hydrant heads, etc., to absolute standardization. A figure of 25,000 was quoted us for the number of " pieces" that annually come into the workshops for review.

Finally, mention must be made of the experimental introduction of a helmet, having a cork basis, and which, whilst being stronger than the brass models, is a non-conductor of electricity. One may grieve the passing of the gleaming brass, but one would more regret the sacrifice of life to show.


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