Co-ordinated Working That Assists
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FIRE-FIGHTING
Detail's of the Fire brigade Schemes in Operation in Six Yorkshire Districts, together with Particulars of the Equip ment Employed WIRE-FIGHTING practice has been .1' considerably changed since the advent of the motor fire-engine, but, whilst many districts are now well protected by brigades which are equipped with up-to-date apparatus, there are still many areas inadequately served. An instance of the insufficient service provided in some localities in Essex was proved a short time ago by the investigations of a representative of The Commercial Motor.
In comparison with this may be placed a description of the provisions in an area to the north of the cities of Leeds and Bradford, which is covered by the services of a number of brigades maintained by urban district councils. Whilst Leeds and Bradford maintain big professional brigades and are able to cover large areas, many of the surrounding districts are covered by -brigades which are composed of men who voluntarily give their services, but arc, nevertheless, available at a moment's notice.
Extensive Areas of Working.
The area of working of the presentday brigade, with its fast motor vehicles, is most extensive. In the days of the old horsed engines, the Leeds machines were once conveyed by rail to a fire at Selby Abbey, but only recently a contingent of the Leeds brigade was sent by road to the disastrous oil fire at HulL
s-This increased mobility of firefighting equipment has enabled the authorities in the area referred to above to co-ordinate and there is in existence an arrangement whereby, in a short space of time, equipment can be brought into use for pumping a minimum of 5,000 gallons of water per minute, whilst at least 100 men who are trained in firefighting can be raised.
"or three years a system of voluntary co-ordination between the brigades of the following urban districts has been' in operation :—Shipley (population 28,277, area 2,182 acres) ; Guiseley (5,352 pop., 1,555 acres) ; Bingley (18,942 pop., 11,675 acres) ; Silsden (4,815 pop., 7,101 acres) ; Otley (9,531 pop., 2,950 acres) ; Ilkley (9,098 pop., 3,816 acres). • As the roads follow the valleys of the rivers Aire and Wharfe; access from one district to another is easily attained. The districts are not exactly adjacent as between Bingley and SiLsden, in the Aire valley, the borough of Keighley intervenes and Keighley Corporation Fire-brigade has not entered into the arrangement, as the borough maintains a large organization to cover the town and several of the surrounding districts which, on a basis according to the rateable value of the • buildings in the area, contribute to the maintenance of the brigade.
There are also some intermediate rural districts which do not possess firebrigades, but, in the case of. the Baildon urban district, which has a population of 6,528 and an area of 2,606 acres, an arrangement is made with the Shipley authorities for their brigade to cover the district.
The arrangement between the authorities is that each brigade has the right to call, as required, upon other brigades, and a. strict routine for calling for assisthnce is made out to provide that a fair share of the work is given out. Small fires call for no assistance from outside districts, lint, even ' in the case of outbreaks of minor importance, if the whole of the equipment and staff be called away some distance from the centre of population, say, to a farm fire which would occupy a long time, a warning is sent to the reserve brigade in the appointed district to be prepared to answer any call which may come through from a second fire in the other district. This, however, is merely a matter of precaution. '
" When the Scheme Operates.
If the outbreak in the district concerned should be found to be serious, or is getting beyond the resources of the brigade of that district, the scheme is at once put into operation and the services of another brigade are summoned. The neighbouring firesfighting body -turns out is though the fire were in it§
own area.
The possibility of all the brigades being called out at once to an outbreak is inconceivable, but this state of affairs would be quite possible under the present agreement. There are some large risks in the area, which is a thickly inhabited industrial district.'
Regular provision is made only for two outside brigades to be culled upon by any one authority
The equipment of the various brigades is as -follows :--SHIPLEY : Leyland 00 h.p. engine, with a pumping capacity of 1150 gallons per min.ute, and a Merryweather 60 h.p. 350-gallon fireengine. BINGLEY : Dennis 60 h.p. 350gallo-n engine Dennis 30 h.p. 250-gallon machine and Shand-Mason 850-gallon steamer. SILSDEN : Morris 45 h.p. 350gallon machine. GrisELEY: Leyland 55 h.p. 500-gallon appliance. OTLEY : Dennis 30 h.p. 250-gallon motor engine and Dennis 250-gallon trailer pump. ILKLEY : Leyland 60 h.p. 750-gallon motor and Merryweather steamer. In addition to these appliances, many of the mills in the district covered-have private fire brigades and are equipped with powerful pumping apparatus which is worked from the boilers. The staffs of the private brigades are provided with uniforms and are given regular practice, and would be available if called upon by the various public brigades.
There is considerable differenee in the staffing of the brigades participating in the scheme. Some are purely voluntary. Shipley is the nearest approach to the profegsional brigade, as there are Ave men permanently engaged, in the employ of the council, in or near the firestation, and the telephone is never left by night or by day, one member of the staff sleeping in the instrument room.
There is, all told, a staff of -23 men. At Biugley and Guiseley a member of the staff lives at the fire-station, and there is someone available at any moment to call out the brigade.
_ There is never any possibility of insufficient men being found to staff a machine. as care is always taken to ensure that sufficient members of the fire brigade are employed at points with
in short distances of the fire-station.
A. matter which might be taken up nationally is the difficulty of the varying couplings for fire-brigade work. This matter was recognised when the arrangements were made betWeen the variops brigades, and adapters to enable any set of fittings to be coupled up were obtained and are carried on every machine.