AIRPORT MYSTERY

On Oct. 31, the London Fire Brigade searched a British Airways jetliner at Heathrow airport after six passengers became sick on a trans-Atlantic flight.

Firefighters in chemical suits ran tests inside the cabin of the Boeing 777 - BA Flight 184 from Newark, New Jersey - and the results were negative. The London Ambulance Service examined the passengers and none were found to be seriously ill.

INCIDENT REPORT
0641
G56 HEATHROW
CONFIRMED HAZMAT INCIDENT
197988091
TERMINAL 5B, WAGTAIL ROAD, HEATHROW AIRPORT
A 777 aircraft at stand 582 landed at 07:05 hrs with 216 passengers and 14 crew on board, 6 passengers overcome in flight, cabin area and flight deck declared safe using DIM equipment by RRT crews in gas tight suits, 5 passengers treated by LAS, all remaining passengers disembarked from aircraft.

SNOWHILL - 1941

Night raid - 1941

THE SHOUT

Photo: www.joyceimages.com

HELP WANTED

Photo: Imperial War College
World War II recruitment poster

From Daily Telegraph:

"When war was declared there were over 1,400 regular local fire brigades in the United Kingdom. To them were attached volunteers of the Auxiliary Fire Service which had been established in July 1938. The AFS was mobilised on 31st August 1939 and in the London region there were 32,000 AFS firemen and firewomen compared to 3,000 men of the regular brigades. The AFS had its baptism of fire during the 1940-1941 Blitz in which many important lessons were learnt. On 18th August 1941, local brigades and the AFS were combined into the National Fire Service under Home Secretary Herbert Morrison."

EYE IN SKY

Fire in abandoned warehouse, November 2007

MATCHBOX

Photo: The Matchbox Club
Model of London Fire Brigade horse drawn engine

EUSTON STATION

Photo: London Cycling Campaign
Classic image of Euston Fire Station

DUNKIRK - 1940

Fireboat Massey Shaw at sea

At the start of World War II, the London fireboat Massey Shaw performed heroically as a member of the fleet of "Little Ships" that evacuated British soliders from Dunkirk in France.

Navy sailors and London firemen worked side by side to rescue members of the British Expeditionary Force defeated by the German Army.

According to the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships:

"The fires of Dunkirk gave them enough light to work by and the thick blanket of smoke provided some cover from air attack. But the shelling from German guns was relentless. The two Naval officers set a splendid example of calm and the beach party rowed ashore, fixing a line to maintain contact with the fire-float. After four or five journeys, the Massey Shaw was full once more with troops pressed together in the cabin and standing shoulder-to-shoulder on deck. Her load of nearly l00 men was transferred to a troopship at anchor in the channel and she returned to be re-loaded.

"After some engine trouble that the naval stokers who were unused to the Massey Shaw's machinery, eventually managed to overcome, stretcher cases began to arrive and these were hard to handle and transfer to the troopship. They made about five journeys from the beach to a paddle steamer and it was estimated that they embarked 500 men in this way. As dawn broke, the troopship was full and left for England. Massey Shaw returned to the beach and started loading again. At this point, on a falling tide, they began to bump on the sands and were in danger of damaging their propellers but, with their engines throbbing at full power, they just managed to get back into deep water. At 0330 they were the last boat to leave that part of the beach. Halfway across the channel, the Naval skipper began to have doubts about the compass, but then, to his relief, came across a drifter towing two small boats packed with troops. They followed them into Ramsgate where they arrived at 0800 on Sunday 2nd June, landing 30 or 40 more soldiers.

"The Massey Shaw returned to Dunkirk again the next evening with a Fire Service crew. This time they went to the jetty of Dunkirk harbour. It was difficult for soldiers to board her from the towering jetty and she came away empty. After returning to Ramsgate, she was ordered back to London. Off Margate, the Emile Deschamps, a French ship which had sailed to England from Dunkirk laden with troops the previous night, was passing her at a distance of 200 yards when it struck a mine and sank almost immediately. The Massey Shaw picked up 40 men, all severely injured and took them back to Ramsgate. Early on Wednesday 5th, she finally returned to London and as she came up the river she was cheered as she passed each fire station."

CCTV 7/7

CCTV image of emergency response to July 7, 2005, terrorist attack at London Underground station at King's Cross.

TUBE FIRES - 1958 & 1960

From the BBC:

"On 28 July, 1958, a fire started in the electrical wiring of a Central line train between Shepherd's Bush and Holland Park station in west London, with most of the passengers suffering from smoke inhalation and one person later dying from breathing the fumes. Electrical arcing in power cables at the rear of the first carriage had produced an electrical arc which produced a torch-like flame, which blistered and melted the paint and other materials to produce acrid fumes. The current to the tracks was soon removed, and passengers had to be detrained towards both Shepherd's Bush and Holland Park.

"A similar incident occurred two years later on 12 August, 1960 when a fire started in the front carriage of a train between Redbridge and Gants Hill for the same reason. Fortunately no one was killed as the train was only partially full, though a few dozen people were taken to hospital. Precautions recommended after the Holland Park fire meant that the driver's cab had been insulated from the point where the arcing occurred, probably saving the driver's life. Meanwhile, this second accident led to further attempts to improve safety, with most of the 1938 tube stock which had the same type of wiring being altered or decommissioned soon afterwards."

OLD BAILEY - 1973

Photos: BBC, Daily Mail and Wikipedia

On March 8, 1973, the Irish Republican Army bombed the Old Bailey, the central criminal court. Twin car bombs claimed one life. Another 100 people were injured. The blasts also damaged government agricultural offices.

BLITZ DUTY

Photo: Historical Footsteps Tours of London

Script of BBC Broadcast from Sept. 7, 1940

The German air force has unleashed a wave of heavy bombing raids on London, killing hundreds of civilians and injuring many more.

The Ministry of Home Security said the scale of the attacks was the largest the Germans had yet attempted.

"Our defences have actively engaged the enemy at all points," said a communiqué issued this evening.

"The civil defence services are responding admirably to all calls that are being made upon them."

The first raids came towards the end of the afternoon, and were concentrated on the densely populated East End, along the river by London's docks.

About 300 bombers attacked the city for over an hour and a half. The entire docklands area seemed to be ablaze as hundreds of fires lit up the sky.

Once darkness fell, the fires could be seen more than 10 miles away, and it is believed that the light guided a second wave of German bombers which began coming over at about 2030 BST (1930 GMT).

The night bombing lasted over eight hours, shaking the city with the deafening noise of hundreds of bombs falling so close together there was hardly a pause between them.

One bomb exploded on a crowded air raid shelter in an East London district.

In what was described as "a million to one chance", the bomb fell directly on the 3ft (90cm) by 1ft (30cm) ventilation shaft - the only vulnerable place in a strongly-protected underground shelter which could accommodate over 1,000 people.

About 14 people are believed to have been killed and 40 injured, including children.

Civil defence workers worked through the night, often in the face of heavy bombing, to take people out of the range of fire and find them temporary shelter and food.

An official paid tribute to staff at one London hospital which was hit, saying, "They showed marvellous bravery, keeping on until bomb detonations and gunfire made it absolutely impossible."

In the air, a series of ferocious dogfights developed as the German aircraft flew up the Thames Estuary.

The Air Ministry says at least 15 enemy aircraft crashed into the estuary, and in all, the Ministry said, 88 German aircraft were shot down, against 22 RAF planes lost.

LADDER RESCUE

Photo: Soho Fire Station web site

TELEPRINTER

Photo: delta23lfb via Flickr
Image of Dec. 29, 1974 teleprinter message calling additional fire crews - with "BA" or breathing appartus - to major incident at King George V Dock in East London. The "royal dock" was built in 1912 and closed in the 1980s. Today, the site is part of the Docklands development.

10 PUMPS

Photo: Soho Fire Station web site

Oxford Street, 10 pumps

WHAT A NIGHT

Photo: www.art.com
Exhausted members of Auxiliary Fire Service catch a nap on rear of "heavy" pump during the Blitz.

FIREMEN REMEMBERED

http://www.firemenremembered.co.uk

Firemen Remembered is a charity dedicated honoring the firemen and firewomen who served in the London Region during World War II

RESCUE SQUAD

Photo: Classic Fire Engines
Classic emergency tender assigned to Clerkenwell Fire Station

ON THE LINE

Sculpture at old London Fire Brigade Headquarters at Albert Embankment, circa 1937

CATCHING A WINK

Catching a wink as flames rage above. Londoners take shelter in the Elephant and Castle district's tube station during a German air raid in 1940.

ST. PAUL'S

Photo: Museum of London
One of the fire brigade's greatest accomplishments during World War Two was saving St. Paul's Catherdral from the German air raids.

EARLY B.A.

Photo: Illustrated London News
Early breathing apparatus, 19th Century

CARTOONS

"Mind you, it's not really much of a blaze, but I thought perhaps it might be a nice little bit of practice for your Auxiliaries."

London Evening News - May 29, 1939

British Cartoon Archive

"Hi, mister. Lend me your escape."

London Evening News - Feb. 7, 1935

British Cartoon Archive

"You're lucky - Working to Rule simply means putting the fire out ...''

Sunday Mirror - Sept. 27, 1970

British Cartoon Archive

"He goes up there to water his garden down in Mitcham."
London Evening News - June 17, 1939
British Cartoon Archive

LONDON HOSPITAL

Photos: Hospital web site (top); Museum of London (bottom)

The German air raids of 1940 damaged London Hospital, Whitechapel. During World QWar Two, the hospital played a major role in providing emergency medical services to the north and east of London, according to the hospital's web site.

PRIVATE BRIGADE

The government authority that oversees the London Fire Brigade signed a contract with a private company to provide backup fire services. The five-year agreement with with AssetCo is worth 12 million pounds - and likely to provoke anger among unions, The Financial Times said.

HONEYPOT LANE

Photo: Stuart Appleby on This is Local London web site
Spectacular view of 15-pump fire at industrial estate on Honeypot Lane, Queensbury, on night of July 15-16, 2009.

LITTERS

In the 1890s, firefighters, police and even taxi drivers staffed a fleet of wheeled-stretchers called ``litters'' to take patients to hospitals, according to the London Ambulance Service.

7/7 MEMORIAL

Photo: Architects Journal
Memorial in Hyde Park for victims of July 7, 2004, attack on London's transit system

FLIGHT 712

Photos: Wikipedia

On April 8, 1968, BOAC Flight 712 suffered an engine fire after takeoff from London Heathrow Airport and returned to the field for an emergency landing. Flames killed five people, including flight attendant Jane Harrison, who was trying to rescue a disabled passenger. Harrison, 22, was posthumously awarded the George Cross for heroism. The four-engine Boeing 707 had been bound for Australia and was laden with fuel.

CAMBERWELL - 2009

Photos: Paul Wood (top), on Daily Mirror web site. BBC web site (lower)

On July 3, 2009, fire killed six people in a high-rise apartment building in Camberwell, South London.

Firefighters rescued 40 others as flames engulfed the upper levels of the 12-story Lakanal House. The dead had taken refuge in a bathroom on the 11th floor.

``We worked as fast as we could and rescued many people from the block,'' London Fire Commissioner Rob Dobson said. ``Sadly, and to the huge regret of the crews involved we simply could not reach everyone in time.''

The worst of the disaster was above the reach of the fire brigade's tallest ladders, which extend for roughly 100 feet.

Dobson said the fire brigade arrived ``within minutes of being called'' and that ``crews worked under very difficult and hazardous circumstances to reach people trapped in the building as soon as they were able to.''

About 100 firefighters - staffing 18 pumps, as well as six rescue units and two aerial ladder platforms - were assigned to the fire. Members of the London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police were also on the scene assisting. The incident occurred on the territory of the Peckham Fire Station, E37.

Assistant Commissioner Nick Collins, quoted by the Evening Standard, said: ``Some of the firefighters went back in three or four times. They were working at their very limits. We are extremely proud of them.''

HORTON HOSPITAL

Photos: www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk

Fire drill, circa 1910, and members of fire brigade at Horton Hospital, Epsom, on outskirts of London

LAMBETH CONTROL

London Fire Brigade control room at Lambeth

RADIO CHANNELS

Western and Central
Callsign M2FN
Frequency 71.1750 Mhz AM

Eastern
Callsign M2FE
Frequency 70.7625 Mhz AM

Southern
Callsign M2FS
Frequency 70.9625 Mhz AM

SMITHFIELD'S

Photo: www.eastlondonfirefighters.co.uk
On Jan. 23, 1958, a fire at Union Cold Storage Co. at Smithfield Market claimed the lives of two firefighters. Flames ``spread through two and a half acres of underground passage,'' according to The New York Times. The fire burned for days.

LINK TO STORY:
http://londonfirejournal.blogspot.com/2005/07/smithfield-market-1958.html

NARROW STREET

Photo: http://www.eastlondonfirefighters.co.uk/
Fire at Narrow Street, Limehouse, 1934

FIRE SAFETY

Move over Oliver Twist.

According to The Sun newspaper on May 26, 2009:

A LANDLORD pocketed £36,000 a month by cramming families into single rooms and even SHEDS, a council has claimed.

Families were often charged £1,000 for one small room in the "unsafe" flats and houses.

Showers doubled as toilets and "kitchens" were just microwaves.

Harrow Council raids in North West London found breaches of fire safety - with one family-sized house having 17 people in six flats.

Legal action was launched over eight properties. Cllr Marilyn Ashton said: "We uncovered a squalid picture of overcrowding. It could have been Charles Dickens's London."

WORSLEY HOTEL - 1974

Photos: Gordon Honeycombe web site

On Dec. 13, 1974, an arson fire swept the Worsley Hotel in the Maida Vale section of London, killing 7 people - including a probationary firefighter named Hamish ``Harry'' Petit.

Three other firefighters were injured.

The story of the Worsley Hotel fire was recorded by journalist Gordon Honeycombe in the book ``Red Watch'' and by former London officer Neil Wallington in the book "Fireman! A personal account."

The hotel's kitchen porter, Edward Mansfield, was convicted of setting the fire.

According to Wikipedia:

The first of several 999 calls were made to the London Fire Brigade at 03:32 and received by the local fire station, A21, Paddington who were ordered to the scene along with neighbouring A22, Manchester Square and G26 Belsize, bringing the first attendance of 4 pumping appliances – 2 carrying the heavy but stable 50 foot (15m) wheeled escape ladders, a 100 ft (30m) turntable ladder (aerial) and an emergency tender (for the breathing apparatus (BA) sets carried, the wearing of which was then still a specialist skill).

On arrival, a chaotic scene greeted the senior officer, a serious fire in progress and numerous persons requiring rescue. A priority message was made to control and a “Make pumps 8” message was sent (requesting a further 4 pumping appliances in addition to the original 4) within minutes of first arriving, whilst rescues (the priority) were being affected from both the front and rear of the building. Further reinforcements were requested, first to 15 pumps, and then 20, and finally 30 with a further 2 turntable ladders requested.

During the next hour, the building structure began to deteriorate as floors and roof structures became affected by fire. This was particularly apparent in house numbers 13, 15, and 17, the worst affected. Many of the internal stairways were stone and when heated by the fire and then suddenly cooled by water collapsed making internal movement through the building awkward and potentially hazardous.

As further crews arrived along with increasingly senior officers to direct operations and persons were accounted for, the operation moved from rescue to the fighting of the fire. Crews took hoses through the doors from the street and off ladders through the windows.

One of these fire fighting crews made up of 3 men and a Station Officer, entered a second floor room to search out the seat of the fire. Whilst in the room, several floors above weakened by the extra load of the partially collapsed roof came down on the crew, the devastation seemingly concentrated on that one room. The release of the trapped men became the priority, with what proved to be a difficult and protracted rescue operation. One by one, 3 men were released (2 with serious burns and 1 with a serious back injury) before the body of the 4th man was found, who was declared dead at the scene.

HORSE POWER

Photos: LFB web site
Fire horses, circa 1900

LONDON ABLAZE

Contemporary account of the Great Fire of London of 1666 from the official London Gazette. The dateline reads ``Whitehall, Sept.8.'' The fire burned from Sept. 2, 1666 to Sept. 5, 1666.

EARLY "TL"

Photo: Encyclopedia Britannica
Horse-drawn turntable ladder

BREAD STREET - 1899

Photo: London Stereoscopic Co.
Horse-drawn pumps supplying water from hydrant at fire on Bread Street in the City of London in 1899.

CHANCERY LANE - 2009

Photo: BBC website
On March 18, 2009, a 15-pump fire broke out at Breams Buildings on Chancery Lane in central London. Vicki Clarke, who works in an office in New Street Square, captured this image posted on the BBC web site. Chancery Lane derives its name from the historic High Court of Chancery. The Evening Standard newspaper describes Chancery Lane as "the heart of London's legal community." The London Fire Brigade said on its web site: "Around 130 people left the building before the arrival of the Brigade and two adjacent buildings were also evacuated from the 6th floor and above as a precaution."
-
INCIDENT REPORT
15.36
A27 CLERKENWELL
15 PUMP FIRE, CYLINDERS INVOLVED
44766091
ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION TRIBUNAL SERVICE, CHANCERY LANE, EC4
Office block of 5 floors and mansard roof. 50 metres by 10 metres, 50 per cent of 4th floor and 75 per cent of mansard roof alight. 3 jets 2 aerial monitors, dry riser and breathing apparatus in use.1 ground monitor supplying protective water curtain to adjacent building. 3 by 15 kilogramme propane cylinders involved. Cylinder procedure implemented. 2 adjacent buildings evacuated from 6th floor and above. Extensive salvage operations being undertaken from 4th floor to ground level.

FIRE STRIKE - 1977

Photo and cartoon: Daily Mail
Firefighters across the U.K. staged a nationwide strike in November 1977 - and walked out again in 2002 and 2003.

The BBC said that during the first strike "firefighters eventually settled for a 10% increase, taking an average salary to just over £4,000, with the promise of more to come.''

There was more to come.

The BBC said: "Firefighters went on strike again in 2002/03. The long-running dispute which included a series of one day stoppages over a period of several months ended with a 16% pay rise tied to a modernisation package."

The military staffed civil defense fire engines during the strikes.

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE

Illustrated London News sketch of fire at Covent Garden Theatre dated March 15, 1857. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the fire occured during the previous year.

BALHAM TRAGEDY

On Oct. 15, 1940, a German air raid killed 111 people at Balham Underground station on the Northern line. This is exterior view shows a bus that fell into the bomb crater, according to London Transport. Firefighters and other members of the emergency services are also pictured.

WAITING FOR SHOUT

``A London Transport Fireman knits 'winter comforts' for the war effort in the early months of the Second World War, probably as part of London Transports 'Warco' scheme; he appears to be sitting on the running board of a fire engine. Two of his colleagues look on. A tabby cat plays with the ball of wool.'' - London Transport web site

CHISWICK WORKS

A special firefighting squad protected London Transport Chiswick Works during World War II. The plant - converted to defense work and operated by London Aircraft Production - was targeted by German bombers, including an incendiary raid on Oct. 10, 1940, according to London Transport. The photos show drilling on March 20, 1941.

CLAPHAM DEPOT

German bombers damaged the tram depot at Clapham on April 19, 1941, according to London Transport. The transit system sustained extensive damage during 1940-1941.

SIKH TEMPLE

Photo: Paul Wood, on London Evening Standard web site
On March, 16 2009, a 10-pump fire swept Gurdwara Sikh Sangatarson, a temple on Harley Grove in Bow, according to the Evening Standard. Police considered the fire suspicious, the Standard reported. “It is difficult to watch,'' said a worshiper quoted by the East London Adverister. "All the holy books are being destroyed. ... We worship our holy books as steps to God.” No injuries were reported.

-

INCIDENT REPORT
14:06
F27 BOW
10 PUMP FIRE AERIALS 3
43392091
SIKH TEMPLE HARLEY GROVE E3
A temple of 2 floors, 20 metres x 40 metres, 75% of building and roof damaged by fire. 2 x aerial monitors, 2 x ground monitors, 2 x jets, water relay, breathing apparatus, thermal image camera.

CALEDONIA - 1980

Photos: River Clyde web site; Soho Fire Station web site
On April 27, 1980, a 15-pump fire destroyed the retired Paddle Steamer Caledonia, moored on the Thames. A flashover injured five firefighters, according to the Soho Fire Station web site. Renamed Old Caledonia, the vessel was serving as a floating pub at the Embankment. She was built in 1934.

FIREFIGHTER SAFETY

Photos: London Fire Brigade

After a fire at Smithfield Market killed two firefighters from Clerkenwell station in 1958, the London Fire Brigade introduced breathing apparatus control boards to improve firefighter safety by tracking their time, movement and estimated air supply in a burning building.

-

Link to report on Smithfield fire:

http://londonfirejournal.blogspot.com/2005/07/smithfield-market-1958.html

BAA FIRE SERVICE

UPDATED JULY 2009

Photo: Press Association via The Times web site
Emergency landing at Gatwick on July 24, 2009

Photo: East Preston Fire Station website

Firefighters at London Gatwick Airport, second busiest airport in the U.K. after London Heathrow Airport. The firefighters at Gatwick and Heathrow are employed by BAA Airports Ltd., operator of the airports. Gatwick is located in West Sussex, and Heathrow is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon. BAA also operates London Stansted Airport in Essex.

MONUMENT

The Monument to the Great Fire of London - more commonly known as The Monument - towers over the City of London to commemorate the 1666 conflagration.

The Roman doric column was constructed between 1671 and 1677 - by order of the first Rebuilding Act of 1669 - to ``preserve the memory of this dreadful visitation.''

The Monument was built near the site of where the first started - Thomas Farryner's bakery on Pudding Lane - and stands 202 feet - or about 62 meters.

The Great Fire burned from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5, 1666 and gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall, according to Wikipedia.

Another monument, the Golden Boy of Pye Corner, marks the point near Smithfield where the flames stopped.

AFS WOMEN HONORED

Photo: Wharf.co.uk

In 2008, the former Millwall Fire Station was converted into an apartment block named for Violet Pengelly and Joan Bartlett, members of the London Auxiliary Fire Service killed during World War II.

According to the web site Wharf.co.uk: ``The young pair were among those who lost their lives during a bomb attack at the height of the blitz.

``Violet, 19, and Joan, 18, were among the first women to sign up to the Auxiliary Fire Service in 1938, and were based at a sub-station in the Saunders Ness Road School on the Isle of Dogs when World War II broke out a year later.

``The two were killed – along with 24 other emergency workers – when the school suffered a direct hit from a high-explosive bomb on the night of September 18, 1940.''

The new residences are named Bartlett Mews and Pengelly Apartments.

AFTER THE RAID

Photo: National Archives
Children outside the ruins of a home in an eastern suburb of London after a German air raid in September 1940.

HEAVY PUMPS

Photo: Life magazine

Auxiliary fire service heavy pumps in September 1940.

TRAILER PUMPS

Photos: Life magazine, LFB web site

During World War II, the National Fire Service operated trailer pumps to augment its fleet of fire engines. In London, the fire service hired 2,000 Austin taxis to tow the pumps. Depending upon the model, these appliances could pump from 120-gallons per minute to 900-gallons per minute, according to Neil Wallington's book ``Firemen at War.''

FIVE COVER - 1865

Photo: LFB web site

In 1865, the London Fire Engine Establishment - predecessor to the municipal fire brigade - operated 17 stations. Today, more than 100 stations provide fire cover.

"MEOW 999"

Photo: Euston Fire Station web site

Firefighters in central London go to the aid of "Pancake" the cat, stranded atop a chimney, according to the web site of the Euston Fire Station. www.eustonfirestation.com/

ON THE THAMES

Photo: London Fire Brigade
The fire brigade's Massey Shaw passes the House of Commons towards Lambeth river station in the 1950s.

RESTING AT FIRE

The painting Resting at Fire - oil on canvas by Reginald Mills, 1940 - depicits firemen during the Blitz, according to the London Fire Brigade web site

POLITICS

In 1891, the London County Council challenged Eyre Massey Shaw, chief fire officer, for control of the brigade. The council won, and Shaw retired after three decades. The cartoon by Tom Merry in St Stephen's Presentation Review satirised the conflict, according to the London Fire Brigade web site.

TELEGRAPH

Photos: LFB web site
Fire stations in 1889 and watch room telegraph

In the 19th Century, Eyre Massey Shaw - the first chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade - linked London's fire stations by telegraph.

In his 1867 book ``Fighting the Flames,'' author R. M. Ballantyne explained messages were relayed through a central office in an effort to improve response times and maintain adequate fire cover in each of the brigade's districts.

``When a fire occurs in any part of London ... the fire station nearest to it at once sends out its engines and men, and telegraphs to the head or centre station at Watling Street,'' Ballantyne wrote. (Actual alarms of fire were turned in by neighborhood runners paid a shilling per shout from the station purse.)

``From Watling Street the news is telegraphed to the foremen's stations, whence it is transmitted to the stations of their respective districts, so that in a few minutes after the breaking out of a fire the fact is known to the firemen all over London,'' according to Ballantyne's book.

FIREFIGHTER SAFETY

A study by the Fire Brigades Union says 2007 was the deadliest year in more than two decades for the U.K. fire service, with eight firefighters dying on duty. The study cited failure in risk assessment as a leading cause of fatalities. FBU leader Matt Wrack said: ``We have better fire engines, we have better equipment, including personal protective equipment. We have a better understanding of many of the risks we face. In theory at least we have better operational procedures. We should therefore have seen a decline in serious and fatal accidents."

DOCKLANDS ABLAZE

Photo: Museum of London
West India Docks, Sept. 7, 1941

The Docklands were a prime target for German bombers during the Blitz of 1940-41, and firefighters faced a variety of hazards.

In the 1949 book ``Fire Service Memoirs,'' Chief Fire Officer Aylmer Firebrace recalled:

``There were pepper fires, loading the surrounding air heavily with stinging particles so that when a fireman took a deep breath it felt like breathing fire itself.

``There were rum fires, with torrents of blazing liquid pouring from the warehouse door and barrels exploding like bombs themselves.

``There was a paint fire, another cascade of white hot flame, coating the pump with varnish that could not be cleaned off for weeks.

``A rubber fire gave forth black clouds of smoke that could only be fought from a distance, always threatening to choke the attackers.''

LADDER CREW - 1910

RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS

The Retired Members Association was formed in 1930. The RMA suspended operations when the fire brigade was nationalized for World War II. In 1948, the RMA was revived, according to its web site. Photos: RMA web site

RAILWAY FLOODING

Photo: London Transport Museum
May 6, 1915 - ``Two horse-drawn fire engines mounted in railway wagons are using steam to pump away flood water from the Metropolitan line tracks. The flooding under Ray Street Grid Iron near Farringdon Underground station followed a severe thunderstorm,'' according to the
Exploring 20th Century London Project.

GENERAL POST OFFICE

Photo: Wikipedia

On Aug. 24, 1912, a fire broke out in the telegraph equipment at the General Post Office at St. Martin's le Grand. According to The New York Times: ``The large force of firemen, who were quickly on the scene, had considerable difficulty in getting at the seat of fire, which was in a compartment containing wires between the instrument gallery and the floor below."

GOTHA RAIDS

During World War I, the Central Telegraph Office in London was set ablaze during a German air raid. The attackers were flying Gotha bombers, which replaced the Zeppelins in 1916.

Photos: U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and BBC

LANDLORD IMPRISONED

A landlord has been sent to prison in the first custodial sentence to be given in London under the new fire safety regulations.

Mr Mehmat Parlak was sentenced to four months imprisonment and his company, Watchacre properties limited, were fined £21,000 following conviction for serious breaches of the regulatory reform order (RRO).

The prosecution followed a fatal fire at a flat on Ruskin Road, Tottenham on 16 September 2007. After being removed from the building by firefighters, a man was taken to hospital but died later from his injuries.

Councillor Brian Coleman AM FRSA, Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority which runs the London Fire Brigade said “This fire resulted in a man dying and highlights why landlords and businesses must take their responsibilities under the regulatory reform order seriously. The London Fire Brigade works hard to bring irresponsible companies and individuals to court, which can as this case has shown result in a custodial sentence.”

Sentencing of the company and their Director Mr Parlak, of Wellington Road, Enfield took place at Wood Green Crown Court on 20 October after they pleaded guilty to eight breaches of fire safety.

- London Fire Brigade press release

GARRICK'S VILLA

On Oct. 25, 2008, a 10-pump fire swept the former home of David Garrick, the 18th Century Shakespearean actor, in south-west London.

Photo: BBC web site

INCIDENT REPORT
11:29
H43 TWICKENHAM
10 PUMP FIRE, 2 AERIAL LADDER PLATFORMS, 2 HOSE LAYERS, 1 HIGH VOLUME PUMPING UNIT
194020081
GARRICKS VILLA, HAMPTON COURT ROAD, HAMPTON
Building under refurbishment of 3 floors, 36 metres x 20 metres, divided into 9 residential flats. 20% of ground floor damaged by fire, 50% of first floor, 75% of second floor and 75% of roof damaged by fire and collapse. 6 jets, 2 aerial ladder platforms, 3 lightweight portable pumps, 9 metre ladder, breathing apparatus. 6 persons left premises before arrival of brigade.

FBU SURVEY

Daily Mirror - Oct. 20, 2008

Firefighters feel they are not valued by the Government and that inadequate funding for training is compromising their safety. The "alarming" discontent is felt by most men and women in the Fire Brigades Union, revealed a poll of 2,000 of its members.

PSYCHIATRIC UNIT

On Oct. 15, 2008, a 20-pump fire swept a secure psychiatric unit on the grounds of the Chase Farm Hospital on The Ridgeway in Enfield.

Firefighters apparently encountered low hydrant pressure.

``The fire severely damaged the first floor and the roof of the three storey building,'' according to the London Fire Brigade web site. ``Part of the ground floor was also damaged by the blaze. Firefighters worked hard to stop the fire from spreading to surrounding buildings. ''

Sixty-eight patients were evacuated and no injuries were reported. The Daily Mail said the Camlet 3 facility houses ``mentally ill criminals.''

According to the Enfield Independent: ``About 140 firefighters and 20 fire engines worked through the night to control the blaze at its peak. Relief crews were summoned every four hours from depots throughout London.''

INCIDENT REPORT

18:33
A35 ENFIELD
20 PUMP FIRE, PERSONS REPORTED ALP REQUIRED
187836081
CAMLET LODGE, CHASE FARM HOSPITAL, THE RIDGEWAY, ENFIELD EN2
Secure mental health unit of 2 and 3 floors, 100 metres x 50 metres, 20 percent of ground floor, 75 percent of 1st floor and 75 percent of roof damaged by fire and collapsed, 68 patients and staff evacuated from building before arrival of brigade, led to safe area, in care of hospital staff, 10 jets, breathing apparatus, Ariel ladder platform, closed circuit water relay, thermal image camera, All persons accounted for.

GREAT MARLBOROUGH ST.

Photo: Soho Fire Station web site

In 1970, fire swept the building that once served as the Great Marlborough Street fire station, according to the web site of the Soho Fire Station. The Great Marlborough Street station opened in 1887 and closed about 1920.

MAN FROM MARS?

Photo: LFB web site
According to the London Fire Brigade web site: ``Fireman wearing a full protective asbestos suit and carrying a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, World War Two .''

BUDGET 'UP IN FLAMES'

On Oct. 13, 2008, the New Statesman reported London Mayor Boris Johnson embarked on a round of budget cuts - including services at the London Fire Brigade.

Following is an excerpt from the article about Johnson and his Tory administration:

Johnson's proposed 15 per cent of cuts or 'savings' to Greater London Authority funding will not come into effect until next year but 28 notifications of potential redundancies have already been issued within London Fire Brigade.

Stating her concern, (Labour AM Valerie ) Shawcross said: “London's fire service is going up in flames and Boris Johnson is not interested.”

According to statistics produced by the service's Equalities Department 86 per cent of the service is white and male but it is the Equalities and Diversity Training Team that's in greatest danger.

London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) Chairman Brian Coleman said: “We will just cut away the flab that's grown in the the organisation.”

Although many would argue this 'flab' works to prevent discrimination within the service.

The Fire Service's museum and library are also under threat although a passionate campaign against its closure has been launched.

Nothing is yet decided and the official line is that a “range of options are being considered” but when questioned the Boris-appointed chairman said the library would go.

Justifying the threats, Coleman said: “Cuts have to be made. We are in the middle of a recession and people don't have any money. I would have thought that was obvious, even to the New Statesman.”

THE GREAT FIRE

In the days before the London Fire Brigade, the Great Fire of London raged for five days during September 1666 - demonstrating the inadequacy of informal bucket brigades.

The conflagration started at the king's bakery on Pudding Lane.

According to the London Fire Brigade's web site, flames destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches and a variety of other buildings - including The Royal Exchange, The Guild Hall and the original St. Paul’s Cathedral.

``The death toll was six people, yet a great many others died through indirect causes,'' such as exposure during the harsh winter that followed, according to the brigade's web site.

Just the same, ``There were some benefits of the fire,'' the web site said. ``One of these was that the black plague which had killed many people was eliminated by the burning down of diseased, rat-infested properties.''

-0-

From Port Cities web site

Towards the end of the 17th century, an insurance industry began to develop in London. One branch of the industry became involved in offering fire policies to owners of buildings. Before long, the insurance companies employed their own fire teams - recruited from the Thames watermen - to put out fires at properties they insured.

To distinguish which buildings were covered by their policies, insurance companies devised 'fire marks' - special metal signs to be placed on the facades of insured buildings.

Unfortunately, private enterprise was not really up to the task of protecting the public. As insurance companies were interested in protecting only their clients, they would usually ignore any properties not insured or insured by other firms.

Even when a company's fire crew did turn up at a blaze, they would often leave the building to burn. Although various compromises were reached, it was not a satisfactory situation.

It took more than a century before it became clear that the free market in fire fighting was not providing adequate protection. In 1833, 19 insurance companies banded together to form the London Fire Engine Establishment.

It was headed by James Braidwood, who had pioneered a similar initiative in Edinburgh. The Establishment had 80 full-time officers, popularly known as 'Jimmy Braiders'.

BELLS GO DOWN

Photo: Euston Fire Station web site

GREAT ORMOND ST.

Photo: Evening Standard

INCIDENT REPORT

08:35
A27 CLERKENWELL
6 PUMP FIRE AND EXPLOSION
176963081
GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL

GREAT ORMOND STREET WC1
Children’s hospital of 8 floors, 100 meters x 100 meters, fire and explosion in cardiac wing on level 5, 50 percent of self contained unit approximately 4 meters x 4 meters damaged by fire. 1 jet, 1 hose reel, dry riser, breathing apparatus, detection identification monitoring equipment, thermal image camera, 23 patients and 12 members of staff evacuated from level 5, all uninjured. Approximately 300 members of public and staff evacuated and relocated in safe areas of the hospital. 4 members of brigade injured suffering shock, removed by London Ambulance Service.

'66'

Photo: Topical Press Agency
Emergency tender firefighters from Clerkenwell don breathing apparatus at a blaze at a rubber plant on Farringdon Street in 1925. At that time, Clerkenwell was designated Fire Station No. 66 as inscribed on the body of the tender. Today, Clerkenwell is designated ``Alpha 27.''

LADDER UP!

Photo: How Stuff Works

Classic photo of London Fire Brigade turntable ladder

SEPT. 18, 1940

Photo: Imperial War Museum
AFS recruits

During the Battle of Britain, Sept. 18, 1940 was a costly day for auxiliary fire crews on duty in London's famed Soho district.

German raiders pounded the city for 10 consecutive hours with especially lethal results in Soho.

Nine members of the Auxiliary Fire Service died:

• Auxiliary Fireman Myer Wand - at Rathbone Place
• Auxiliary Fireman Robert George - at Rathbone Place
• Leading Auxiliary Fireman George Bowen - at Rathbone Place
• Auxiliary Fireman Arthur Batchelor - at Rathbone Place
• Auxiliary Fireman Benjamin Mansbridge - at Rathbone Place
• Leading Auxiliary Fireman Jack Bathie - at Rathbone Place
• Auxiliary Fireman George Abrahart - at Rathbone Place
• Auxiliary Fireman Harold Gillard - at Oxford Street
• Auxiliary Fireman Donald Mackenzie - at Oxford Street

REGENT III PUMP ESCAPE

Photo: http://www.aecsouthall.co.uk/
MAUDSLAY REGENT III: ``With its low centre of gravity, the AEC Regent III double deck bus chassis was a particularly suitable carriage for a 100' turntable ladder, and in its shortened form, a pump escape,'' according to web site http://www.aecsouthall.co.uk/ ``From March 1950 until April 1957, the Regent III was supplied to fire brigades in the UK and around the world.''

FREDERICK DAVIES

London Auxiliary Fireman Frederick Davies, who died Aug. 23, 1945, was posthumously awarded the George Cross - the highest British award for bravery out of combat - for attempting to rescue two girls from a fire in Harlesden. He was 32.

---

The citation, published in the London Gazette, said the firefighter climbed an escape ladder as flames licked at the front of the building and upon reaching a window "he at once tried to enter but bursts of flame momentarily halted him. Undaunted, however, he climbed into the window with his back to the flames and entered the room. He was seen to endeavour to remove his tunic presumably to wrap it around and protect the children."

CHURCH FIRE

Photos: BBC web site

July 29, 2008
06:51
G36 HAMMERSMITH
15 PUMP PERSONS REPORTED FIRE
136619081
SHEPHERDS BUSH ROAD W6
Church of 1, 2 and 3 floors 20 metres by 35 metres, 70% of first floor, 70% of roof damaged by fire. 6 jets, 2 aerial monitors, breathing apparatus, thermal image camera, all persons accounted for, same as all calls.

SPECIAL SERVICE

London firefighters never know what they'll find ``when the bells go down.''

According to the Epsom Guardian newspaper, firefighters from the Kingston station cut a man from a ``a titanium chastity belt intended for sex games'' on June 27, 2008.

The man, who lost the key, ``spent all day trying to free himself from the device,'' the newspaper said. ``Three machines were needed to cut through the titanium.''

LONDON'S BOROUGHS

EDGWARE ROAD FIRE

On June 27, 2008, an 8-pump assignment - eight engines and 40 firefighters - responded to a high-rise fire on Edgware Road in Central London. ``Crews using a turntable ladder rescued four people from the 8th floor,'' according to the London Fire Brigade.

Photo: BBC

WALDORF SCHOOL - 2004

Photo: Waldor School web site

On June 26, 2004, fire destroyed the Waldorf School of South West London, which was built primarily of timber. There were no injuries. The fire broke out on a Saturday and classes resumed on Monday on the school's playing fields, according to the BBC.

AFTER THE RAID

World War II

Firefighter and child amid the bricks and rubble

Photo: BBC

DOCKHEAD STATION

``Dockhead Fire Station, which appeared in popular TV drama London's Burning, is to be demolished if a planned private finance initiative scheme goes ahead,'' according to the London SE1 community web site.

HOUNSLOW BURNING

Photo: Richmond Twickenham Times

On June 10, 2008, fire swept a block of flats at Bennett Close in Hounslow, according to the Richmond Twickenham Times. Firefighters rescued a man and escorted other occupants to safety, the newspaper said.

INCIDENT REPORT
09:18
G39 FELTHAM
15 PUMP FIRE PERSONS REPORTED
101467081
BENNETT CLOSE HOUNSLOW
Block of flats of 3 and 4 floors, 30m x 20m, 30% of 1st floor damaged by fire, 35% of 2nd floor damaged by fire, 40% of 3rd floor damaged by fire, 75% of roof damaged by fire and partial collapse. 1 person rescued from 1st floor flat by breathing apparatus crew via internal staircase, 11 persons led to safety by breathing apparatus crews from various floors, 8 persons escaped from various floors before arrival of brigade. 4 jets, 1 aerial ladder platform monitor, 1 hydraulic platform monitor, damage control tender, hose layer and water relay.

SUB-STATION FIRE

On June 8, 2008, firefighters extinguished a fire at the Sydenham Park Road electric sub-station in Forest Hill, the BBC said. The fire caused a power outage.

Photo: BBC

AFS CARD

SOUTH HARROW BLAST

Photo: BBC web site

On May 7, 2008, an explosion caused the collapse of two homes at Stanley Road, South Harrow.

``Two people were taken to hospital and following a search of the premises the body of a man was discovered,'' the London Fire Brigade said. ``At the height of the incident six fire engines and around 30 firefighters were at the scene.''

John Gaffney, a fire brigade station manager quoted by the BBC, said firefighters used ``specialist listening equipment'' to search the rubble for casualties.

BUNCEFIELD DEPOT - 2005

The London Fire Brigade provided assistance for the Buncefield oil depot explosion at Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire on Dec. 11, 2005. he depot is located about 25 miles northwest of London. (Submitted by our OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT )

MORE PHOTOS:
http://www.buncefield-oil-fire-hemel-hempstead.wingedfeet.co.uk/

AFTERMATH

Click on photo to read caption

Aftermath of Crystal Palace fire - 1936
Illustrated London News
Submitted by OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

LINK TO FIRE JOURNAL STORY:
http://londonfirejournal.blogspot.com/2005/07/crystal-palace-1936.html

BRIXTON - 15 PUMPS

APRIL 5, 2008

``Fifteen fire engines and around 75 firefighters were called to a blaze at a shop with offices above on Brixton Road,'' according to a London Fire Brigade press release. ``The fire badly damaged the ground floor and completely destroyed the building's first, second and third floors and roof.''

Photo: BBC

TRAPPED ON TUBE

On April 3, 2008, a power failure on London Underground stranded thousands of commuters along the Jubilee Line. Firefighters went into action at North Greenwich in east London and "approximately 200 passengers were led to safety," said a London Fire Brigade spokewoman, quoted by Metro.

KENT JET CRASH

Photo: Telegraph TV, BBC

On March 30, 2008, the London Fire Brigade responded to the crash of a business jet that killed five people - including former racing driver David Leslie - at Farnborough, Kent. The Cessna jet was on a flight to France from nearby Biggin Hill airfield, according to the BBC.

---

INCIDENT REPORT

E41 ORPINGTON
SIX PUMP AIRCRAFT CRASH, CYLINDERS INVOLVED, PERSONS REPORTED
ROMSEY CLOSE FARNBOROUGH
Twin jet engine aircraft crashed into two detached houses of two floors, 6 metres by 6 metres. Whole of aircraft destroyed by impact and fire.
No. 5 Romsey Close 100 percent damaged by fire, No. 4 Romsey Close 20 percent of first floor and whole of adjoining garage damaged by fire.
One foam branch from airport fire tender, two jets, two hosereels, breathing apparatus, and detection identification and monitoring equipment, thermal image camera.
One x 15kg propane cylinder involved, cooled, confirmed safe.
Five occupants of aircraft all confirmed dead on scene by HEMS doctor, all persons accounted for, same as all calls, tactical mode delta, all appliances detained.