Competition Time
I don't know much about the history of this image, other than it was in Granddad's collection and depicts firefighters from Shepshed Fire Station at an inter-station competition. The uniforms suggest it would not have been taken much after the mid-1970s.
On the subject of uniforms, it is interesting to see the all-black Cork and leather helmets, which persisted until the early 90s in some areas (albeit with a change in colour) and the presence of individual axes on each firefighter's belt.
The crew are demonstrating, presumably against the clock, their ability to set up a lightweight portable pump and suction system, to deliver water from ponds, streams, lakes or similar. Rural firefighting, such as in Leicestershire, would often entail securing water from such open sources.
Here in Victoria, we use a modern version of this with a metal strainer on the end to prevent debris entering the system. I suspect the modern suction hoses are a slightly larger too. The two firefighters with their backs to us appear to be securing a line to the hose, which is a practice that endures here.
I would note that their pump seems a great deal more sophisticated than the one I have used, in that it has instruments! Mind you, we tend to take our trucks, with their four wheel drive capacity, closer to the desired water source and use the truck pump to obtain water.
Competition Time
I don't know much about the history of this image, other than it was in Granddad's collection and depicts firefighters from Shepshed Fire Station at an inter-station competition. The uniforms suggest it would not have been taken much after the mid-1970s.
On the subject of uniforms, it is interesting to see the all-black Cork and leather helmets, which persisted until the early 90s in some areas (albeit with a change in colour) and the presence of individual axes on each firefighter's belt.
The crew are demonstrating, presumably against the clock, their ability to set up a lightweight portable pump and suction system, to deliver water from ponds, streams, lakes or similar. Rural firefighting, such as in Leicestershire, would often entail securing water from such open sources.
Here in Victoria, we use a modern version of this with a metal strainer on the end to prevent debris entering the system. I suspect the modern suction hoses are a slightly larger too. The two firefighters with their backs to us appear to be securing a line to the hose, which is a practice that endures here.
I would note that their pump seems a great deal more sophisticated than the one I have used, in that it has instruments! Mind you, we tend to take our trucks, with their four wheel drive capacity, closer to the desired water source and use the truck pump to obtain water.