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The Fire Brigade were out in force. Minutes earlier, another engine had come down this way on priorities. This one cruised sedately down the street, then came back travelling just as sedately back. I almost expected someone to lean out of the cab and shout "where's the fire?"
HCVS London-Brighton run, Merstham, 3.5.15
I picked the location by the Feathers because the sharp bend would slow vehicles down in the dull conditions
This is a pukka fire engine. Large, American and powerful, no messing about!
The model is one of the most detailed I have and I came by it through the fire engine collection my late father kept . After his national service my father volunteered for the local fire brigade as he wanted to miss out on the many cold war army maneuvres he had to attend. Becoming a part time fireman turned out to be a life long pashion. We had several red cars. He started as a jack of all trades and after training became a qualified pump driver / rescue worker. After active service he ended his fireservice as the paymaster on the board of the local regional firebrigade.
The fire department of Block Island, Rhode Island used this Gleason & Bailey hand pumped fire engine during the mid 19th century. Manufactured in the 1850's, this is a typical " crane neck, piano body fire engine".
When an alarm sounded, at least four men would pull th engine, while other volunteers would pull the separate hose reels. The engine was pumped by pushing up and down on the long wooden handles called "brakes". Sufficient pressure could be built up inside the dome to force water through two 500 foot hoses and throw an effective stream over 100 feet.
In coastal towns, shipbuilders often used these fire engines to pump water into the hulls of vessels awaiting launch. The water would swell the planking and tighten the seams, and also indicate any major leaks. In fact, local fire records show that shipbuilders were among the most active supporters of Mystic's first fire company.
A three-quarters view (from the business end) of this 1955 Dennis F12 Pump Escape, new to Cheshire County Fire Brigade, which became part of Cheshire Fire Brigade in 1974 and would have been based at Audlem. I don't know this vehicle's service history, but I'm assuming it would have been relegated to the training school in the 1960s. I had to wait ages to take this shot because of all the people milling around it. When you want to take a good clear shot of something, no one seems to give a toss!
I reckon that, like all emergency services, a fireman had to detach himself from the job otherwise he'd go loopy. I think it was a case of forget about it first and have a good cry later...especially if it involved children. These days, if they were called out to a fire which involved a child who'd been left home alone (like what happened in the first episode of London's Burning) the crew of a fire engine would go absolutely fucking mental if the parents arrived back.
"Where the fuck have you been?" might be the first question.