THAMES FIRE-FLOATS

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 May 1930, Page 2

THAMES FIRE-FLOATS

thrilling spectacles

Fires on the River Thames, in shifcs, warehouses, docks or quays, are dealt with by three fire-floats stationed at convenient points along the river, states the “Christian’ Science Monitor.” When a fire occurs near the water’s edge the great pumping capacity of the fire-floats makes them valuable allies to the land brigade, and it is a thrilling spectacle to watch these two sections engaged in a joint struggle.

In less than a minute after the alarm, the float is under way. Arrived at the scene of. action it establishes communication, either by semaphore or by telephone cable, and should the outbreak occur at night will probably get its searchlight to work. When the. fire is on land it is for the officer-in-charge to decide whether a hose or hoses shall be sent ashore or whether the fire shall be attacked direct with the monitor —a water gun fixed-on the foredeck of the float. The stream of water it delivers can be as largo as three inches in diameter and is powerful enough to knock down a brick wall or to raze a stack of timber. The hissing jet can be trained in any direction, and will rise to a height of 150 feet. If the officer decides to have a hose, three of the float’s crew will bring one end ashore in the dinghy. If for any reason the dinghy cannot land, the hose may have to be sent across by means of a rocket and line. The work of the fire-floaets is not confined to the Thames. They can travel from Limehouse to Regents Park by canal, and often render valuable aid in canal-side fires. Not long ago a float went even further afield, travelling by night to a creek on the Kentish coast 50 miles away from her base, where she helped to extinguish a big fire in.a paper mill. The Thames fire-floats form one of the most important sections of the London Fire Brigade, thus carrying on the traditions of the first organised firemen in London, who were watermen chosen to extinguish fires on land because they, “by custom and skill, venture much further, and give greater help than any other persons not used to come into danger.” In these early days, just after the Great Firo in 1666, co-operation was not encouraged among firemen. They were the employees of the various rival insurance companies, and each man wore the distinctive badge of his employer. This badge was a copy of the firemarks each concern nailed to the house it insured. If on arrival at a fire the firemen discovered that the mark on the house did not match the badge on their clothes they made no attempt to put it out, and they either went home or looked on with interest while rival firemen dealt with the problem. It took the great frost of 1814 to break down this isolation. In that h?<l winter the water mains froze, and none of the insurance companies alone having sufficient, men to form the necessary chain for passing the buckets by hand, they had to combine forces.

From that time they founded an alliance which eventually grew into the London Fire Brigade. To-day the brigade is a masterpiece of organisation, and co-operation is the keynote.