THE FIREMAN’S HELMET

Waipa Post, Volume 31, Issue 1775, 26 June 1926, Page 6

THE FIREMAN’S HELMET

In the course of a conversation recently the chief of the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade (Mr Harrie B. Lee) took from a shelf above his desk a fireman’s helmet, greatly battered, but like all of its kind polished until it shone. Pointing to a deep furrow that began near the crest and ended ju,st above the curved neck piece at the back, he remarked: “That was made by a large piece of plate-glass that fell from one of the upper stories of a burning building some years ago. If the helmet had not been properly constructed the brigade would have lost one of its most valued officers, for the glass would most certainly have split his head from top to bottom.”

Mr Lee told, of many such incidents. The rather ornate appearance of a fireman’s helmet, it appeared, disguised a very real usefulness. At almost every large outbreak firemen had reason to be thankful for the protection it afforded, and often its‘solid qualities meant the differences between life and death. Bricks and mortar could not pierce it, and the water of many hoses .could no more than dull its shining exterior.

It was Captain iShaw, at one time officer in charge of the London Fire Brigade, who conducted tests lasting for years, and evolved, the helmet which is used to-day throughout the British Empire, and is copied in most of the countries of Europe. In America the helmets used are made of leather, which is apt to be softened by water, and affords comparatively little protection against falling masonry or glass. Captain Shaw’s helmet is constructed of several separate sections of brass riveted together,.and weighs about '2|lb. The weight of the average bowler hat is about* 2|oz. and that of a felt hat even less, but Mr Lee said that a recruit in the brigade soon became accustomed to the pressure of his helmet, and even liked it. He admitted, however, that it usually took .ears for a helnret to conform to the shape of a man’s skull, and, to become a really comfortable “fit.” Once a degree of comfort had been obtained, he said, nothing would persuade a man to change hiis helmet, no matter how battered it might become. An affection for an old friend that can be readily understood!

The pointed peak of the helmet, and the foremost tip of the crest on top, are so placed that if a fireman falls forward they meet the ground simultaneously and literally “save his face.” The curved piece at the rear comes well down over the neck, and is constructed, to resist the severest impacts without bending. (Mr Lee h a d an adventure of his own to relate in this connection. While driving his official two-seater motor car at high speed through the city, on the way to a s® l ious fire some years ago, he swerved to avoid a woman who was crossing the road outside the Leviathan Store in Bourke iStreet. The car skidded and crashed with terrific force into a verandah post. Mr Lee was thrown into the air, where, to use his own expression, he “somersaulted gracefully, and landed on the fiat of his back in the road. “If 'Captain Shaw had not foreseen such a contingency and thoughtfully made provision for it,” Mr Lee said, “nry head would have met the ground with some force, and I might possibly have been killed. ’

The heavy-looking chain chin straps of the helmet are lined with soft leather, and are specially designed to protect the ears. Inside the helmet is a skull cap of leather into which the head fits snugly—or so Mr Lee said. Between the skull cap and the top of the helmet is a space in which the firemen carry those flat cloth caps which they wear while cleaning up after a fire.

The helmets for the Melbourne brigade are imported in sections from England, and are riveted together according to the sizes required, by the firemen here. The regulations relating to the polishing of helmets and other brass work on uniforms are very strictly enforced.