Fire Engines Photos

Most of those calls were to Fire Alarms actuating (AFA). I recall, on average, they were called to 500 'FIRE' related callouts (Bin alight to multi-pump jobs), compare this to Dagenham Fire Station (East London) where in a bad year they responded to about 1000 'FIRE' related callouts. Soho might the busiest Station in London but not in terms of 'CONSTRUCTIVE' callouts (Fires, Road accidents, etc.). Having served in London as a firefighter responding to 'Fire Alarms' was not that exciting. I stood-by at Soho on one occasion. Had a game of football in rear yard. Pretty quiet that day.

Added by Ragon on 14 August 2010.

Hi Ragon. I am aware of the number of times Soho turn-out to uneventful AFAs, and I can also imagine for fire-fighters Soho would quite a frustrating place to be based.

But I was speaking purely of turnouts, however uneventful they might be, and not working fires. I can imagine there are quite a few Manhattan fire houses that experience similar frustrating days to those of Soho. I was just trying to boast (if indeed "boast" is the right word), that London has the busiest fire station on the planet - in terms of turnouts and calls received that is, and before one of our colonial friends claimed otherwise!

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 19 August 2010.

Soho does have a large number of AFAs which result in False alarms, although in comparison to a lot of stations it does get a lot of Fire calls as well.

Added by Tom on 07 April 2011.

Have they adopted the same policy as many other cities that an AFA gets only a one pump response, unless dispatch confirms an actual fire situation?
Some European brigades send only a light utility, fire car or "small alarm unit" with 2 crew to AFAs, to avoid diluting fire cover too much.

Added by Rob Johnson on 08 April 2011.

Would it be fair to say that soho responds to some 3500 calls on it's own ground (the square mile) and many other calls due to off station ground make ups and TL make ups. This still puts them on about 6/7000. Call per year so I'm told

Added by Shaun jackaman on 22 August 2011.

Rob,
Soho along with all other London stations will send the required amount of pumps to an AFA. Soho can be mobilised with both pumps and the TL to an AFA and is not uncommon for other pumps from other stations to reply to the same AFA call.

Added by David Jones on 22 August 2011.

Obviously one of the locals will correct me if I'm wrong - I often am - but off hand I would have thought Soho to be in the City of Westminster, and consequently, not within the square mile. Isn't the square mile further over towards, say, Barbican ?

Added by Ian Moore on 22 August 2011.

Ian you are correct, Soho is in the "City" along with Paddington and Westminster fire stations. I think Shaun is saying that Soho's ground is around 1 square mile.

Added by David Jones on 22 August 2011.

None of the stations are in the 'City of London' they are all within the city of Westminster........I think the only station in the City of London is Whitechapel (and that is just 'over the border)
The station actually in the city was Barbican which was closed a few years ago

Added by Barrie Green on 22 August 2011.

I meant the City of Westminster and the only remaining station in the City of London is Dowgate. Whitechapel is in Tower Hamlets just East of the City if London.

Added by David Jones on 23 August 2011.

Ian M is correct.

Soho is not in the 'City' (i.e. City of London aka "the Square Mile") but in Westminster.

Since the closure of Barbican, the only station with the boundaries of the City itself is Dowgate (now operating just one PL, plus multiple Fire Investigation Units). Whitechapel is close by, but is actually just into the Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Added by Pete Ellis on 23 August 2011.

I think (repeat think) that Dowegate was the replacement for Cannon Street.


Added by Ian Moore on 24 August 2011.

I think you are right Ian, as the Barbican was there already when Cannon Street was still operational.

Added by Fire995 on 30 August 2011.

Dowgate is the replacement for Cannon St. and Barbican was the replacement Redcross St.

Added by Avonmouth on 31 August 2011.

Thanks - my tiny little mind had got that one right then !

Added by Ian Moore on 31 August 2011.

if you would like to see the Barbican station you can go to picture 27279 here. The whole building has completely gone now including the coroners court and social services office and a new office building replaces it.

Added by Peter Williams on 01 September 2011.

On page 145 of the book 'The London Blitz .. A Fireman's Tale' written by former West Ham CFO Cyril Demarne OBE, there is a photograph showing the significant damage caused to the former station at Soho after it was hit during an air raid. The accompanying text says "Luckily nobody was killed, although members of the Control Room staff were trapped until rescued by their comrades".

Added by Keith Richardson on 11 November 2013.

Soho as it was from the war till the 1980s can be see at picture 20883

Added by Peter Williams on 11 November 2013.

I thought the were 2 fatalities in an office on an upper floor. Unless I am thinking of a different station.

Added by Neal Glover on 11 November 2013.

Peter, thanks for the heads up on 20883. Interesting to compare the two photos. If readers aren't aware, the wartime photo was taken from left of the Station, again on the opposite side of the road, and a few yards passed the surviving advertising clad gable end in the 1982 photo. The earlier photo shows the building was originally an impressive and substantial structure with ornate stonework having ground + five storeys. The building from above roughly the middle bay leftwards to the gable had collapsed. The arched window and stonework to the right of the right hand bay are visible in the earlier photo with the upper floors still in place but clearly damaged. Presumably these surviving upper floors were structurally unstable requiring them to be brought down to the height shown in 20883?

Added by Keith Richardson on 12 November 2013.

Soho is in the "City of Westminster", although "The Square Mile" refers to the "City of London", Soho itself is a square mile in area. Barbican Fire Station, now closed, was in Milton Court in Silk Street, now another High Rise, belonging to the Guildhall college of music. Around the corner, in Aldersgate Street, was another "Fire Station" used by "The London Salvage Corp" who were financed by the Insurance Companies and disbanded in the late 80s. their building being demolished. They were the first emergency service in London to use electronic sirens/wailers, this in the early seventies.

Added by Martin Williams on 17 November 2013.

In 2001 Soho alone turned out to 9, 505 incidents, only 5, 265 on their own patch, including 520 fires. In comparison Dagenham responded to 4, 117 incidents. 2, 684 on their patch including 1, 481 fires. It would be safe to presume Soho attended at least 1, 000 fires and Dagenham 2, 000 fires that year?

Added by David Jones on 30 August 2014.

To David Jones, do you have any stats for Padington and Lambeth, thanks.

Added by John Farndon on 11 September 2014.

Soho hate to admit Paddington have more, better and rescue fires than them. Calls around 1994 were about 7, 500, including 5.500 on their own ground. Padding tons TL was put to work much more than soho's . So call rates were about the same but more work done by Paddington (Hollywood)

Added by Bernie vaughan on 23 April 2015.

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