Fire Engines Photos

These were really small by modern standards, even though they had about the same pump output as some current units.

Added by Rob Johnson on 18 November 2017.

In 1913 West Ham were a bit more forward thinking than the neighboring LCC Brigade.

In that year all of their 63 stations operated separate pump appliances and "escape vans", and pump escape combinations like this Dennis first appeared in their fleet in the 1920s.

Added by Rob Johnson on 07 June 2020.

see West Ham version of the escape van or escape carrier made by Lloyd and Plaister in c1908 here




Added by Petros on 08 June 2020.

Petros:

I notice that this apparently had only a two man crew and looks as if it was perhaps the only unit at this substation.

This makes me wonder if it replaced a horse drawn escape van, if the sub station was a new addition, or whether it was previously only an escape station manned by two firefighters, whose job it was to just push the ladder to the incident, helped if possible by a few strong and willing citizens they came across along the way!

Such escape stations were the original method of positioning and staffing escape ladders, before the idea of using a horse drawn two wheeled cart, and later a four wheeler, took hold.

In my 1913 notebook on the LCC fire brigade they mention that the brigade still had several "street stations" manned by a single firefighter, whose job it was to recruit any healthy male passers-by to help push the escape ladder to a call.

I wonder if your history of the West Ham brigade sheds any light on whether this 1910 motor escape van actually replaced a pair of horses or half as many human legs?

Added by Rob Johnson on 10 June 2020.

So in my collection of images, but not one in my book, is a street escape station just round the corner from the Balaam Street building. You are right - Plaistow sub station was originally an escape station round the corner with tiny crew. It relied on human power to wheel the street escape to an incident. At some point a corrugated iron sub station was built shown in my posting with the Lloyd and Plaister escape carrier. An equivalent sub station in Forest Gate got 25 calls per annum.

Added by Petros on 10 June 2020.

In 1913 the LCC still had eleven street stations, in addition to 63 which had a pump and an escape van, which were either horse drawn and/or motor appliances.

The notes indicate that these were likely to be progressively closed as the increased numbers of motorized escapes would reduce response times and make the street stations redundant.

But there was no suggestion the new motor vans would actually replace street stations, as happened in West Ham.

Added by Rob Johnson on 10 June 2020.

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