Originating in the horse-drawn era, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation Fire Brigade has witnessed a remarkable evolution. While the exact inception date remains elusive, Fire Chief Supt Leslie Spaulding acknowledges its roots in the bygone era of horse-drawn firefighting. A relic from those early days, the Merryweather firefighting unit, now preserved as a museum piece, marked a pivotal transition in 1999 as the Fire Brigade embraced motor engines.

Published Sunday, February 9, 1964

The Fire Brigade

by Neville Toyloy

The Kingston and St Andrew Corporation Fire Brigade has come a far way from horse-and-buggy days, from which it dates.

No one closely associated with the Fire Brigade can give the actual date when it came into existence, although Fire Chief Supt Leslie Spaulding knows that it goes back to the horse-drawn era. A relic of the early days-the Merryweather firefighting is treasured as a museum piece at the back in 1999 when the Fire Brigade progressed into the motor engine world with the acquirement of the Merryweather unit.

Today, the complement of the Fire Brigade numbers 12 fire-fighting units, not including cars.

One of the most versatile firefighting units - the Firefly, which the Brigade regards as a “one man army” carries seven water jets and a monitor hose, all capable of going into action at the same time. This unit stores foam and water in tanks, and water can be drawn from these sources if not otherwise available.

There are over 100 fire alarm boxes placed at strategic points over the Corporate Area and, when an alarm goes, there are 210 firemen (including officers) at seven stations alerted.

York Park is the head station. Sub-stations are at Trench Town, Half-Way Tree, Palisadoes, Port Royal, Rollington Town and the Fire Float, at Wherry Wharf which is for the protection of the waterfront. Erif (spells fire backwards) is the name of the fire float at the waterfront station.

There is a radio network which links all the stations. Equipment is also at each station, to handle alarms from the 100-odd boxes. The alarm boxes are given numbers and, when one is rung, a code message speeds through to the different stations and is received on a ticker tape. When the code is deciphered, it reveals from what box the summons came. Thus is decided which station should answer the call.

One of the fireman’s headaches is the large number of false alarms which always seem to come in on public holidays and in the early hours of the morning.

Of 2,046 calls made from fire alarm boxes last year, 1,000 turned out to be false, 823 were genuine. Most of the false alarms came from the Jones Town and Maxfield Avenue areas.

When a fire alarm is made by telephone, the caller can help the brigade by stating whether it is a shop, bar or house which is on fire, enabling the brigade to decide what fire unit to send out.

When a summons is made from a fire alarm box, the caller should remain at the box until the fire unit arrives, says Fire Chief Spaulding, and he gave an example as to why this is recommended.

Some time ago, the Fire Brigade received a summons from the alarm box at East and North streets. Units rushed to the box but no one was in sight. It was late at night and the streets were deserted. No fire could be seen. The units returned to the fire station. Almost as soon as they as they arrived, another call came from the same box. Off raced the firefighting units. When they arrived at the box, there was no one in sight and still no fire apparent anywhere. The firemen returned to the station convinced a prankster had been at work. No sooner were they back at York Park but the alarm bells thrilled once more. So, off the fire engines sirened again. Prankster or not, every fire summons has to be answered.

When the firemen reached the box for the third time, a man was standing there, quite agitated and excited.

This is the third time I’ve rung the alarm” he said jumping up and down.

“Why didn’t you stay at the box”, queried a fireman.

“My house is on fire and, when I heard the brigade coming, I ran back to it,” he explained.

By the time the brigade reached  the scene, the fire had grown immensely. It also turned out that an alarm box was nearer to the fire than the one the man had rung.

Alert

In the same way that the Fire Brigade keeps a round check alert for fire calls, the men are always called upon to do constant training in firefighting techniques. The men are taught first-aid and to carry out rescues during fires. The men are also trained to slide down poles from the second floor of the fire station to reach the firefighting unit as quickly as possible when the alarm bell goes. How to hold a fire hose is also a must in training programmes. This is not as easy as it would appear. A power hose, with maximum pressure of some 45 pounds, spewing water over 60 yards, can hit a man down if he does not know the art of holding it, No fireman is allowed to fight the fire unless he has at least three months of intensive training as to how to hold an hose, according to Training Instructor District Officer Clarence Cook of the York Park Station.

The York Park fire station has a number of departments which handle the general repairs of the brigade.

In the Mechanic Department, firemen who have undergone mechanical training repair the units. Their specialty is pump repairing.

The Mechanic Department saves a lot of time for the brigade because, if a unit was given out to a commercial garage to be repaired, it would take a much longer time. With the Fire Brigade’s Mechanic Department, repairs are effected immediately.

There is a carpenter’s shop where fixtures for sub-stations are made by firemen-carpenters, who also effect general maintenance.

At the Hose Room, hoses are stored. After each hose is used, it is thoroughly tested and washed under pressure. If any defects are found, the hose is repaired and re-tested, then dried and stowed away.

The Fire Brigade uses two types of hose: a large hose, which measures 2 ½ inches, and a medium hose which measures 1 ½ inches.

Originally, large hoses were the only ones used. In 1956, however, Superintendent Spaulding attended a Fire Chiefs’ Convention in Miami and saw the value of a medium-size hose, which was adopted for local use. This type of hose is regarded as very versatile and has certain advantages over its larger counterpart. Two men have to handle a large hose while only one is required to operate the medium.

The Fire Prevention Department at York Park Station is staffed by five firemen under District Officer Gerald DeHolt. This group does inspection of private premises and places of public entertainment. They also give lectures to members of public institutions.

According to District Officer DeHolt, fire hazards are mainly confined to fireplaces, having appliances electrical installations and boards and hot ashes improperly disposed.

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