JOURNAL OF THE AUCKLAND FIRE BRIGADES MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY Inc. Patron Murray Binning Management Superintendent: Terry Hewitt Deputy Superintendent: (NZFS Liaison) Denis O’Donoghue Secretary/Editor: Colin Prince Treasurer: Kevin Farley
EZ1894 comes home
Committee Graeme Booth Peter (Sprats) Doughty Grant Manning Forbes Neil Tony (Scottie) Scott John (High-rise) Walker Gary (GT) Walker
NZFS Ex Officio Member: Fire Region Manager Kerry Gregory
Correspondence To: Above address membership@afbhs.co.nz Website: www.afbhs.co.nz Like us on Facebook Membership fees: Full: $15.00 Associate: $10.00 (overseas) Brigade/Corporate: $50.00 Membership year: 1 April—31 March
Membership NZ Fire Museum Network Fire Museum Network– USA NZ History Federation Inc. MOTAT Society—Affiliate UFBA—Associate member NZ Ex Firefighters Assn. Registered Charity number: CC 45510
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n Saturday July 7th 2018 a transporter delivered a 1939 Ford V8 Fire engine to Takapuna fire station in Wairau road, its new temporary home. The last time this vehicle sat in a fire station was 42 years ago. It was handed over to the Museum of Transport and Technology by the Auckland Metropolitan Fire Brigade on its last day before being disbanded and becoming the New Zealand Fire Service on March 31st 1976. Built in 1940 it spent most of it operational life at the old Mt Eden fire station, has a 95 hp (3.9 litre) Mercury motor, a 180 litre water tank with a Colmoco pump with capacity of 2000 litres per minute and carried a crew of 6. It crashed into a butchers shop in the late 1940’s and was rebuilt in its current low slung format. Over the years it has been lovingly restored and has now come into the care of the Auckland Fire Brigade’s Museum & Historical society Inc. who intend to finish the few minor jobs required on it and get it into road worthy condition and equipped as it was in its day. It will then be available for official
functions, Fire Service and MOTAT open days and its most important, but sad job, brigade funerals. A few years ago the original chrome bonnet was found to be very thin from constant polishing, warped and damaged so a new one was sourced from the USA, and although it was prepared for chroming it was not completed. The society’s first task is to raise funds to get this done and have started a Give-A-Little page to help fund this (https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/194 0-ford-v8-fire-engine) This was a great day for the society, our first fire truck, now all we need to do is get it back to full working use. It needs a bit of a tune up, a good polish and a few other minor jobs done, and we hope to get the North Shore Vintage car club to check it over for us and see if anything else needs doing. The bonnet is our main focus at this stage as it does not look great with no chrome. We will put the old one back on it in the interim until we have the funds to do the replacement. This is a great start, and believe me there is more to come, but that’s for another day.
Photos: “Mt Eden’s truck” arriving in Curry’s Lane on the Transporter Alba Letts, GM Collections MOTAT handing over to Terry Hewitt, Superintendent AFBMHS The latest MAN and 1940 Ford V8 in Takapuna station
A Special service with a difference. By acting Sub. O J.R.Brown Report to Divisional Commander Courtesy London Fireman magazine Sir, As requested this is the further report on the incident at Boundary Hill, Poke Stoges, on 12 November 1974. At 1020 hours I was Officer-in-Charge, R27 Poke Stoges, Yellow Watch, when I received a call by teleprinter to ‘Person shut in lift,’ Tower Block, Boundary Hill, Poke Stoges. I immediately attended with PE and P arriving at approximately 1023 hours. On arrival I found that the No. 1 lift was stuck at the 2nd floor and two children were inside. Attempts to open the doors using the spoon key were unsuccessful, so I instructed A/LFm White to go to the lift
motor room to wind up the lift. A/LFm White stated, quite forcefully, that he knew nothing of lift motor rooms, and suggested equally that I go myself. As you are aware the lift motor room of the Tower Block is on the flat roof over the 27th floor, so I took the bunch of keys from the pump and the PE crew entered No 2 lift and proceeded to the 27th floor. Just past the 25th floor the lift stopped but the doors did not open and no manipulation of the control buttons would move it. I sounded the alarm in the lift and waited. At 1045 hours A/LFm White banged on the lift doors and asked for instructions. I told him to open the lift doors with the spoon key. A/ LFm White stated that there was no spoon key on the bunch. I told A/LFm White that there should be a spoon key on the PE and sent him to fetch it. Not without a certain reluctance (there being only two lifts) A/LFm White went. When he had been gone some minutes, I remembered seeing on the office desk a stores demand note for a spoon key which had been returned, quite properly, by CO Stores & Clothing. At 1110 hours A/LFm White returned and confirmed that there was no spoon key on the PE. I then instructed A/ LFm White to take the P crew to the motor room and wind up the No 2 lift to the 26th floor. After a very long pause A/LFm White informed me that he had left the bunch of keys on the PE and that there would be a slight delay before he could put my instructions into effect. At 1200 hours I heard a noise overhead and I assumed that the P crew had arrived in the lift motor room. I have no direct knowledge of what occurred in the lift motor room, but the following information
was passed to me through the lift doors by Fm Green A. R. On arrival at the lift motor room the brake release gear and the lift winding handle were applied to what eventually turned out to be No 1 lift motor. Unfortunately Fm Green forgot to isolate the supply to the motor, and when the lift cleared the 2nd floor it started up again and rose very rapidly to the 27th floor. These are very fast lifts and the speed of rotation of the lift motor was such that the lift winding handle (which is of the circular cast iron type) flew off the lift motor shaft, out of the lift motor room door, over the roof parapet, and fell to the street below. That it landed on the PE can only be put down to bad luck. Although the force of the falling lift winding handle was somewhat reduced when it passed through the hook ladders, strings of the escape and roof of the PE the impact with which it struck the spare CA cylinder was still sufficient to rupture the cylinder. After examination of the remains, I have no doubt that it was a fragment of the CA cylinder which damaged the radio, (which was, of course, switched on) and caused the short circuit which set fire to the PE. Eye witness reports show that it was when the fuel tank of the PE exploded that the Pump caught fire. I have examined the hand brake of the P and there is no doubt that it was left in the ‘ON’ position. It must have been a direct result of the heat from the fire which caused the brakes to fail and allowed the P to roll back down Boundary Hill. The driver of the petrol tanker stated that the reason his vehicle was parked outside the bank was that he was unwilling to drive past the two burning fire appliances. In reply to your queries, I have no knowledge of the looting of the bank or the jewellery shop next door, nor do I know why it took a further 18 hours to find and release me and the PE crew from the lift. As to why A/LFm White, Fm Green and Fm Brown were found hiding under a bed on the 17th floor of the tower block, I will not be able to interview these men until they return from sick leave.
(I’m certain that a lot of you can relate to this story!)
4th ALARM - SWANSON STREET. The Globe Insurance building on the corner of Swanson Street and Mills Lane was a brick and concrete building of five floors. Only the basement and ground floor was occupied, with the first floor being used for storage only. At some time in the late afternoon of Monday 7th April 1975, a small fire started in the vicinity of the lift shaft at ground floor level. It went unnoticed until about 5 p.m. when several employees of the Tai Tung restaurant smelt smoke at the rear of the restaurant, they commented on it to each other but thought no more of it. Meanwhile this slowly kindling fire was developing into sizable proportions. The first person to sight flame was Mr Sewell, resident caretaker in the N.Z. Insurance building behind the Globe building. Mr Sewell smelt the smoke and on leaning out of a seventh floor window noticed flames at the base of the light-well at the rear of the GLOBE, and immediately dialed 111 to inform the Fire Brigade. The fire was also noticed at this stage by Mr Colley who is the caretaker of the Royal Insurance building nearby, he remarked particularly on the very rapid spread of fire. Brigade Control officially recorded the call being received at 2059 hours (8.59 p.m.) and immediately dispatched the predetermined attendance of 3 pump appliances, Rescue Tender, Snorkel, and Turntable Ladder, also notifying the Central Divisional Officer, C.F.O. and D.C.F.O. of the incident. The first appliance to arrive was Parnell (City pump was at another incident) with S/Fm Ces Gussey in charge. He approached Swanson St from Albert St and was confronted with thick swirling smoke and showers of embers as he turned into Swanson St. He knew from experience that he and his crew were in a hard time. For one of his men, fresh off his recruits course, this was to be his first fire, something he will never forget as long as he lives.
As the old Karrier appliance pulled near the fire they transmitted their arrival message of “K99” and Transmitted a 2ND ALARM at the same time (2010 hrs). On kicking in the front door the crew was faced with a wall of flame and immediately brought their low pressure deliveries into use. At 2106 hrs the D.C.F.O. arrived on the fire ground, sized the situation up and immediately sent in a further Priority Message — “Transmit a 3RD ALARM” this brought a response of 2 pumps and B.A. Tender — (Otahuhu 41, Ellerslie 34) Eleven minutes later, shortly after his arrival, the C.F.O. “Transmitted a 4TH ALARM” (timed at 2117 hrs). The situation was obviously very serious with surrounding buildings being threatened. This was a rapidly developing fire considering that only 18 minutes previously Mr Sewell of the N.Z. Insurance building had seen “a small amount of flame at the base of the lightwell.”
CFO at Swanson St, two Firemen injured and removed to hospital by ambulance.” 2155 hrs: Informative message; from CFO, “Building totally involved in fire. Several exposures endangered by fire, 21 low pressure deliveries, 1 x ground monitor, snorkel and TTL monitors in use, B.A. in use.” 2158 hrs: Informative message: “One Fire Policeman injured, removed to hospital.” 2158 hrs: Informative message: “Fuel and oil required.”
2158 hrs: Informative message: “From the CFO, a building of 6 floors and basement about 60’ x 80’, used as offices, entire building severely damaged by fire. Fire now surrounded, surrounding exposures covered. 25 L.P.D.’s 1 x ground, snorkel and TTL monitors and B.A. in use.” The following 2 hours were required to bring the blaze under control to the point where a “STOP” message could be sent in to Fire Control. For those men present this time no doubt went very quickly, what with keeping the 25 L.P.D’s manned, changing over crews to allow men a spell, re commissioning Breathing Apparatus sets, refueling appliances, carrying out salvage work and generally 2121 hrs — First informative message: attending to the 1001 jobs which have to be done at any major fire. “From the CFO, at Swanson St, a building of 5 floors, well involved on all 0005 hrs: STOP message: “From the CFO, STOP for Swanson floors. Brigade covering exposures St, a building of 6 floors and basement about 60’ x 80’, used as with multiple deliveries, Snorkel and Real Estate offices and Clothing distributors, Entire building TTL monitors in use, B.A. in use.” severely damaged by fire, slight damage to surrounding exposures. 25 L.P.D.’s, ground, TTL and Snorkel monitors in use. At about 2130 hrs disaster almost Extensive salvage operations being carried out in adjacent struck. The Operational Co-ordination buildings. 2 Firemen and 1 Fire Policeman injured. B.A. in use.” Officer, D.O. Maurie Doughty, noticed that the brick walls of the Globe were So this major fire was under control after only 3 hours of firefightshowing signs of distortion and cracking, no mean feat in anyone’s language. But this was only part of ing due to the intense heat inside. the continuing story of the Globe Insurance Building Fire — the Every Fireman knows from his Recruit Brigade was to be involved for another 92 hrs putting out hot-spots, Training that this situation can rapidly investigating the cause and keeping an eye out for signs of reresult in the total collapse of the buildignition. Even at the time of printing of this Journal the building is ing. The CFO on being informed of the still fighting its final death at the hands of the demolition teams. signs of collapse immediately had the Swanson St remains closed to through traffic of any kind much to evacuation signal sounded (fast warthe consternation of shop owners in the street. ble on the electron sirens) and all personnel withdrew to the outside of During the height of firefighting operations several appliances the building and carried on firefighting from surrounding Brigades and stations had to be moved to provide from there. fire cover for the depleted parts of Auckland Met area. Titirangi covered at Avondale station; North Shore No.l stood by at City 2137 hrs: Informative message: “from the station; Mt Roskill at Balmoral station; Mt Wellington Vollies at CFO, at Swanson St, Slight bulge and Onehunga station; Manurewa 46 at Balmoral station; Papatoetoe cracking of wall of building. Men being 161 at Ellerslie station; North Shore No. 2 at City station; Otahuhu withdrawn from the Interior.” ET at City station; Mangere Vollies at Otahuhu station; North Shore 2141 hrs: Informative message: “From the No.2 moved from City to Ponsonby station; Mangere covered at
Remuera station and Papakura stood by at Manurewa station. These moves are automatically carried out by the Control Room for all major incidents in the AMFB area, and are done on request to areas outside the AMFB, although when the Fire Service is nationalized in the near future, this will be done in all areas by the Regional Control Centres. This fire was the first in recent times in a multi-storey building and gave Auckland Firemen a taste of the problems likely to be encountered at an even higher rise building. The people of Auckland who read this should have a good hard think “could this happen in the building I work in?? “Most Fire fighters in New Zealand think that it could!! WOULD YOU SURVIVE TO TELL THE TALE??
Firelines Vol 6 No2 May 1975
“THE GOOD OLD DAYS” '‘The chief essential for a successful brigade a that every man should feel himself to be a part, necessary part, for the complete working of a great machine, designed for the service and help of his fellows in their hour of need and trouble”. So reads one of the opening paragraphs of an interesting book written about 1925. It goes on to say certain things about the running of a Fire Brigade. For the information and edification of those interested enough to read further a sampling of the contents is here recounted. “Recruits shall not wear their full dress uniform until they have passed a proficiency examination and any recruit failing to pass his examination within three months of his joining, will be considered as no longer belonging to the brigade”. “When the Chief Fire Officer and Second Officers of the Brigade, members of the Council, Chief Constable, or Superintendent of Police, enter the Stations, members of the Brigade will stand to attention, and when passing on the street will salute them”. “Professional firemen making application for other positions must first obtain permission of the Chief Fire Officer”. “No member of the staff is allowed to take intoxicating liquor at a fire without the express sanction of the Officer in Charge. This permission will be granted only in cases of extreme necessity. “Care must be taken not to wet onlookers at a fire”. “When on duty at places of entertainment showing pictures or part pictures, he will take his stand by the cinematograph box, with two buckets of water, one bucket of sand, and a blanket ready for emergencies”. “Two megaphones should be carried, one lashed to head of top extension ladder and one carried on-trolley”. “on delivery, hose should be examined with a strong magnifying glass to see that the flax is free from straw etc.”. “The Officer in charge will be responsible for the Station clock being wound”.
“Tests and inspections of breathing apparatus and smoke helmets are to be carried out every month. If pressure gauges are fitted, the readings thereon should be recorded”. “Several unscrupulous individuals have found collections for bogus institutions to confer imaginary benefits on firemen, a prolific means of imposing on kindly disposed people. Many of these undesirables have received the just reward of their deeds. Every means should be taken to bring these miscreants to justice and to protect the charitably disposed against their methods. Immediately on hearing of the arrival of one of these collectors in a district, the Chief Officer of the local Brigade should write to the local papers to warn the public against him and should report to the police authority”. “It frequently happens that a fire of long duration starts in the night, or at a time just before another meal is due, and men have to get to work and keep working under conditions that are decidedly exhausting. It then becomes a question of how best to supply the needed recuperative force. “It may be well to lay down a rule as to what to avoid. Alcoholic stimulants should be entirely prohibited at a fire, and the largest and best organized brigades have long since laid this down as a rule of the utmost imperative description. This does not involve the controversial point as to the general use of stimulants, but every thinking man knows that the use of stimulants after a spell of fasting, coupled with the exciting and exhausting conditions inseparable from fire brigade work, is bound to be productive of very undesirable results even to the strongest head. If possible, make it a rule to serve food as well as drink, and nothing can be more satisfying or wholesome than a good chunk of bread and cheese”! “The question of bath and lavatory accommodation for the firemen should be considered when building a fire station, but it is our experience that for such a station it is better for the men (if they are only retained or of the so called volunteer type) to get away home as soon as possible after returning from a fire as they could not be accommodated, at the station without considerable expense or waiting in wet clothing”.
Priority Message
“When a fireman is wet after a fire, a message should be sent, “Fireman wet, send relief’. Under no circumstances is a fireman to remain on duty in a wet uniform”. “Dry powder (ground bicarbonate of soda and ground earths). The usefulness of extinguishers of this type is strictly limited, and they are not recommended for general use, as their extinguishing properties depend upon the manipulation of the machines by an expert”. “If in doubt, turn out”. A. P. MILLS
Firelines December 1971
is the quarterly journal of the Auckland Fire Brigades Museum & Historical Society Inc. and is sent free to all members, the National Library and other Historical Societies in the Auckland area. Please feel free to pass it onto others that may find it of interest and encourage them to join the society. We actively seek photographs, stories and other information for publication in this journal or adding to our growing memorabilia collection. Anything that is related to the Fire Services, not only Auckland City, but the Auckland Fire Region (Mercer to Wellsford) which is the societies area of interest.