Grahams Fire Page West Yorkshire Fire Service on the World Stage

Hi Graham,

I've recently changed broadband supplier, and have tried to change my e-mail address on this site....to no avail!

I've had to rejoin, and hence now have two profiles, (until I remove one of them).

Have I missed something, or is it really impossible to change an email address without rejoining?

Best regards,

John Stead

I've just noticed the small photo of the ERF pump (RHS of the main page). This was a very interesting appliance that I came across whilst at Pudsey in 1982. Powered by a Cummins V8 diesel through an Allison Autobox, it was a good appliance.....while it was on the run.

And there's the main point...'while it was on the run'. I've never known a pump have so much downtime in all my life! The main cause was the sophisticated Waterous pump. This was a midships mounted 1200gpm pump with 8 deliveries (4 each side). Each delivery could be set to supply water at different pressures to the others, plus it had a fixed monitor on the roof which was the best I've ever seen.

The main pump suffered badly from leaking gaskets, causing a lot of down time. It would run fine until you tried to do a suction test, at which point it usually surrendered, spraying water all over. However, at the only major incident I used it, Jumbo Mills, Kirkstall, Leeds, (just a make up to 12 and TL's 2....we didn't like to fuss in those days....)  it was set into the river as base pump, and happily supplied 8 deliveries all night at 100psi. It was a relief when it primed, I can tell you! I think Don Kirk was ADO i/c , and I wouldn't have liked to tell him it had failed again!

Great fish and chips from across the road though!

Does anyone remember the name of the DO at Leeds East at that time? Leeds West was Tony Upton.

I think the appliance finally went to Moreton, though I could be mistaken.

A Photographic Display with 30 years of photos is being run between 11 - 29th May.

Location I would think is the HQ at Birkenshaw?

The WY Fire site does not say where the display will be?

Just a quick question, ive seen a few different ranks within the service but i saw one yesterday that stumped me,

a half white helmet with red top bit and station officer rank, he also had a station number on it to,

could anyone give me a idea??

cheers

Further to Ian Dransfield's bit about Waterton Hall.....in fact it was in Royston's station area until 1974, and Royston was on first call.

When I joined at Royston in 1962, my first job was to open the gates for the horses, as well as quietening the mares when they got frisky..

Seriously though, the appliance room was a garage in the council yard, and the accomodation (HA!) was about 50 yards away.

Turning out involved doing a 3 point turn with the appliance, and if it was between 1200 and 1300, the council dustbin wagon would be parked in front of the doors! The other problem was the mortuary next door. If there was a PM taking place, everything had to be done quietly!

The second (retained) pump was parked, fully kitted, on the green opposite the station, and one old Leyland had the old method of cooling (direct or indirect?) which meant that anti-freeze couldn't be added. In the case of a two- pump shout in winter, the cook started filling buckets of hot water which the watchroom man took across to start filling the radiator!

You can't make it up, can you? The nearest I've seen to it is the film with Will Hay!

This old Leyland had a siren on the front wing which could be started by just flicking the vanes. The locals soon found that out on their way home from the pubs late at night! That was the only bit of trouble we had. Nothing was ever nicked and no damage was done.

We had a residential StnO whose name I won't mention. His favourite trick was to ring the station and order a test turnout to his address - against the the watch!

That stopped when we went to the 56 hour week and had a StnO on each watch. I was on Red Watch with Harold Amos as StnO and Bob Hayhoe as SubO. Les Noble from Castleford was the LFm.

Thank god those days are gone!

The annual Derby Fire & Rescue show is on the 20 21 June at Markeaton Park

Derby Just off the M1.

Hope the weather is good for that weekend.

This is a great site for Firefighter Safety. It was started a number of years ago by Chief Billy Goldfeder. Billy served with our department back in the 80's and is nationally recognized as the loudest voice on Firefighter Safety. Great site! Different perspective from the states.

www.firefighterclosecalls.com

Byron...

I've just been speaking to Byron Teates, ex Castleford and Knottingley, who is now Chief of East Manatee Fire Rescue, in Florida. Byron is an American who married a girl from South Elmsall (don't ask) but after several years with West Yorkshire returned to the States. He's in the process of joining this site, and if anyone remembers him, they can contact him via this blog or through the EMFR website.

Just don't ask him about the seance.....lollollol

Hi Graham.....

Re: the recent fire at the Waterton Hotel......this place is a beauty! It's out in the sticks at the end of a long drive that at one time had the highest 'sleeping policemen' I've ever seen! They certainly found all the loose gear on the old Dodge pumps!

When I was at Wakefield, the HP was on first attendance there. However, the main building is on an island in the lake, with only a footbridge to get to it! Plenty of water though.....

Plus, it used to be a maternity hospital!

When it became an hotel, the entire lake was lowered 6 feet to enable the basement to be tanked. Serious money.....I can recommend it for a bar meal though...