Legion Of Frontiersmen Visits Fire Brigade

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 91, 17 October 1947, Page 7

Legion Of Frontiersmen Visits Fire Brigade

(Contributed)

We are the Legion of Frontiersmen and St. John Ambulance Brigade and we have accepted the tasks offered us by the Whakatane Fire Brigade; the Legion of Frontiersmen as Fire Police, and St. John as First Aid men. From now on, you good folks of Whakatane, will see us at all fires, controlling traffic and pedestrians and guarding fire fighting' equipment. The St. John boys will be ready to render any First Aid necessary. Tuesday night is practice night for the Fire Brigade and we have assembled to see a demonstration for our benefit, and to be shown wherein our duties shall be when a fire does occur. Superintendent Stewart first explains the “fire” we are going to, it is the Winter Show Building, the Brigade is going to lay three leads from Brown’s hydrant. These will' turn out to be useless owing to a power failure, and no water being available, the trailer pump is to be hurriedly taken round to the harbour front, the main lead is to be immersed in the tide and three leads will come into action pumping sea water on to the “fire.”

After a period of squad drill on the engine, the “Alarm” is sounded and way we go to the ‘fire.’ The programme is capably carried out as arranged, we, the visitors, being unanimous in our appreciation of how well trained the brigade is in their duties. A demonstration is given here of- the new “fog nozzle.” This is a new type which whilst still playing a main jet, also has a spray with a screen effect, completely covering the firemen from the heat and enabling them to approach close to the blaze. When «a transformer fire takes place, this nozzle can be turned into a very fine spray instead of a jet; the electricity can not then flow down through the water and give the firemen a shock. The fine spray being as it were “atomised.”

Well we go back to the Fire Station and for half an hour are entertained by further fire drill, rescue work, resuscitation, ladder drill etc., and for a final thrill there is the jumping from the tower down on to the safety sheet, this being first demonstrated by two firemen. A volunteer is then called for from the visitors and “Tiny” steps forward. “Tiny” is the Adjutant of the Legion and likes to throw his “weight” about (what adjutant doesn’t). Up he goes on to the tower and prepares to jump. He does not know it but he is going to “ride the goat,” a method of initiation which all new members to the brigade undergo. He jumps, a perfect landing, and “Hey, what’s this!” up he goes again and the joke is on, he is in for a tossing, up and down .he goes, head first, feet first, a flatty and then a sitter, twenty times he is tumbled round, and then the boys desist and ‘Tiny’ is lowered to the ground. He is rather dishevelled but happy that he has survived, his turn at “riding the goat.” We now all hdjourn to the recreation room, supper is served and the guests are made very welcome. After the lemonade is well sampled we have a few words from Superintendent Stewart. He welcomes us to our new services with his brigade and finds it fine that the three bodies, the Fire Brigade, St. John Ambulance the Legion are going to work together. He believes that the good fellowship of men freely giving their services for the good of the community is swell and he asks the Fire Brigade members to drink our health with musical honours. With Bert Cottrell at the piano the rafters ring with the time honoured words.

Responses are made by Superintendent Eric Ramson of St. John, and Lt. E. R. Hunt of the Legion, and the same stress is laid on good fellowship and service.

We finish up the “lemonade” and wend our way homeward with many thoughts in our heads, some of them being: The hard, unseen work the firemen do to attain perfection in their craft, the sacrifice of time, freely given to attend parades, the speed with which orders are carried out, the discipline, which shows that men are willing to subordinate themselves for the common good, the ‘Esprit de Corps’ that is made up of a lot of things such as reciprocal trust between officers and men. And finally that they like being firemen (all boys at some time or other pass through a phase of having this as an ambition. Firemen are the ones who grow up and realise it).

Yes; Supt. Stewart, we are going to like helping you and your ‘boys’ we of the Legion and St. John.