STATES OF JERSEY FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
A Short History The States of Jersey Fire Service, under that name, first came into being in 1938. The States, faced with the threat of war, took over the St. Helier Fire Brigade which had originally been formed in September 1901. Up to that time there had been, as far as Parish records go, no official firefighting body in the town. It is known, however, that “Fire Engines” were available in the Island from at least as early as the mid-eighteenth century. In more ancient times, the various Fiefs had to protect their tenants and to that end they are believed to have provided men-at-arms with buckets to attend fires. This arrangement appears to have continued until the insurance companies provided manual pumps, hoses and escape ladders. In 1807 it appears that a fire engine was presented to the Parish of St. Helier by the Royal Exchange Insurance Company and in 1835 the Sun Fire Office also presented a fire engine to the Parish. It seems that further engines were presented in 1837 by the West of England Insurance Company and the Norwich Union and these were followed by the purchase by the States of three manual engines for the Ports of St. Helier, St. Aubin and Mont Orgueil. For many years a garrison of troops was maintained in the Island and this garrison of course had its own firefighting equipment with which it would assist at civil fires if requested to do so. In September 1901 the St. Helier Fire Brigade was formed and consisted of the Chief Officer, a Second Officer, Foreman and 12 Firemen, all volunteers. Their equipment consisted of a horse cart, a hand wheeled, manually operated escape ladder and two manual pumps which could throw a jet of water 50 feet (15.3m) provided ten men-a-side operated the handles of the pump. The 20 men operated the pump for 20 minutes and were then replaced by another 20 volunteers while the firemen manned the hoses and other equipment. Firemen were paid 2/6d (12½p) for the first hour and 1/- (5p) per hour for subsequent hours when they attended a fire. In 1902 the St. Helier Fire Brigade was housed at the Town Hall and remained there until after World War 1. The first appliance was a horse drawn manual and during the first year 23 fire calls were dealt with. In July 1905 the manual was replaced by a Shand Mason steamer and, after the fashion of those days, this was named “Lord St. Helier”. It is interesting to note that in 1912 a contract was signed between the Parish of St. Helier and Mr. E.J. Laurens, a well-known carting contractor of the time, for the hire of horses for the use of the Fire Brigade. If used in St. Helier the contractor was paid 15/- (75p) per run for his horses, but if anywhere else in the Island, the fee was £2. If horses were called out but not hitched up, a fee of 5/- (25p) was payable. The working pressure of the steamer was 120 pounds per square inch (p.s.i.) (8 bar). and this pressure was raised in a little over 7 minutes, when the engine was capable of delivering 250 gallons per minute (g.p.m.) (1,125 litres). Apparently, it was usual to light the boiler when about 1½ miles from the scene of the fire and it is said to have made a gallant sight as the horses galloped along, sparks streaming from the funnel and from the horses’ hooves as they clattered over the cobbled streets. Mr. Eady, the man responsible for forming the original Brigade in 1901 continued as Chief Officer until 1915 when he was succeeded by Mr. Gale who remained in charge until 1924, being succeeded by Mr. “Joe” Remphry. One of the very early calls to the St. Helier Brigade was to a hotel fire at Greve de Lecq - the firemen arrived at the incident, a distance of about seven miles from the town of St. Helier, in 45 minutes. The following local press report has been preserved:“This morning’s turn out was practically the first that the newly formed St. Helier Fire Brigade has had to respond to and the smartness with which they mustered and performed their duties make it evident that we have at least in St. Helier an efficient Fire Brigade.” Reorganisation came in 1923 when the equipment room at the Town Hall was required for other purposes and, motor vehicles having been acquired, the Brigade moved to what had been the Town Arsenal in Nelson Street. Here under the command of “Joe” Remphry, the appliance strength grew to a Dennis 20 h.p. 350 g.p.m. (1,575 litres) pump and a Chevrolet Tender and trailer pump. A Merryweather pump and wheeled escape was added in 1933. In 1938 the States of Jersey took over the Service from the Parish and further equipment in the shape of a Dennis 500 g.p.m. appliance and six trailer pumps were purchased. An auxiliary Fire Service was also formed in view of the threat of war. For much of the period 1939-1945 the Island was occupied by German Forces and many serious fires were attended in buildings occupied by German troops whose carelessness, where fire risks were concerned, became renowned. After the war, a spate of serious fires led to further reorganisation and in 1950 a new Chief Officer, Mr. F.L. Edmonston, was appointed. Mr. Edmonston, who continued as Chief Officer until 1966, had served for many years in the Manchester area of the United Kingdom and in 1950 he set about building up the Service. More appliances, including a Turntable Ladder, were purchased and in 1954 the Fire Station was moved to its present location in Rouge Bouillon. The reconstructed premises were larger in order to accommodate the bigger appliances and the increase in personnel which by this time totalled 35 wholetime officers and men with 20 retained firemen also on the strength. The year 1961 brought with it a liability to engage in inshore marine rescue and a Zodiac type inflatable rescue craft was purchased and this new service to Islanders was provided by the Fire Service. Since the inception of this work, many lives have been saved. It is interesting to note that the pioneering of this type of work proved useful to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and since 1963 several hundred light inshore rescue craft have been put into service around the coasts of the British Isles by the Institution. The continuing development and redevelopment associated with a rising Island population has called for an increase in the strength of the Fire Service of both Operational and Fire Safety personnel. In 1971 a reassessment of manpower resulted in the introduction of wholetime Control Room Staff, men and women employed and trained specifically for Control Room duties. 1976 saw the purchase of a 75’ (22m) hydraulic platform to replace the ageing Turntable Ladder although this was kept as a reserve appliance. In 1977, after strong recommendations over a number of years by H.M. Inspectors of Fire Services and Chief Fire Officer W. Mahoney, a Western Sub Fire Station was opened at Route des Quennevais, St. Brelade. This Sub Station not only provides a more effective fire cover for the western Parishes, but also increases the strength of the firefighting resources of the Island. More appliances had to be purchased and extra wholetime and retained personnel had to be recruited to man the Station. In 1991 a further advance in equipment provision was made with the purchase of an Aerial Ladder Platform to replace the Hydraulic Platform. Combining both a ladder and a hoist the A.L.P. has a maximum working height of 28m and an outreach of 18m. The Establishment now stands at 76 wholetime officers and men, five Control Room Officers and 24 retained firefighters (Headquarters) and 18 retained firefighters (Western). As year by year demands increase (an average of 2,700 incidents a year have been dealt with since 1986) so the States Fire Service continues to develop its training and equipment in order to keep abreast of modern developments and techniques in to carry out its commitment to the community to: (i) save life; (ii) protect property from fire and the effects of fire; (iii) render humanitarian services; (iv) assist in safeguarding the environment.
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