Locked in the ...
In the 1960s a serving member of the Unit purchased a restaurant in Queen Street and offered the premises for a monthly meeting. All went well, including food and drinks laid on, until the meeting ended and it was time to go home. They found they had been locked in, all doors dead-locked. Trapped, they tried to attract attention from passersby but only got smiles and blown kisses. Desperate, they phoned the police who eventually turned up, an explanation was shouted, a key was thrown out to the constable who unlocked the door releasing more than 20 grateful members. Meetings reverted to Fire Headquarters from the very next month !
Canned ...
Two members had a lucky escape during salvage at a factory fire. The first storey floor they had just walked over collapsed. They sprawled backwards, falling and disappeared completely from sight into a heap of thousands of aerosol cans which fortunately broke their fall.
Diagnosis...
Three members of the Unit were taken to hospital from the Parnell fumes incident. As soon as an officer could be spared from the incident, one was despatched to the hospital to check on the health of the patients. He returned to the call to report that, although he was no doctor, he thought the guys were suffering from exposure... severely affected by the sight of all the attractive nurses at Auckland Hospital! His report would not be appreciated in this day and age!
Two by Two...
A fire policeman, asked to run out a replacement length of hose, ran straight into a drain from which some bright person had removed the grating. It appeared the member had a broken leg so an ambulance was called to take him to hospital. But before the ambulance left the scene it had a second customer, another member of the Unit. The door on the Canteen Unit slammed, hitting him on the head, knocking him out cold. The OIC considered calling all Fire Police together, imploring them not to be the third casualty at the call!
Impromptu Meeting
It was a Unit summer barbecue, poolside at Captain Reid's place. One or two members got pushed into the swimming pool, others followed (fully clothed, some in uniform) and then the Captain declared that it was an "official Unit meeting" - "everybody in!". Neighbours came to see what the noise was about and were encouraged to join in the fun. This has to be the oddest "meeting" in the Unit's 75 years!
Touchy Torchy
Then there was the member who, while he was manning road closures, had his own punishment for vehicles that did not stop for him. As they passed he hit the car with his torch and shouted abuse at the driver. Needless to say, his stay with the Unit was a very short one!
Coming or Going?
New member, full of enthusiasm, arrived on the scene, rapidly put on his turnout gear and approached the officer looking for a fireground task. "Which way are you going?" asked the Officer, adding "perhaps to help you decide, you should put your helmet on correctly with the front facing forwards".
Leading from the (fire) front ...
Captain Reid was supervising salvage operations in buildings adjoining Globe Chambers, ablaze in Swanson Street. Fire Police were fetching, then spreading, salvage sheets in a neighbouring building and then disappearing outside to get more. After a while the Captain realised the members were not returning so he rearranged the sheets and then made his way out to Queen Street. His question "why had salvage operations stopped?" was immediately answered. The area had been evacuated, roped off because the whole site had been declared unsafe, with police and fire police manning the secure perimeter. No one had told the Captain!
No Hope
The Officer was interviewing a prospective member which went smoothly until the recruit was asked if he was available for brigade exercises, regularly on Saturday mornings. "No" said the young man, "unavailable". The Officer asked why. "Because I am at the Periodic Detention Centre every Saturday". "Oh, you're a supervisor?" "No" said the recruit "I got two years PD for bashing a cop". The interview ended.
Golden Jubilee (from Fire, Rescue and Emergency Magazine 1984)
"The Auckland Volunteer Fire Police Corps celebrated their Golden Jubilee with a social evening held at Freemans Bay Community Centre on Saturday 25th June 1983. Many old hands joined with Fire Police at the celebration, including George Hedlund aged 90, a long time member and former Captain was present".
1933 - Auckland fire-fighting staff totals on a typical day
This was the staff establishment the year Auckland Fire Police Corps was formed.
| |
Paid Staff
(totals, not per shift) |
Auxilliaries
(evening/weekend helpers) |
| Central Station (Pitt Street |
14-23 |
10 |
| Parnell |
2 or 3 |
6 |
| Remuera |
2 or 3 |
3 or 4 |
| Ponsonby |
2 or 3 |
6 |
| Pt Chevalier |
2 or 3 |
6 |
| Avondale |
3 |
6 |
| St Heliers |
3 |
6 |
| Tamaki (Mt Wellington) |
3 |
6 |
(Which meant during the day appliances often turned out with a crew of just one person – the Officer. There are plenty of tales told by ageing fire fighters of arriving at a blazing house and having to get to work alone, checking all residents had escaped the fire, establishing a hose reel or shipping the standpipe and running out a low pressure delivery straight from the hydrant to the fire, hoping that help from the back-up appliance was not far behind. And no radio to call for more assistance!
Escort rather than a Speeding Ticket
An officer who lived on the North Shore was racing to a major fire down-town. On the approach to the Harbour Bridge he was pursued, and stopped, by a police patrol, very keen to issue a ticket for speeding. The Fire Policemen identified himself, pointed across the harbour to the huge column of smoke, and verbally attacked the police of delaying his turn-out. Whereupon they gave him an escort over the bridge and through city streets to the blaze!
Record Claimed
One of our members was resuming with the Unit after a break and was at Regional HQ being issued with his uniform. While gathering up the items in the Store there was a fire call to nearby Karangahape Road, it quickly escalated to a 3rd Alarm and within minutes he was on the job, joining colleagues less than a block from Pitt Street! He claimed a record for the shortest time to get a turnout after being issued uniform.
Those Zealous Traffic Cops
The Canteen, crewed by Fire Police, was denied access to a multiple alarm, multiple fatality, fire in Herne Bay. Traffic officers blocked the appliance because it did not have flashing red lights so, to them, it was not an emergency vehicle and therefore had to stay beyond the outer cordon. Fire Police OIC intervened with some robust advice to the traffic officers and the truck was admitted to the fire-ground. Ironic, wasn't it that the same traffic cops later turned up at the Canteen for supper!
Coordinate Clocks
All was ready (it was thought) on the evening the Unit celebrated its 60th anniversary, a dinner and honours at the Mandalay function centre in Newmarket, with no less than the Governor-General, Dame Catherine Tizard as principal guest. The street outside was blocked off to allow a display of fire-fighting appliances and inside Mandalay there was a great display of Unit memorabilia. But there was no sign of any food at the appointed time, 2000 hrs, so enquiries were made of the Chef. "All under control!" was the reassurance. Much after 8pm a further enquiry was made only to find that the chef thought 2000 hrs was 10pm! Oh Dear! 2 hours behind everyone else! He was told to hasten preparations while presentation of Service Honours was brought forward to fill the gap. The evening continued just about seamless after that and it was hoped the Vice-Regal party did not notice the hold up. Even though it was his fault, the Chef was very uptight that we did not get to taste the specialty of the house, his Baron of Beef, which could not be cooked in time for the "early start"!
Wartime Measure
Some Fire Police travelled to calls on fire appliances in the early days. If they were at home they could hear the local fire engine turning out, so there was an arrangement with the firefighters and depending on the pattern of the siren sounding on the appliance, Fire Police knew if it was going to pass their house en route to the call. In which case they put on what little uniform they had (armband and peaked cap in 1935, for instance) and waited outside their gate to be picked up. With such light crewing in those days there was generally always room for a couple of Fire Police to climb on the fire engine. Came the wartime and sirens were removed from appliances in case residents mistook them for air-raid warnings. So those Fire Police missed their signal enabling them to hitch a ride. And to make matters worse, petrol rationing meant they could not always buy fuel for their private cars enabling them to turn out.
Hose Ramps for Aircraft
During a very realistic exercise at Whenuapai Air Base the long, charged, hose-lines across the tarmac threatened to upset local Flying Club flights. Fire Police, well versed in providing hose ramps and guiding motorists up and over feeder lines, soon had the light planes back in the air with their own hose ramps - only this time they were in sets of three to cater for the nose wheel.
Socials in Tough Times #1 - Depression
The Fire Police Unit was founded at the height of the depression years, tough times for many, but nevertheless the Unit regularly staged social events. Local merchants were asked to donate a little of this food and a bit of that and some drinks and somehow elaborate and very well-attended socials were held. Orchestras would be arranged, the formality of dance nights followed and always apparently with a tasty supper. Occasionally, the Unit's minutes reveal, there would be a little overspending so the finances were brought back into line with a raffle or two. Card evenings were also popular with quite generous prizes.
Socials in Tough Times #2 - WW2
Wartime years were also hard on social evenings. Women were asked to bring "a plate and a little sugar" to get around those long, lean years when essential foodstuffs were rationed. Some years there was also a note on the invitation to a social that a contribution of one ration coupon would be welcomed.
The odd item of household poultry (with or without permission of the owners, known or unknown!) was apparently sometimes sacrificed to provide the centerpiece of the supper table. Some years the entertainment must have been lavish - in 1951 the Minutes record that Constable Spalding was thanked "for his effort obtaining dancing girls ..."
Annual picnics were a feature, often held at a local waterfront beach in early years, at distant locations later - like Howick and Waikowhai - which allowed family involvement in the Unit's social life. And then, despite the depression and war years, there was always the Children's Christmas party with delicious eats, soft drinks galore and a gift for every young guest.
Tram Tickets!
In these days when everyone has a car it's difficult to imagine the inconvenience and long delays occasioned by Fire Police turning out to fires on public transport. But in the 1930s several Fire Police regularly travelled to calls by tram car and claimed a refund of the fares or asked the Fire Board to provide 10-trip concession cards. Other Fire Policemen travelled by bus to calls and when there were major fires it was permissible for members to take a taxi, the fare later reimbursed by the Fire Board. This continued for many years: the last claim for a bus ticket was in 1967.
Tricky Call # 1
Taxi anyone? The busy downtown bank had been evacuated after gas, escaping from the air-conditioning plant, was distributed throughout the premises. Problems arose with cordoning off the surrounding area as customers arrived, 2.30pm on a Friday, to do their end-of-week banking. Fire Police maintained a cordon, and oversaw a queue at a makeshift taxi stand. The bank had arranged a fleet of cabs to ferry its clients to its nearest branch to get their business done before 3 o'clock closing.
Tricky Call # 2
There was fire in an upstairs ward at Mercy Hospital, right above the operating theatre where at the time a heart-valve replacement operation was well underway. The surgeon and team were advised - they knew anyway because dirty water from fire-fighting overhead was running down the walls inside the theatre. 2 fire-fighters, unscrubbed, were allowed in to mop up. Fire Police kept them supplied with empty buckets and the cleanest mops from the Salvage Tender. The patient probably never knew of the intrusion, and how close it was to terminating the operation and evacuating.
Tricky Call #3
When a petrol tanker delivering fuel on a Saturday morning to the BP service station accidentally overfilled the underground tanks, Dominion Road gutters were awash with petrol. Fire Police closed the road with a tight cordon around the danger area. Mid-morning, and there were complaints from pedestrians about loss of access. It turned out the local TAB was within the cordon and punters were getting grumpy, denied the opportunity to get their bets on "sure things" they had picked in the first race at Orari and the trots at Kumara. At first it was impossible to allow bettors into the TAB but as soon as the cleanup progressed the very first cordon to be lifted was the one outside the betting shop.
Tricky Call #4
It was November 5th, Guy Fawkes, the most inappropriate day of the year for a petrol tanker to lose much of its load after an accident on West End Road, Herne Bay. The product was flushed into drains which it was soon discovered led to Cox's Bay. The incoming tide was returning the diluted petrol to the shore. (These were the days before the environment was a serious consideration!)
Fire Police joined fire-fighters door knocking in the area asking residents to postpone their Guy Fawkes night bonfires and fireworks until a couple more tides had flushed the bay clear of petrol and residual vapours.
Radio news bulletins repeated the message all evening and an appliance was stationed in West End Road just in case, but the night passed without incident.
Tricky Call #5
Closing the Piha Road, usually because of traffic accidents, always causes inconvenience to travellers because it's the only way in and out of the surf beach and that part of the West Coast. But a fatal crash that left debris littering the entire road one Saturday morning caused terrible tail-backs and a big job for Fire Police staffing the roadblock at the Waiatarua end. It turned out there was a Surfing Carnival, a Lawn Bowls tournament, a function at the RSA and a residents' meeting all scheduled at Piha that day with participants anxious to get to the events. On top of that it was a very warm day and many casual visitors had planned a day at Piha beach. Surf Club personnel rostered on patrol were among those fretting to get through, but as it was pointed out, most swimmers and surfers were in the same situation, blocked, and had probably diverted to Bethells Beach. Piha Road did not reopen until 2pm.
Overheard #1
"K11 Fire Police and ordinary police to this call".
Overheard #2
Radio message from a pump at a fire in a reserve ... "Synthetic covering on cricket wicket on fire ... over!"
Overheard #3
Radio message after a pump on the road received more information about a call indicating it had gone past the incident ... "We'll do a U turn then, and go back the way we came "
Overheard #4
Radio message from a tired pump operator that had been fighting a scrubbie most of the night ... "we'll return at dawn, that's in the morning some time, to check hot spots"
A Night of It
Without a doubt, overnight 14/15th July 2003 was one of the busiest periods the Unit has experienced in all its 75 years. The Fire Service itself was kept on the run, not only by the succession of calls, but the severity of some of the fires, resulting in greater alarms. Between 2200 and 0330 there were two 2nd Alarms, three 3rd Alarms and one 4th Alarm.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Glenn Teal requested all Fire Police to respond to the city where they would be allocated to one of the many firegrounds.
The evening began quite lively ... a motor accident or two, a call to domestic flooding in Avondale, a diesel spill at the Parnell truckstop and a power pole on fire in Glenfield. Then at 2045 an alarm in downtown, city, unbeknown to those responding, was the start of a chain of events. It was a modern day Pudding Lane.
2045 car at Mayoral Drive/Greys Avenue intersection
2137 K99 furniture inside building at AUT, Loren Street (8 Fire Police attended)
2207 structure: old Government House, University Complex (7 Fire Police attended)
2213 rubbish Queen and Marmion Streets
2300 rubbish Mills Lane/Queen Street
2300 rubbish Mills Lane/Stamford Hotel
0020 rubbish Mills Lane
0020 3 fires in basement car park, Federal and Wolfe Streets (8 Fire Police attended)
0024 post box, Wellesley and Lorne Streets
0033 structure: City Council building, Princes Street-Albert Park (16 Fire Police attended)
0126 persons reported; self immolation, Aotea Square (K41-1)
0327 structure: Guardian Trust Building, Queen Street (19 Fire Police attended)
0340 rubbish High St/Vulcan Lane
0432 rubbish Emily Place/Customs Street
And to cap it all off, there was a 3rd Alarm during the evening at Telecom's premises in Takapuna!
Radio Rack
The new hand-held radios were issued and there was great expectation about using them for the first time. For some members it was at a motor vehicle accident on Waterview straight and the Motorolas certainly lived up to their reputation. It was one member's reputation that was likely to be in tatters: when he got home he found that he somehow had managed to lose his radio. He returned to the scene, searched the grass verge where he had been parked but to no avail. On arriving back home and just about to confess the loss to the Chief, the radio was spotted nestling in the car's roof rack, just where the absent-minded member had left it. His embarrassing phone call had been avoided!
Mid-air Collision
Fire Police found themselves on duty in numerous parts of the inner suburbs on 26th November 1993 following an early evening, mid-air collision between Eagle police helicopter and a traffic spotter plane, a Piper Cherokee. Wreckage of the two craft fell in Grafton with some of the debris falling on the motorway near Symonds Street overbridge. There were no survivors - two police personnel and two civilians died. The crash and its consequences resulted in traffic chaos right across Auckland during the evening peak hours, and for some time after. With "Spaghetti Junction" virtually closed, many main routes came to a standstill. Fire Police, called to the disaster, found it difficult or impossible to get to the scene of the crash because of the jam and, once they could go no further, realised their best efforts would be to park their car and take up point duty at a major intersection. In this way, for well into the night, members helped keep the traffic moving.
Disappearing Act
Members called to a 5 a.m. accident involving a milk truck at the Ponsonby Road/Karangahape Road intersection could not see any sign of the vehicle as they approached the scene. No wonder, the entire truck had disappeared, swallowed by a giant hole that had opened up right in the middle of what would normally be a very busy intersection. Once at the job Fire Police could see the truck and hundreds of empty milk bottles in the cavern, well below the level of the road and almost submerged in water. It turned out the road had eroded because of a broken water pipe, scoured out over time, until merely a crust remained, the tarseal. This must have further weakened, the milk truck proved heavy enough to break the thin seal and... down it went. It was apparent that the truck and its contents could not be salvaged, the pipe fixed, water pumped out, the hole filled and the road re-surfaced in time for morning peak traffic so barricades were put in place together with careful scene management.
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