18 November 2003 - Roy Underdown Pavilion

If your father was a fireman, there is a good chance that you or your son will be too. We discovered this at our meeting in November, when we visited Hamble Fire Station and saw photographs of fire crews from decades ago. Three of our four hosts had relatives in them. We were told what it takes to be a fireman, and it was emphasised that they were now a 'Fire and Rescue' service. So they can help you with a chip pan fire, a road traffic accident, or even if you are stuck in the mud off Hamble Point. We were shown lots of equipment, ranging from old and heavy hose nozzles, to modern and state-of-the-art technology. Some of it was so simple but ingenious, and very effective. To use all of this takes a lot of training, a word we heard often during our visit. Then a picture of a 1939 lorry with a ladder on it, and down to see todays vehicle. It was like a travelling laboratory, power house and workshop. It had everything, but you had to know where things were and how to use them, hence the training. An enjoyable evening and I, for one, will never look at a fire engine in quite the same way.

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