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JIM BRYCE
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SUNDERLAND FIRE BRIGADE DURING THE POST WAR YEARS Instead of returning to the pre-war position, whereby Councils of all sizes, some 1,6OO of them, had responsibilities for protecting people and property against fire, these responsibilities were replaced by the Fire Services Act 1947, upon the County Boroughs and County Councils of England and Wales, with the provision that if any of these authorities wished to combine their Brigades under joint management, they could do so. At the same time, a separation was made between the duties of Policemen and Firemen, and there was no return to the pre-war Police Fire Brigades. It was, however, still possible for an Ambulance Service to be operated jointly with the Fire Brigade. In Sunderland, the Ambulance duties had been passed over to the Air Raid Precautions Casualty Service on the formation of the NFS, and after the war it was decided to put the Ambulances in the hands of the Local Health Authority. In December 1947, it was announced that Sunderland's pre-war professional Firemen would be given the first choice of re-joining the town's Fire Brigade when control was passed to Sunderland Borough Council in the following April. Sunderland's scheme for the operation of its 84 man Fire Brigade had already been accepted by the Home Office. The scheme provided for the manning of the Dun Cow Street Station by 49 men, and for an establishment of 35 at the Fulwell Station, with an administrative staff of six. On 1st April 1948, the Sunderland unit of the NFS returned to the control of the Corporation and reverted to its old name of Sunderland In his annual report for 1949/5O, C.F.O. Bruce stated that a record number of 661 fires had been dealt with up to 31st March 195O. He also stated that 17O members of the Auxiliary Fire Service were needed, but by March 31st, only 26 men and 16 women had been recruited. In the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 14th December 1954, what was described as the worst fire of the century in Sunderland, destroyed the four storey departmental store of Joplings in High Street West. Shortly after 1 am the fire in the store was spotted by PC Norman Abbs who sounded the alarm. During 1961 the River Wear Watch, which had been operating since 184O, was finally disbanded. The Watch, set up by an Act of Parliament, required another Act of Parliament to disband it. The Police and Fire fighting duties of the River Wear Watch were taken over by the Borough Police Force and the Sunderland Fire Brigade. On 29th June 1964, the foundation stone for the new fire station in Holborn Road was laid by Alderman Joseph Hoy, Chairman of the Watch Committee. Mr RG Finlay said he remembered a similar ceremony 24 years ago at Fulwell when his company had also built the fire station there. In 1966, the Brigade's operational staff consisted of 13O officers and men, aided by an administrative department of a Chief Clerk and five assistants. The Brigade's fire fighting and ancillary equipment was as follows:- CENTRAL STATION FULWELL STATION GRINDON STATION During 1973 it was announced that on the reorganisation of the Fire Brigades in the region, the Chief Fire Officer of the new Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade would be Mr Patrick Watters of the Newcastle and Gateshead Fire Brigade. At the end of 1973 Mr GH Moore left Sunderland Fire Brigade to take up the appointment of Chief Fire Officer of Lincoln Fire Brigade, (a position he still held in 1989, giving him the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Fire Officer in the country). Although 1st April 1974 saw the end of the Sunderland County Borough Fire Brigade, the Fire Brigade in Sunderland continues on an even stronger footing. The boundary changes which came into effect on that date saw Sunderland grow even more. The Borough of Sunderland took over responsibility for the Washington, Houghton and Hetton areas, which meant that Sunderland grew from its original size of 3OO acres in the year 687 to its present size of 33,977 acres and from a population of only a hand full of people to the present 292,6OO. The area administered by Sunderland Council is now protected by 9 front line fire appliances, two each at the Sunderland Central, Grindon, and Washington stations, and one each at Tunstall, Rainton Bridge and Fulwell stations, with additional appliances from Durham County Fire Brigade covering part of the Hetton and Houghton areas and all of these stations have the additional support of Special Appliances such as Turntable ladders, Emergency Tenders, Rescue Tenders and Foam Tenders. Back in 1855, when the Sunderland Fire Brigade was reformed as part of the police force, the annual number of calls attended was well below 5O. Today, following its explosion in size and population, the Fire Stations in the area administered by Sunderland Borough Council attend over 8,OOO calls per year. You are invited to purchase the book "Sunderland Fire Brigade" (over 92 pages, see illustration below) which covers the history of the fire service in Sunderland from the beginning, until it was incorporated into Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade, in 1974. Postal applications only, send your cheque or postal order for Four Pounds and Fifty pence (GBP Sterling, includes postage and packing to UK addresses) to the postal address below. I am unable to process credit cards. Mr JT Bryce, 13 Hampden Road, Roker, Sunderland, SR6 9QQ ENGLAND. If you would like the book signed by myself and dedicated to someone please let me know.
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