A few brave acts from our Fire Service
When people say that the firemen and women of this country don’t deserve a pay increase and they get enough money, it makes me very sad and angry how quickly everyone forgets. How far shall I go back listing just a few of the brave deeds from our London Fire Service alone.
In June 1940 the fireboat Massey Shaw was used in the evacuation from Dunkirk. On 7th September 1940 the sirens sounded over London and that was the beginning of 57 consecutive nights of bombing. The London Fire Brigade tried their best to keep control of the devastation and helped save hundreds of lives. In June 1944 the V1 (flying bomb) attacks started, 99 of these bombs on 3rd August alone. In July 1969 while at a call at Dudgeons Wharf 5 firemen were killed by an explosion. 1984 a fire in Oxford Circus underground station with almost 1000 people trapped, it took minutes for the fire brigade to arrive and there were no fatalities and only minor injuries, thanks to their prompt action. Then of course, who can possible forget Thursday 7th July 2005, when there was 3 explosions on the London underground that left 35 people dead and 2 dead on the bus bombing. How many injured people did the firemen help to bring out of that terrible place.
These are just a few of the acts of heroism that our fire service officers have done. What would be our reaction if they stood outside a burning factory and said it was far too dangerous for them to go inside, instead they do go in and tragically some do die as they did in November 2007 when 4 fire-fighters were killed fighting a fire in a processing plant at Atherstone-on-Stour near Stratford. So please, before you criticise these brave men and woman and say they are paid enough, just think back and remember what we have the fire service for.
