Previous Page  109 / 189 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 109 / 189 Next Page
Page Background

5

JUBILEE RIVER

PAGEANT

UPCOMING

EVENTS

Royal Opera House Tour

The 2nd City Fire Lecture

There will be a river pageant on

the 3rd June, with flotillas and

squadrons of boats traversing the

Thames alongside the Queen’s

barge.

Fireboats will be a particular spectacle at the

event. A special squadron has been assembled

representing fireboats that have worked the

rivers throughout the Queen’s reign. They will

be manned by representatives from across the

Commonwealth and all the commonwealth flags

will be flown. Expect to see some spectacular

water cannon displays.

For many years now, one of the core charities

supported by the WCoFF has been the

restoration of the Massey Shaw Fireboat. The

Massey Shaw is one of London's un-sung heroes

on the Thames. The boat was named after the

first chief officer of the Metropolitan Fire

Brigade. Built in 1935, the fireboat served the

London Fire Brigade for many years and also

took part in the Dunkirk rescue.

The WCoFF will be holding a special reception

on the day to celebrate this wonderful event.

Fireboats continue to play a significant role in

fire-fighting within London. The volume of

incidents attended by the fireboat has remained

relatively constant over the last three years. On

average, the fireboat is mobilised to about 270

incidents each year, about one third of these

being fire related events (36 being primary fires).

There has always been a strong historical

relationship between the river and firefighting.

After the Great Fire of 1666, insurance

companies formed their own fire fighting teams,

largely made up of riverside dockers, who had

the muscle power to do remove valuables from

affected buildings.

Later, in 1866, when the first Metropolitan fire

brigade was formed under Captain Sir Eyre

Massey Shaw, he would only recruit sailors as he

believed a seaman’s training would naturally

provide men of discipline and strength.

So, if you want to celebrate a bit of history and

enjoy the Queen’s diamond jubilee year, make a

note of the 3rd June in your diary and get down

to the banks of the Thames in the heart of the

City to see a wonderful display of river fireboats,

the modern ones still today providing a key

emergency support to our communities.

Lesley Cowland, wife of our Master, has

organised a Ladies Backstage Tour on Wednesday

25th April of the Royal Opera House. The tour

takes about 1½ hours and covers the historic

front of house, the huge backstage area, gives an

insight into the colourful history of the theatre,

the state of the art technology used to move

scenery around and possibly the opportunity to

see a production workshop in progress - it

should prove to be a very interesting visit.

The Fire Lecture 2012

will be held at the Insurance Hall

in the City of London on Wednesday 30th May

2012 at 6.30pm.

The rising cost of commercial fire losses,

challenges to building regulations, the perceived

impact of health & safety regulation on

firefighting & rescue operations, coupled with

today's climate of economic austerity, is worrying

and will undoubtedly interest many in the

Company and outside. Representatives of the

Association of British Insurers, BRE Global and

the Chief Fire Officers' Association will express

their opinion and invite you to air yours at an

open forum.

FIRE: Cost &

Consequence