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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