While I do photograph fire engines I do my best to avoid photographing accidents and the people involved however in one of my photographs you may be able to see one of the drivers.
I was on my way to the Jasmine Palace Restaurant when I noticed the fire brigade arriving at the the scene of what appeared to be a serious road accident. The one thing that I noticed was how the engines were parked … I had never noticed the technique (known as blocking) before.
The term “blocking” might also be described as the “safe parking” or “safe positioning” of emergency vehicles at roadway incidents. In the fire service, the term most often used is “block” or “blocking.” A block is when an emergency vehicle is used to protect an incident work area by parking across a lane or lanes of traffic. The unit should be stopped upstream of the incident area and parked at an angle across a lane or two of the roadway. In many cases, the shoulder of the road will be considered a lane if that is where the original incident is located. Parking at an angle makes it easier for approaching traffic to identify that your unit is stopped, parked and not moving. Units parked in line with traffic, even on the shoulder, are not as easy to identify as stopped and approaching traffic will often not recognise that the unit is parked instead of moving with traffic.
DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE MAINTENANCE DEPOT AT THE END OF STABLE LANE
Late in 2017 stoneybatter residents indicated to local politicians that they were concerned about the possibility of the Dublin Fire Brigade Depot on Stable Lane, just off North Brunswick Street being sold by Dublin City Council. These concerns arose because of the level of development taking place on sites located near to the City Council owned site.
In response the Chief Executive advised that Dublin Fire Brigade uses the site on Stable Lane for its workshop, garage, stores, laundry. The Fire Brigade also uses it for the sterilisation of its equipment and Ambulances. The reserve fleet is located at this facility. The Chief Executive confirmed that Dublin Fire Brigade will continue to use these vital facilities “until alternative arrangements are made”.
Dublin City’s first municipal fire engines were delivered in 1705. Throughout the second half of the 18th Century, insurance brigades were the primary source of firefighting for the city, operating independently for buildings bearing the mark of their respective insurance companies.
Eventually the brigades began to co-operate on a competition basis with the first brigade on scene being the highest paid. It wasn’t until 1862 with the enactment of the Dublin Corporation Act, that the city had an organised fire brigade.
Dublin man J.R. Ingram became the first superintendent of the brigade, having worked as a fireman in New York and London. The brigade consisted of 24 men with a makeshift fire brigade station on Winetavern Street in The Liberties. In 1898 the Dublin Fire Brigade Ambulance Service was established. The turn of the century saw the brigade have its first fire stations and permanent headquarters built, with the first motorised fire engine coming on stream in 1909.
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