FIREFIGHTING FIRST AID APPLIANCES [Main Title]

The film follows a lecture by an NCO explaining how a fire starts, preventative methods to minimise a fire, the variety of fires encountered, from minor paper to crashed aircraft and the different fire appliances available for their extinction. The choice of appliance, how they are deployed and serviced are explained in a concise narrative linked to clear photography.

Reel one: The film opens with a minor street accident, a first aid box is quickly in use and the NCO makes an analogy with RAF operations, with the first aid box taking the form of fire crews with a range of extinguishers. Fire prevention is all important and quick action can save lives. Prevention is better than a cure. The composition of a fire has three elements, heat, fuel and oxygen. Removal of any one of these three will extinguish the fire. There are three types of fire, solids, liquids and gases, any one alone might provide the fuel to start a fire. Three methods of extinguishing a fire are available: cooling, starving and smothering. The method used depends upon the type of fire, a combination of all three may be necessary. The causes of fires are categorised into three main groups, carelessness, ignorance and accident, the latter cannot be entirety avoided, but carelessness and ignorance avoided by care and common sense.

Seven types of 'first aid' fire appliances are available, located in prominent positions at RAF stations. The seven types are identified by the narrator (the NCO) and on film, followed by a detailed assessment of each appliance and where they would find application. The soda acid, two gallon foam, thirty gallon foam, carbon tetra chloride, methyl bromide, CO2 and the stirrup pump extinguishers. Graphic film illustrates different of fires being extinguished by the appropriate appliance.

Reel two: Maintenance of appliances is absolutely essential, failure of an appliance may result in great financial loss, or loss of life. The film shows the maintenance for all seven types of extinguisher. It is essential that all personnel have faith that the appliances will function in case of fire.

Reel three: Larger appliances are now introduced, ranging from the trailer fire pump to the self propelled monitor crash tender. Trailer fire pumps are driven by a separate engine mounted on the same chassis, and can pump 120/200 or 350/500 gallons per minute when connected to a fire water hydrant. Detailed explanations of these pumps, their operation and maintenance now follows, together with some examples of the faults that can occur when incorrectly operated. Multiple hoses from two or more hydrants may be connected by a Y junction to give a greater volume of water to the pump. The resultant water pressure at the hose nozzle is now very strong and may injure staff if they intercept the jet of water.

Reel four: Attendance at an aircraft crash, inside or remote from an RAF station, will require a self propelled crash tender carrying a supply of water, foam compound, and hand tools. Other vehicles with large capacity tanks carrying extra water and foam attend to supplement that of the crash tender. The RAF uses five types of crash tenders. Three are similar in operation, the Crossley six wheel FTI, the Crossley four wheel drive FWB and the Fordson WOTI. They carry water tanks of 300 to 500 gallons, and foam compound of 25 gallons. An onboard pump mixes the water and compound to produce foam at the nozzle of the hand held hose.

The water and compound mixture is adjusted to optimise the volume of foam. All crash tenders are quite complex to operate. As an example the Crossley four wheel drive FWB is described and illustrated in great detail.

Reel five: The Fordson WOTI four 60 lb. cylinders containing CO2 gas. The gas is discharged from a fan shaped horn at the end of a hose held by a tradesman, who blankets the fire to extinguish it. This tender also carries a supply of water and foam compound. Detailed operating instructions follow. The Weeton crash tender is different because the water and foam compound is mixed at a No.2 foam producing branching pipe attached to the hoses. Two such hoses may be supplied simultaneously.

Next the 1945 monitor crash tender is addressed, a large vehicle that supplies foam to three outlets at a rate of 1200 gallons/minute for a maximum duration of two minutes. One of the outlets, a monitor type, mounted on the vehicle roof, can be moved in any direction via the ball and socket arrangement. Four 60 lb. CO2 cylinders are also carried by this tender and feed into one hose mounted discharge horn. For appliances away from water hydrants, a water tanker is used to replenish their supply. Finally, a dedicated CO2 crash monitor, carrying twenty four 60 lb. cylinders mounted in four banks of six is described. Output is to three high pressure hoses coupled to lance horns. Film closes to a burning aircraft (repeatedly used for fire practice) attended by the station fire crew who rapidly extinguish the flames.

35mm