Fire Services Museum of Victoria

Glossary of Firefighting Terms and Equipment

L

Life net
Portable net for attempting to catch victims falling or jumping from upper floors of burning structure.

Life safety line
A rope used where its failure could result in serious injury; a rope used for connecting a firefighter/rescuer to a fixed anchor point or to another person.

Light water
An additive to use with water in the extinguishing of petroleum and similar fires.

LMR
Abbreviation for land mobile radio. Component of New Zealand Fire Service communications system between a communications centre and a fire appliance over a radio network

M

Malicious False Calls
Deliberate false calls to the Fire and Rescue NSW and other services, also known as MFA’s - Malicious False Alarms

Medium-diameter hose
A hose with diameter between 2½ and 3 inches (76 mm).

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Its Seek Help Sunday.

We have an ongoing research and post topic in progress at the Fire Services Museum of Victoria at present.

We are reaching out, over time, to all CFA brigades, and will eventually do FRV Stations as well, with a few questions to gather some details for a social media post and to record some history of each brigade.

This year has seen a slight increase in the number of requests from Fire Brigades celebrating 50 / 75 / 100 / 125/ 150 years. We have endeavoured to assist where possible, but we do not have a lot of country brigade records, and even less 19th century records.

Calling ALL CFA Brigades!

If you are from any CFA Brigade, please PM the page or reach out to [email protected] - we have some questions for you and your brigade!

Please share/tag each brigade if you know someone who can help us!
Thanks!

Do you have some free time?

Are you ok with getting your hands dirty?

Are you patient with Cantankerous old things? (Some of our vehicles have their own personality)

Then why not join the Fire Services Museum and help out with the display, restoration and maintenance of Victorias' Fire Service History!

No minimum hours required. Everyone is welcome! No previous Fire Services involvement required.

We can always use more hands so why not give us a call or drop us a line at [email protected] or have a look at the webpage http://fsmv.net.au/members.html

Did you know the Fire Services Museum can now accept donations via Paypal?

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=7X695RS3Y5FUA

Puzzle Time!

Scania MkIII Pumper Door Name: Tom Draper, Valour Medal 1955

Link to this puzzle: https://jigex.com/aRiCX
Museum's Puzzle Page: www.fsmv.net.au/puzzles.html

In October 2023, the Midweek group of the Melbourne Camera Club came to visit us.

Have a look at their amazing photos on the link at the end of this post.

Interested in your group coming in for a tour?
Drop us an email via [email protected] to find out more?

Images used with permission of the Melbourne Camera Club

https://melbournecameraclub.org.au/mid-week-group-2023-photo-album/nggallery/mid-week-group-2023-photo-album/fire-services-museum-outing-3-oct-2023-mid-week-group

The Fire Services Museum would love to thank one of our Generous Sponsors, Scania Australia.

Scania Australia are a massive supporter of the Museum and assist us in keeping the Scania's in our fleet on the road and in tip top condition so that we can display them at their best!

https://www.scania.com/au/en/home.html

Profile of a Firefighter

Each week we will profile a Firefighter and get their history of service and some significant events during that time.

This week’s profile is a bit different; we are celebrating the Valour Medal Recipients from the MFB over a series of posts.

First awarded in 1922, the Valour Medal was created following then Chief Officer H. B. Lee’s recommendation to the MFB Board. Lee’s recommendation was for a medal that could be awarded for instances of outstanding bravery. Only ten Valour Medals have thus far been awarded. It is the highest award for bravery in the Fire Service.

Station Officer Tom Draper
Ship Fire Rescue 1955

On May 20, 1955, two firefighters got into trouble in a smoke filled cargo hold inside a ship. Carrying general cargo and a significant amount of oil, the SS Elm Hill had already been battling fires before it docked at Williamstown. The two firefighters became unconscious from carbon monoxide when their breathing tubes were damaged. While one of the officers was successfully pulled by his lifeline to safety, the other officer’s head became caught in the rungs of a steel ladder. Tom Draper then risked his own life by going into the burning hold, freeing the other officer, and lifting him to safety.

The Chief Officer described Draper’s actions as “the most outstanding self sacrificing example of bravery ever come to my notice.”

Source: Valour Medal recipients handout, Griffiths Gallery, FSMV.

If you would like to be profiled, please comment, contact us on messenger, or email [email protected]

Glossary of Firefighting Terms and Equipment

L

Ladder pipe
Nozzle attached to an aerial ladder and used to direct heavy stream from advantageous height.

Landing valve
Globe valves that are installed on hydrants, a branch and hose is connected to a coupling on it.

Large diameter hose
(LDH) Fire hose with a diameter of 3½ inches or greater. LDH is typically used to supply water from a fire hydrant to fire apparatus such as an engine or tanker.

Leatherhead (helmet)
a cover or protective device worn by fire fighters in some countries, also slang denoting a fire fighter.

Left-handed smoke shifter
A non-existent device used to haze probationary firefighters during an overhaul phase, as a snipe hunt. A crew chief sends his probie to fetch one, but no such device actually exists. Each truck the probie visits consequently does "...not have one", or "...another crew just took it", but each truck operator knows for certain that, "THAT truck might have one, over there..." The process repeats until the probie has been to each truck looking for the device, while the crew chief increasingly chides him to "hurry up" over the radio. This is similar to military non-objects such as 'relative bearing grease' or 'winter air' for tires, or a trainee nurse being asked to fetch a 'neck tourniquet'.

Level A, B protective clothing
Different levels of encapsulation of firefighters used during HAZMAT incidents to minimize contamination.

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