NBCD - Air Raid Precautions

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Below is some of the equipment issued to Air Raid Wardens. According to Air Raid Precautions Handbook No.8, The Duties of Air Raid Wardens the following equipment was supplied: [1]

Per Warden 1 Armlet (of standard design) 1 steel helmet 1 Civilian Duty Respirator Wardens were also issued with a set of overalls or battledress uniform. Per Wardens' Post Light oilskin anti-gas suits Rubber boots Anti-gas gloves Anti-gas eye shields Anti-gas curtains Large manuscript book for recording occurrences 3 electric torches 3 whistles 2 hand rattles 1 hand bell Small first aid box A stirrup pump was also kept at the Post. Warden's Report Form MI

Fire Watchers and Fire Guards

Although stirrup pumps were part of every Wardens' Post, a warden's main purpose was to assess an incident and not to get involved with fire-fighting until he or she had reported back to the control centre. A severe shortage of stirrup pumps lead to some local authorities permitting wardens to lend the stirrup pump at their post to responsible persons so that unofficial voluntary fire-fighting parties could be formed. [2]

Such measures lead to a disastrous attempt by Government to organise a formal system of fire-watching. The Fire Watchers Order of September 1940 contained so many loopholes that recruitment was poor. New regulations of January 1941 introduced compulsory service in areas where insufficient volunteers came forward, but things were still far from ideal, as exemption from service could still be easily claimed. [3] Such parties were issued with an armlet and steel helmet bearing the letters 'SFP' (Supplementary Fire Party [4]).

In August 1941, further orders were issued and Supplementary Fire Parties and fire watchers became known as 'Fire Guards' and part of the Wardens' service.

Right: a Fire Guard wearing the official 'uniform' of armlet and steel helmet (still bearing the earlier 'SFP' marking, despite it being superceded by 'FG') with A.R.P. blackout lamp and axe worn on the belt. The civilian respirator is carried in a privately-purchased black metal tin. Whistle at the ready to warn of the fall of incendiaries, our guard holds an incendiary bomb scoop with stirrup pump and supply of sandmats (modified sandbags designed to be placed directly on incendiary bombs to smother them) close at hand. The dustbin lid was used as a heat shield when approaching burning incendiary bombs.

Fire Guards were organised into teams of three and issued with the following equipment:

• Stirrup pump (1 per party)
• Sandmats
• Steel helmet (1 per Fire Guard)
• Armlet (1 per Fire Guard)
• Whistle (where issued by local authority)

Any other equipment was supplied by the Fire Guards themselves:

The equipment officially issued may usefully be augmented by other items of equipment privately owned, such as whistles, axes, torches, long-handled rakes and shovels, ladders, pails, and additional stirrup pumps. [5]

This long list seems to have struck a comical note with one London Fire Guard, who, probably fed up of juggling numerous items, produced the following tongue-in-cheek equipment list:

 

References

1. Air Raid Precautions Handbook No.8
2. O'Brien, T Civil Defence (Official History) 1955. London: HMSO
3. Ibid.
4. SFP was also taken to mean 'Street Fire Party' and 'Support Fire Party'.
5. Air Raid Precautions Handbook No.14 pp7-8.