There were big changes after a fire
in the Falcon’s Nest Hotel in Port Erin.
Following the fire, the commissioners
purchased a 60 ft Metropolitan
Escape which cost £91. By 1903 a
brigade of 12 men was formed and,
after further expansion of the town,
the commissioners again agreed to
purchase a 45 ft extending ladder
and cart from Simmis at a cost of
£72 9s.
Laxey were the last to follow and
records of 1920 indicate that a
fire brigade was formed under
the leadership of Captain F.W
Cowin. This cart was made by J
Blakeborough & Sons Ltd and has
been preserved to a very high
standard to this day by Laxey Fire
Station personnel.
By 1938 with the threat of war
looming, a Central Air Raids
Precautions Committee was
appointed under the chairmanship
of Deemster Farrant and the
committee investigated all aspects
of training for air raid wardens,
police, fire and local authorities,
and recommendations were
made to increase the number of
fire fighting personnel. By 1939 the
recommendations were being
implemented and provisions
were being made for Douglas Fire
Brigade to operate over the whole
of the Island if required.
In June of 1964 the newly formed
Fire Services Committee met and
the first task was to reorganise the
full time staff at Douglas Fire Station
in John Street. Within a short time a
new establishment was formed to
include the Chief Fire Service Officer
Cyril Pearson and 9 other personnel.
The policy of modernisation
continued and by April 1965 a
central fire control, manned on a
24 hr watch system was established
and at the same time the 999
emergency telephone system was
introduced into the fire service
control room.
By February 1940 the Local
Government (Fires) Act was
implemented. The Act defined
seven fire areas - Douglas, Laxey,
Ramsey, Kirk Michael, Peel, Port Erin
(Rushen) and Castletown. These fire
areas are the same to this day.
On 2 August 1973 at 7:40pm some boys accidentally set fire to a dismantled kiosk at the Summer-land Leisure
complex on Douglas promenade. At 8:01pm central fire control in John Street received a 999 call from Duggan’s
radio cabs informing the fire service that the Summer-land Leisure Complex on Douglas Promenade was on
fire. The sequence of events that followed this tragic fire have been well published in the past. Some 51 people
perished in the disaster and it is the worst British peace time disaster involving fire since 1929.
On 3 September 1973 the Lieutenant Governor appointed a Commission of Enquiry into the Summer-land disaster
and the enquiry lasted until February 1974. The Commission urged the immediate revision of Theatre Regulations
and drasticall