Fire Engines Photos

Are those loudspeakers or extremely large yelpers?

Added by Bob on 28 August 2009.

Looks like the leather coats and shiny (chrome-plate?) "poilu's" helmets of the day, for the fire-crew.

Keep that scanner humming, Jacques - you are giving us some really fascinating pictures.

Regards from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 29 August 2009.

Yes correct "poilu's" model helmets revised in 1933, they kept those until 1985.

Loudspeakers are for NBC alerts, as we had a nuclear plant nearby. Someone in Paris decided that each FS should have a vehicle with this large loudspeakers. Never been used anyway, that's why i am probably still here to scan the pics. lol
Cheers
JP

Added by Jacques PETER on 29 August 2009.

Thanks Jacques, can you or anyone answer me a question, are the French brigades still manned in part by conscripted men? I read somwhere years ago that instead of conscription into the armed forces, some men became firemen for the length of their national service.

Added by John Stott on 29 August 2009.

Yes but only Paris and Marseille, Paris being part of the engineers corps and Marseille the Navy. Paris was placed under the army by Napoleon in 1811 after a trajic fire in a theatre which claimed hundreds of deaths. And similar case for Marseille in placed under the Navy 1939 after a huge fire in a popular big shop. In both cases it showed that these two big cities had very poor equipment and were poorly manned. Voila

Added by Jacques PETER on 29 August 2009.

On more point, there is no national military duty in France anymore since 2000. Makes it more difficult for recruiting these days. Paris and Marseille are very demanding positions.difficult, dangerous and insecure suburbs,

Added by Jacques PETER on 29 August 2009.

Ah, interesting, Jacques, about the NBC loud-speakers.

Here, for our local Nuclear Power Plant: they will have "Wardens" driving about, with flashing green lights atop their cars.....

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 30 August 2009.

Thankyou Jacques, that clears up a point or two!

Added by John Stott on 30 August 2009.

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