Motorcycle Firefighting and More

When you think of fighting fires you don’t generally have motorcycles pop into your head. You generally think large trucks with ladders, tons of water on board, and carrying a full crew of firemen.

Back in the early 1900’s the thought was a little different. Below are some facts and figures from a study done in Buffalo, New York and their justification for a motorcycle fire brigade.

Study notes:

“If the experiments being carried on with motorcycles in connection with the Buffalo fire department prove as successful as claimed, motorcycle brigades may soon become a part of the fire-fighting forces of a number of the larger cities of the country.

A large proportion of fires originate in very small ways, statistics showing that about 80 per cent of alarms turned in are what the firemen call “lace curtain fires.” A trained fireman on the spot at the earliest possible moment, with a couple of chemical extinguishers as his fire-fighting ammunition, would often catch such a fire before it has time to develop into a serious affair, and it is for this purpose that the motorcycle equipment has been designed.”

You can see in the picture above that the extinguishers are mounted in spring brackets on each side of the rear wheel of the motorcycle. The rider/firefighter can detach them quickly and get to that “lace curtain” fire quickly. The motorcycle uses an automatic stand that stays up in motion and is easily deployed when you stop. The motorcycles we also fitted with a loud siren.

More from the study:

“One of the machines has for some time been stationed at the Cleveland Ave. station of the Buffalo fire department, responding not only to alarms in its district, but outside as well. At nearly every alarm, irrespective of distance, the machine and its fireman have arrived at the scene of the fire before the other fire-fighting apparatus, several times extinguishing the blaze before the regular apparatus could get into action.”

“A motorcycle fire truck, exceptionally complete in its equipment, is used at the Beckenham fire station, London, for emergency work. The machine, which is three-wheels, has two seats, one for the driver and the other for the fireman; a fire extinguisher and hose, scaling ladders, and a “first-aid” equipment. The outfit can travel at a speed of 40 miles an hour, and has proved its practicability in rendering service before the arrival of the main fire-fighting apparatus.”

It’s an interesting retrospective into the history of how motorcycles have evolved from life saving vehicles, to recreational transport and in some places back to life saving vehicles. In Europe motorcycle are once again being used as first responder vehicles for paramedics, they are taxis in Asia, and even tow trucks around the world. Sometimes we have to rediscover what was already known.