West Riding Fire Service

The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available.

The West Riding Fire Service was established in April 1948, under the provision of the Fire Service Act of the previous year [10 and 11 George VI chapter 41]. Prior to 1939 the provision of a fire service was a responsibility of the county districts, but during the 1939 - 1945 war, these were amalgamated into the National Fire Service. On the disbandment of the national service in 1948, the fire services devolved on the county and the county boroughs until 1974.

The majority of the surviving records of the county fire service are in the form of sheets containing daily summaries of 'occurrences' or calls answered, with relevant details. The principle types of abbreviations used were:

C.F. = Chimney Fire

F.A.G.I. = False alarm, good intent

F.A.M.I. = False alarm, malicious intent

S.S.C. = Special services call [for example to attend a road accident]

Monthly totals are often to be found on the last sheet of each month. Summaries for the periods 1956 to 1962 and 1966 to 1967, with annual totals for the years 1956 to 1967 are to be found at WRD6/61 and WRD6/62.