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Turn Out of the Keighley Fire Brigade (1902)

Their brass helmets gleaming, Edwardian firefighters in the West Yorkshire town demonstrate aspects of their job.

Non-Fiction 1902 4 mins Silent

Overview

Much of this film takes place in a railway sidings with no fire in sight, suggesting a practice drill - although this has the advantage (from the filmmakers' point of view) of allowing a very clear visual presentation of the various stages in the firemen's work. The second part shows the rescue of victims from a building's second floor via a canvas escape chute, down which they slide head first.

Horse-drawn fire engines such as the ones depicted here would remain in operation for just a few more years - the advantages of new motorised transport were particularly obvious in a field where speed was of the essence.