Favourite Station and Why?

[George99]

Hi guys 

I’m new to the forum so thought it’s about time I get involved.  So what’s your favourite station you’ve worked out of and why? 

[Messyshaw]

Blimey - that's a bigger question than it first appears as a posting to a station relies on 3 things:

• The watch
• The ground 
• The building

To get all 3 in line together is rare. 👍

[George99]

That’s a good point actually I didn’t think of it that way. probably very rare to get the holy trinity 😅

[Noddy]

B5 Foleshill (west mids).  Best watch I’ve had the pleasure of working on although there’s just 2 of the originals there now.  The ground was mixed but mostly rough estates so loads and loads of fires and the station was great although it lacked character so that was the fly in the ointment. 

[Lumie]

Only been on standbys so can’t comment on each station in its entirety but -

• F32 Stoke Newington: great watch, great ground, lots of jobs, building is one of the classic Hackney stations outlines.
• F42 Ilford: identical to Stoke in all accounts.
• A30 Islington: I love going on standbys there. The watch are fantastic, it’s busy enough being central/camden and the station is historic and really nice. Only reason I’m apprehensive to transfer is because their FRU is line ops, and even though I’m interested in FRU, I’d much prefer HazMat.
• F26 Bethnal Green: all of the above plus a HazMat FRU. 

[Steve]

For me it has to be my beloved F22 Poplar. A legendary station, but often overlooked and it has held some unusual and grim records over the years. Busiest LFB station in 1974 for calls and fires (Made the National magazine 'Fire' for that), busiest LFB station for make ups in 1978, most Firefighter deaths in WW2 on its ground (which at the time was covered by two old stations)... including weirdly 13 Firefighters killed when a bomb hit a building where the current fire stations sits in East India Dock Road. Also the LFB station with the most links to peacetime Firefighter deaths... Dudgeon's Wharf, The MV Rudi M and Gillender Street. Had the tallest building in Europe on it's ground from 1990 until 2010 and also had 7 road tunnels on the ground.

I grew up round the corner to it and used to hang out there as a kid. When I joined in 1987, I won the lottery and was posted to the much sought after F26 Bethnal Green... nonetheless, I transferred to Poplar Red Watch when a vacancy arose in 1989. Promoted out of there in 1994 I was back briefly as T/Sub Officer in 1995, then got Stn O on the White Watch in 2000. T/ADO Stn Commander there in 2003-4. Finally having been really happy as Borough Commander in Hackney, for 5 years, to my surprise they moved me to Tower Hamlets as BC in my last 8 Months where.... you guessed it, Poplar was one of my 5 stations. It is where I had my last roll call on my last day 24th July 2018. Sadly, it now only has 1 pump  and a jump manned Scientific support unit so only 5/6 poeple rattle around in and old Divisional Station that once had 20 on a watch plus all of the Divisional staff. It's also much quieter now due to all of the new docklands developments which have replaced all of the old derelicts and a lot of the run down council housing.

14 hours ago, Lumie said:

Only been on standbys so can’t comment on each station in its entirety but -

• F32 Stoke Newington: great watch, great ground, lots of jobs, building is one of the classic Hackney stations outlines.
• F42 Ilford: identical to Stoke in all accounts.
• A30 Islington: I love going on standbys there. The watch are fantastic, it’s busy enough being central/camden and the station is historic and really nice. Only reason I’m apprehensive to transfer is because their FRU is line ops, and even though I’m interested in FRU, I’d much prefer HazMat.
• F26 Bethnal Green: all of the above plus a HazMat FRU. 

Historic.... It was built in 1992.... am I really that old?

[Keith]

You probably are Steve and will feel even older when Lumie tells us he wasn't born in 1992.😂

[Lumie]

@Steve Oh boy the station looks much older than 1992, I hadn’t done my research! It’s certainly a nicer look than the new PFIs in my opinion🤢

@Keith you may join my watches constant amazement of the fact I was born in 2000. 
 
And before you say it, I’m well aware you have socks older than me; you have brigade uniform that’s been in service longer than I’ve been alive and you could quite possibly be as old as my dad🤣

Also speaking of Stoke, they picked up another 10 pumper on Tottenhams ground this evening. We would have gone on it too if it wasn’t for a flooding we were attending. I have a feeling we’ll be on the next relief so I should really get my head down🤣

[Carl]

21 minutes ago, Lumie said:

you have brigade uniform that’s been in service longer than I’ve been alive and you could quite possibly be as old as my dad

Ive temporarily removed the moderator tools from your account @Steve, just to protect the forum account and the ban status of @Lumie 🤣

[George99]

@Steve I didn’t realise Poplar had so much history attached to it, really interesting, sounds like a great station, awesome that you ended up spending most of your career in and around where you grew up aswell! 
@Lumie London’s pretty lucky with its range of historic and “nice looking” stations! Transferring to Bethnal Green would be good 💪🏽

[Bubbles]

11 hours ago, Lumie said:

And before you say it, I’m well aware you have socks older than me; you have brigade uniform that’s been in service longer than I’ve been alive and you could quite possibly be as old as my dad🤣

Brave man @Lumie 😂😂

[HB2016]

I've only served in Hampshire but my favourite station is 54 St Mary's. I really enjoyed it there and had a great watch. City centre station with varied calls, a great variety and since a reduction in appliances at surrounding stations some standby movements which opened up to some different jobs. Standby on the Isle of Wight too! Good chance to get around too as there is a small fires vehicle, ALP, rescue pump and intermediate response pump (slightly smaller appliance but rides with 4 min at 54).

[George99]

Love the look the of st Mary’s station aswell! I think it’s still the busiest station in Hampshire but not 100%🤔 standby on Isle of Wight sounds interesting, did you have to get the ferry over? Sounds like a great station 

[Carl]

3 hours ago, George99 said:

Standby on Isle of Wight sounds interesting, did you have to get the ferry over?

Im interested in seeing the reply to this one if they didn't

[George99]

😂😂😂 not my finest moment 

[Steve]

20 hours ago, Carl said:

Ive temporarily removed the moderator tools from your account @Steve, just to protect the forum account and the ban status of @Lumie 🤣

🤣🤣🤣

20 hours ago, Lumie said:

@Steve Oh boy the station looks much older than 1992, I hadn’t done my research! It’s certainly a nicer look than the new PFIs in my opinion🤢

@Keith you may join my watches constant amazement of the fact I was born in 2000. 
 
And before you say it, I’m well aware you have socks older than me; you have brigade uniform that’s been in service longer than I’ve been alive and you could quite possibly be as old as my dad🤣

Also speaking of Stoke, they picked up another 10 pumper on Tottenhams ground this evening. We would have gone on it too if it wasn’t for a flooding we were attending. I have a feeling we’ll be on the next relief so I should really get my head down🤣

Well seeing as my eldest daughter is 6 years older than you and my middle one is two years older, I'd suggest I may well be older than your Dad.

[HB2016]

Still the busiest @George99 yes. Quite often busy on nights there. They do indeed go over by ferry - still waiting for that bridge 😂

[Carl]

I think my favourite stations have got to be Bolton Central and Farnworth. Over the past 20+ years I have been a Firefighter, Crew Manager and a Watch Manager at both and knew the ground well. They were both 2 pump stations complete with specials and had good strong watches. Both stations were busy and still are. In fact both stations are still 2 pumps despite all efforts to reduce these to 1 pump in past times. I have had the best jobs and watches at both these stations and was very proud to work there.