It’s not all about fighting fires!!

As well as protecting the local community Fordingbridge Fire Station has always been involved in many other areas of community life.

For numerous years the station entered floats in the annual summer carnivals and also took part in the spring festivals, rustic sports and ‘It’s a Knockout’ competitions.

Carnivals, Pram races and It’s a Knockout competitions are

all part of life for Fordingbridge Fire Station!

For several years in the 1990’s the station organised the annual raft race on the River Avon which saw some pretty awesome contraptions sailing on the water! The day also included a ‘Duck Race’ which was always a popular event with 500 plastic ducks bobbing along the river to the finish line!

The Fire Station Duck Race and annual Raft Race always saw merriment on the River Avon

During the 1990’s the station regularly attended carnivals, shows and fetes with a ‘Ducking Stool’. This attraction always caused great amusement and helped make lots of money for various charities over the years.

Fordingbridge’s ‘Ducking Stool’ in use – as can be seen the fun did involve getting rather wet!!

The station climbed Mount Everest the hard way to raise funds for ‘Children in Need’ in December 1994. By completing 645 individual ascents of a 135 ladder up the drill tower the crew scaled the equivalent height of the World’s biggest mountain! The feat took a total of 4 hours 24 minutes and 54 seconds to complete.

Training for the ‘Everest’ challenge in 1994

Top to Bottom: Dean Palmer, Pete White, Dave Stone & Snowy Horsburgh

The station took part in the divisional darts league for some years, never with a huge amount of success, and also played in the ‘5 a side’ football tournament for a couple of years in 1996 and 1997.

The ‘Fordingbridge Flyers’ in 1996

Andy Brooks, Pete White, Snowy Horsburgh, Paul Dorrington & Dave Ings

One of Fordingbridge’s biggest challenges was the ‘3 peaks challenge’. This annual competition sees teams racing up Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowden with the idea being to complete the whole course, including travelling between the mountains, in under 24 hours. To date Fordingbridge has completed this challenge twice in 1996 and 1997. On their first attempt the team finished all three mountains in 22 hours and 26 minutes well inside the time limit. The second time the team completed the challenge in 18 hours and 40 minutes and won a gold medal for their efforts.

The ‘Three Peaks’ team 1996

Back Row L-R: John Mouland, Snowy Horsburgh, Paul Dorrington, Andy Brooks

Front Row L-R: Derek Jones, Dean Palmer

The ‘Three Peaks’ team 1997 at the bottom of Ben Nevis

L-R: Paul Dorrington, Derek Jones, Andy Brooks, Pete White,

Dave Stone, John Mouland & Snowy Horsburgh

In 1999 the station took on an international flavour and a team cycled from Fordingbridge to Vimoutiers, the towns twin village in Normandy, France, for a weekends exchange visit with the Pompiers of Vimoutiers. The cycle ride went from Fordingbridge through to the ferry terminal at Portsmouth and then restarted in Caen with the trip down to Vimoutiers. It was quite an exhausting journey but the weekend’s festivities were worth the pain and the Fordingbridge firefighters were superbly hosted by their French counterparts.

The team enroute to Portsmouth Ferry Terminal July 1999

L-R: Colin Coley, Jim Hesford, Kev Nicklen, Pete White,

John Mouland, Paul Dorrington, Snowy Horsburgh

Another major achievement by the station was the provision of an individual smoke alarm to each school child within Fordingbridge’s fire ground during 2001. In total over £5,000 was raised by the station to hopefully make the future of our community a little bit safer.

‘Target 2000’ award

Individual smoke detectors being presented to Fordingbridge Junior school

pupils by John Mouland, Pete White & Ross Freeman

For several years now the station has staged two annual running events. A 10K race in May and a 10 mile race in October. Both events have become incredibly popular over the years and are enjoyed by runners of all standards.

A typical start at the 10K and 10 mile events

The 10 mile race of 2001 was held in honour of the American firefighters who perished on September 11^th 2001. The proceeds from the event, along with money raised by a car wash undertaken by the Fordingbridge firefighters, were taken out to New York and presented to Ladder Company 21 by Leading Firefighter John Mouland.

John Mouland (centre) presents a cheque to the New York Firefighters

Each year the station holds a summer barbeque for all their families and children and every Christmas there is a special dinner dance evening where we can all get together and enjoy a good night out.

Being a firefighter in Fordingbridge not only provides a worthwhile service to the community but also opens up a huge family of friends and a wide and varied life. 

FORDINGBRIDGE FIRE STATION ‘OFFICERS IN CHARGE’ SINCE THE FORMATION OF THE HAMPSHIRE FIRE SERVICE.

1948 – 1949         Sub Officer Bert King

1949 – 1961         Sub Officer Bob Kenchington

1961 – 1979         Sub Officer Bob Mouland – B.E.M.

1979 – 1986         Sub Officer Len Jones

1986 –                 Sub Officer Steve Coles

THE FIRE BRIGADE LONG SERVICE & GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL.

This is awarded by Her Majesty the Queen to those members of Fire Brigades of the United Kingdom who have rendered long and meritorious service.

This medal was first authorised by the issue of a Royal Warrant on the 1^st June 1954 which was subsequently amended on the 4^th August 1990.

Wholetime and Part Time members are eligible for the award upon the recommendation of the Chief Fire Officer on completion of twenty years service.

The members of Fordingbridge Fire Station who have received this award are:

LFm V. Oxford – 1961

SubO R. Mouland – 1966

Fm C. Harris – 1967

LFm E. Stevens – 1972

Fm G. Baines – 1973

LFm C. Gouge – 1974

Fm K. Coles – 1975

SubO L. Jones – 1982

SubO S. Coles – 1990

LFf C. Coley – 1996

LFf J. Mouland – 1996

Ff M. West – 2002

Ff D. Jones – 2002

Ff D. Palmer – 2003

Ff D. Stone – 2003

Ff D. Smith – 2004

Ff P. Dorrington – 2004

The recipients of this award are commemorated on the station by a large honours board which hangs in the Lecture room at Fordingbridge Fire Station. The board has the names of all the personnel made out in gold leaf lettering and was presented to Sub Officer Steve Coles by ACO Eric Hounslow at the Ashburn Hotel, Fordingbridge on Saturday 9^th March 1996.  

Fordingbridge Firefighters past & present with the ‘Honours Board’ showing the names of those who have given over twenty years service to the people of Fordingbridge – March 1996 

 THE QUEENS GOLDEN JUBILEE MEDAL.

To mark the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, in 2002, a Royal medal was especially minted.

The Queens Golden Jubilee Medal was awarded to the Armed Forces and all emergency services, Police, Fire, Ambulance and Coastguard. To qualify for the medal personnel had to have completed five years continuous service on the date of the Queens Jubilee.

The medals were presented to the following personnel by the Chief Fire Officer, Malcom Eastwood, on Wednesday 16^th July 2003.

Sub Officer COLES

Leading Firefighter COLEY

Leading Firefighter MOULAND

Firefighter WEST

Firefighter JONES

Firefighter PALMER

Firefighter STONE

Firefighter SMITH

Firefighter DORRINGTON

Firefighter WHITE

Firefighter HORSBURGH

Firefighter FREEMAN

Firefighter NICKLEN

Firefighter WAINE

 Today Fordingbridge has a crew of eighteen retained (part-time) firefighters who provide fire cover for the town either from home or from their work place.

The crew is:               Sub Officer                             Steve Coles

                                    Leading Firefighter               Colin Coley

                                    Leading Firefighter               John Mouland

                                    Leading Firefighter               Peter White

                                    Firefighter                              Mark West

                                    Firefighter                              Derek Jones

                                    Firefighter                              Dean Palmer

                                    Firefighter                              Dave Stone

                                    Firefighter                              Des Smith

                                    Firefighter                              Paul Dorrington                                

                                    Firefighter                              Derek Horsburgh

                                    Firefighter                              Ross Freeman

                                    Firefighter                              Kevin Nicklen

                                    Firefighter                              Jim Hesford

                                    Firefighter                              Steve Waine

                                    Firefighter                              Steve White

                                    Firefighter                              Lee Dorrington

                                    Firefighter                              Sean Lincoln

As well as covering Fordingbridge itself from the risk of fire the station is also responsible for the outlying villages of:

Sandleheath, Rockbourne, Martin, Tidpit, Damerham, Whitsbury, Woodgreen,

Hyde, Hale, Godshill, Alderholt, Gorley, Harbridge, Stuckton and Breamore.

Cover is also provided into the neighbouring counties of Dorset and

Wiltshire.

The station attends a large variety of calls every year ranging from:

                                                House Fires

                                                Road Traffic Accidents

                                                Chimney Fires

                                                Automatic Fire Alarms

                                                Vehicle Fires

                                                Forest/Grass Fires

                                                Farm Fires

                                                Special Service Calls

All the calls attended vary in their own way but the one thing that always remains the same is the pride held by the Fordingbridge Crew in the service that they provide to their community.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Pete White joined Fordingbridge Fire Station on the 1^st August 1987 at the age of eighteen. He was promoted to Leading Firefighter at Fordingbridge in November 2003.

Married to Jane with three children, Gemma, Julie and Steven, Pete works full time as a Senior Fire Control Operator at the Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters in Eastleigh.

The first account of Fordingbridge Fire Station was published in 1994 when Pete researched and produced ‘The History of Firefighting in Fordingbridge 1864 -1994.’