Plaistow Fire Stations Open Day and 90th Celebrations – Sunday 31st October 2021 - Massey Shaw Education Trust
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Plaistow Fire Stations Open Day and 90th Celebrations – Sunday 31st October 2021

Massey Shaw volunteers setting up exhibition

Plaistow Fire Stations Open Day and 90th Celebrations – Sunday 31st October 2021

On a wet and very windy Sunday afternoon, our volunteers attended the Open Day held at Plaistow Fire Station, E13.

This was the first outing to a Fire Station event since before the pandemic started and so our volunteers were keen to tell our story to the public and station personnel. In addition, we brought along an exhibition and memorabilia from WWII which helped to tell the history of the station that had been opened ninety years ago to the day. 

The doors opened at midday, the sun made an appearance, and members of the public started to arrive slowly at first and then with a steady follow. The station personnel had arranged a number of activities in the appliance bay and demonstrations outside in the yard featuring the work of the modern fire service which was greatly appreciated by the visitors. 

Our display, told the story of the fireboat Massey Shaw and her crew, and detailed how adults and young people volunteered to become firemen and women in the Auxiliary and later National Fire Service during the Blitz. It was good to see the interest shown in the women’s part of the exhibition which lead to discussions about the current opportunities available in the modern fire service. 

The demonstrations in the yard, attracted a large audience and were carried out in a professional manner by the station and visiting crews. Other highlights included the attendance of the former LFB turntable ladder 240 FLM which gave several demonstrations of how it would have operated during its operational career. 

Thanks also to the LFB Fire Cadets who provided excellent refreshments and helped support the station personnel thorough out the day which was greatly appreciated. 

At the end of the event, our volunteers had had an enjoyable time meeting with the people of Plaistow and surrounding areas, and thanks to the efforts of Gill Rogers we had managed to sell a number of items from our shop. Monies raised will go towards the rebuilding of one of our main engines so that we can get back on the water in the coming year.