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 Hook Ladders:
These came in three different types all with similar uses.
Home Office:
Wooden ladder as illustrated used mainly for drills to inspire confidence in working aloft and to scale buildings from the top of the 50ft Escape or the 100ft Turntable Ladder. The bill was used to break the window and allow the hook to rest on the window frame to support the ladder, thus allowing any building with windows to be scaled. Carried on a mounting on Pump Escapes.
Aluminium:
Similar to above but lightweight, the Aluminium type was usually carried fitted to the main ladder of the Turntable Ladder.
Aluminium Folding:
This was used mainly in tenement property where it could be carried up the main staircase and used from any suitable window of a house.
It was also used as a roof ladder when stripping slates or cutting away roof timbers. If a request to enter lockfast premises was received this could often be achieved by operating the ladder from the flat above and entering the house usually from a kitchen or bedroom window, thus causing the minimum amount of damage. Carried on the roof of a Pump Ladder, they were all used extensively at Drill displays on Open Days both at Lauriston Place and McDonald Road.
 This medal was instituted to recognise
outstanding acts of bravery by firemen
serving in the pre-war Edinburgh Fire
Brigade. It was worn with a medal ribbon
in the City of Edinburgh colours of black
and white.
The Museum has four medals on display, and
these were worn by the following members of the
Edinburgh Fire Brigade, Messers Swanston, Imrie,
Grinton and Ovenstone. The dies for the medals
were presented by the firm of Alex Kirkwood of
Forth Street, Edinburgh who struck the medals for
the Brigade.
Fire Brigade Medal for Valour to Fireman John Ovenstone 1914 - [download PDF]
 The Citation reads,
“At 3.40pm on 23rd July 1914, a call was received to a fire at Saughton Mains Farm, just beyond the City Boundary. It was stated that several lives were in danger and that a child had already been burnt to death. The steamer from Angle Park and a motor from H.Q. were sent on. On arrival it was found the house, a two storey building 30ft. By 20ft. used as dwelling houses for farm hands was well alight on the top floor and the people had been driven out except for a child lying on a bed in the burning room who was dead.
Fireman Ovenstone entered the building, ascended to the burning room on the top floor, groped his way to the bed where he found the child, which was only a few weeks old and brought it out of the building alive and well. The child has since recovered from the shock.
Fireman Ovenstone is at present serving in the Fleet, having been called up for service on the outbreak of war”.
MEDAL awarded to Lieutenant J Grinton 1911- [download PDF]
 Edinburgh 29th June 1911-at a meeting of the Plans and Works Committee, the following
representation by the Firemaster recommending that Superintendent Allan and Lieutenant
Grinton be awarded the corporation medal for saving life at the fire at the Empire Theatre, on 9th
May 1911, was submitted:-
Fire Brigade, Edinburgh, June 29 1911 - “I respectfully beg to recommend for the consideration of the Plans and Works Committee that
Superintendent Allan and Lieutenant Grinton be awarded the McFarlane Medal for gallantry in saving
the life of a theatre artiste named Moore, at the recent fire at the Empire Theatre”.
The circumstances under which the officers did their duty are as follows:-
“After the engines were got to work, and during the fiercest part of the fire, it was reported to me
that several members of the company who were last seen running off the stage were missing. It
was then impossible to effect an entrance to the stage, which, with a portion of the dressing-room
block, was then well alight. I directed Superintendent Allan and Lieutenant Grinton to get some men
together and try and search the dressing-rooms before the fire got a complete hold of that portion of
the building. No spare men being available, the two officers without delay entered the theatre by the
dressing-room corridors, which were then full of smoke and heat from the fire below. They found two
dead bodies of employees who had been suffocated on the stairs;proceeding further in their search
they came to the head of the stair leading to the stage which was full of black smoke that Lieutenant
Grinton fell from the top to the bottom and was seriously hurt. Superintendent Allan called him and
receiving no answer proceeded down the stair and searched the dressing-room on the stage level,
which the fire had not reached, and there was found the man Moore in an unconscious condition.
The man was lifted on to Superintendent Allan’s back who carried him to the street, and he was
dispatched to the Royal Infirmary where his life was despaired of for several days, but where he
ultimately recovered”.
“When it is considered that the rescue was effected only after several flights of stairs, long corridors,
and groping over scenery and stage properties full suffocating smoke and heat, and over which
their steps had to be retraced carrying the man, and Lieutenant Grinton being severely bruised
and shaken, I am of the opinion that the conduct of the two officers is worthy of the Committee’s
commendation.
A Pordage, Firemaster
MEDAL awarded to District Officer C.T. Imrie 1919 - [download PDF]
 The Citation reads: "On the occasion of a fire at 35 Candlemaker Row at 10.11pm on
the 25th February 1919, several men of the Brigade displayed great
coolness and courage in removing a number of inmates from the upper
floors of the tenement situated above a large shop which was on the
arrival of the Brigade well alight. At each of the windows of the four floors
of the tenement were a number of tenants screaming and shouting
for help and it was with considerable difficulty they were persuaded
to wait until help could be sent to reach them.
"The back of the shop
opened onto the entry to the tenement at the foot of the common stair
by a wooden door. This door had burned away by the time the Brigade
arrived, and fire and smoke was blown from the front of the shop
through this doorway into the common stair, completely cutting off the
egress of the people in the tenement. Whilst the hoses were being got
into operation, Supt. Methuen and Lieutenant Imrie, entered the stair,
and ascending to the third and fourth floors, found several of the inmates
overcome by the smoke, three of whom were unconscious and were
carried out by Supt. Methuen in addition to five other persons. Lieut. Imrie carried out three person, two from the third and one from the
fourth floor, two of whom were confined to bed suffering from influenza.
During the period of these rescues which were carried out in a period of
ten to fifteen minutes in a suffocating atmosphere whilst inmates were
in a state of intense excitement. I consider the work performed by Supt.
Methuen and Lieut. Imrie is deserving of high commendation.”
A.Pordage, Firemaster’"
MEDAL awarded to Lieutenant Swanson 1919- [download PDF]
 The Citation reads: “On the occasion of a fire at 38 Candlemaker Row at 10:11pm 25th
February 1919 Lieut. Swanson was directed to effect rescues from
windows with ladders and life-lines. He, with engineer Cory, ascended
to the fourth floor and removed four persons by life-swing sling and
gear from a window, the opening of which measured only 1ft.10in. by
2ft.4in.”
Bar; “A call was received to a fire at No176 Causewayside at 11:45am,
on Tuesday 12th April 1932, No7 Engine and No.1 Escape with a
crew of 13 men attended. On the arrival of the engines the fire was of
an alarming nature and smoke was belching forth from a window on
the third floor, here a man could be discerned lying over the window
gasping for air. Whilst the crew under Stn. O. Brodie were getting a
line of hose into the operation, second officer Simon Swanson ran
up three flights of stairs to the burning kitchen where several civilians
were using extinguishers and trying to reach the man Alexander Orr,
trapped in the front room. Mr Swanson crawled through the fire and
smoke and found Orr in a state of collapse. Mr Swanson lifted Orr, 71
years of age, over his back and carried him to safety. He was removed
by Police ambulance to the Royal Infirmary suffering from shock and
burns. Had it not been for the prompt action of second officer Swanson
in all probability the man would have jumped from the window or
succumbed. Recommended a Bar be added to Mr Swanson’s Brigade
Medal for valour”.
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