Establishment 1980s
 

Photographs by William Fullarton.

The NEW SOUTHERN DISTRICT FIRE STATION, now completed, promises to be in every way suitable, the station it has replaced being found unsuitable for present day requirements of the City Fire Brigade.
The new station extends to about 3,042 square yards.
The station has two frontages—one to Wallace Street and another to Centre Street.
On the ground floor, to the right of Centre Street entrance, is the Watch Room into which the New "Siemens" Fire Alarm Apparatus is installed. In close proximity to the Watch Room is the Engine House, where accommodation for four motor vehicles is provided. This apartment, during winter months, will be heated up with steam radiators; and, with a view to those in use at the Central Fire Station, are fitted.
The Wallace Street building will be wholly occupied by the firemen and their families. In each fireman’s house is a bath supplied with hot water from a steam boiler. Accommodation is provided for 36 families.
The buildings throughout are lit by electricity.
The station being built on the barracks principle, access to the houses can only be had from the Centre Street entrance, and thus each person entering or leaving will be under observation by the men on duty in the Watch Room.
The estimated cost of the building is £25,000.
This undertaking, it should be remembered, was authorised by the Corporation before the outbreak of war, but, owing to circumstances incidental to the war, the progress of the various contractors has been greatly hindered.
The new station is a substantial structure, built of terra-cotta bricks with stone dressings, and handsomely designed.
The question of adopting an improved fire alarm system was favourably discussed by the members of the Fire Brigade Committee. It was ascertained that there were several important points in favour of the "Siemens" Fire Alarms. On 2nd July, 1914, a deputation appointed by the Corporation inspected the fire alarm system of Messrs. Siemens Brothers & Company, Limited, at their works in Woolwich. A careful comparison between their system and the present in Glasgow was then made. As a result a report describing the former apparatus in detail was submitted for the consideration of the Fire Brigade Committee. It was found that the cost of installing a complete system for the city, as per Messrs. Siemens’ offer, would be £12,500. While the members of the Corporation were not prepared to recommend an alteration of the whole fire alarm system within the city, they agreed to install the "Siemens" system in the New Southern District Fire Station.
Arrangements were accordingly made to accept Messrs. Siemens’ offer to supply and install their system in the Southern Division for the sum of £1,287.
It was also found necessary to arrange for the system being connected with the Central Division, the extra apparatus required for this purpose entailing an additional expenditure of £150.
The new system, it may be observed, is worked on what is termed the "closed circuit" principle, that is, the alarm boxes are connected in series, and a current of constant value maintained over the lines. The wiring and apparatus are kept under constant test, any faults which may occur being automatically notified to the station concerned. An "earth" or a "contact" does not affect the working of the system, although immediate warning of such a defect is given—while a broken wire is also automatically recorded immediately it occurs, and by simply throwing a switch service is still maintained on the faulty circuit.
The "Siemens" system has many advantages over the system at present in use in Glasgow. There is a very considerable saving in wiring and consequent saving in maintenance charges, as each group of boxes only requires a pair of wires into the station, whereas at present each alarm has a separate wire.
The messages are recorded by means of holes punched in a paper strip passing through the Punch Registers fitted in the Fire Station, and also in the Central Fire Station. The time and date to the nearest minute is automatically stamped on the strip, thus forming a permanent record of the call.
To those who are acquainted with the present Glasgow fire alarm system, it is obvious that the method of automatically recording calls is a great improvement and highly important.
The progress of the City of Glasgow Fire Brigade in all its branches, especially during the past decade, has been very marked.
The plant and fire appliances, during that period, have been completely changed from horse haulage to motor traction. There are at present 27 motor vehicles in service, as the following table shows:-