SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I have just come across a report in the BBC website (dated Oct 7 2015) that Gipton Fire Station has now closed following the full operating of a new fire station at Killingbeck (that also covers the fire station that was at Stanks). It is reported that it is hoped the Gipton Fire Station can become a listed building and possibly be used by the local community. Opened in 1937 it has long been a landmark building on Gipton Approach and seen passing by on York Road.

This is a link to a BBC report:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-34465932

Stanks fire station is already boarded up, presumably ready to be sold off and demolished.
Wouldn't it be ironic if it mysteriously caught fire and burnt down as unwanted buildings seem to have a habit of doing...
Not too impressed with that BBC report, just as I wasn't impressed with the very easy ride the BBC seemed to give the fire service when the closures were first mooted.
The line comment "the move would not affect response times" is blatantly untrue as the single fire station is now considerably further away than the previous two fire station were from most of the area covered. It's unclear how a fire engine having to travel further, along the congested York Road, could possibly get to an incident in the same time.

I was a fireman at Stanks for ten years, from the day it first opened. Two of the biggest risks were, and probably still are, Unilever which fills aerosols, and Agfa printers which use highly inflammable chemicals to print aluminium for cans. They are both in the Seacroft Ring Road and Coal Road area.
With luck they will not need the emergency services when the windmill to Ramshead approach is gridlocked.

When I was at school in Ilkley in 1947/52 I had a close friend who's uncle was the Chief Fire Officer at Gipton and we visited occasionally. I seem to recall that he was "Uncle Ron" ??

how much money is wasted building new fire stations.dawsons corner ,bramley ,stanningley.all within a few miles of each other.

These are a couple of photos showing what were part time firemen at Gipton Fire Station. I don't know the date they were taken but it might be about 1947ish (or earlier) but it cannot be after February 1948 because my father is among the crew and he died then.

Hoping they might be of interest and to try to get possible information I took the photos to the fire station some years back (it will be at least 10 years back) but there was a total lack of interest and I've never tried again.

I was a 'part time' fireman for ten years at a station that also had a full time crew.
If we had 20 incidents in a week, the 'part timers' would attend all 20 of them.
The full time firemen were divided into 4 crews working shifts, so each man would attend 5 of the incidents.
In any job, if you are doing 4 times more than the others, you become more experienced and efficient.
The correct description is Retained Firemen.

Quite nostalgic Photo's there Leodian. as you say probably 1940s. I was a kid growing up on the Gipton Estate at that time but fortunately we did not see much of the Brigade. I had a look on the Sheffield firemen site about during the War and they are wearing the same style uniform so I guess that dates your Pics. correctly. the stories of their exploits dealing with the German raids is worth a look.

The building is now a community hub: a base for some local charities, rooms to hire, a cookery school and a cafe.

http://www.theoldfirestationgipton.org.uk

BLAKEY wrote:When I was at school in Ilkley in 1947/52 I had a close friend who's uncle was the Chief Fire Officer at Gipton and we visited occasionally. I seem to recall that he was "Uncle Ron" ??

He might have been Fireman 091 Ron Griffiths? who was at Gipton at that time.