This former Fire Station, in John Street, was used to house the Duty Appliance and crew up until 1977. The Fire Brigade in those days was under the control of Douglas Corporation and this building is now the Housing Offices for the Borough.
In 1899 this former Fire Station, which adjoined the new Municipal Buildings, consisted of a large room for accommodating the horse-drawn manually operated fire engine and appliances and there was a tower for drying hoses plus a large assembly room for the use of the firemen.
"In September 1895 there was a very serious fire in a boarding house in Sherwood Terrace, Douglas, in which two young servant girls who were sleeping in the attic quarters of the building died.
At an inquest the court heard how the dividing wall between the two properties had been reduced to lath and plaster partition and had allowed the fire to spread to neighbouring properties.
This fire was the turning point for legislation to be drawn up on 2 points, firstly on the design of buildings and secondly legislation was drawn up to govern habitable rooms.
Also at the inquest the efficiency of the fire brigade was also questioned.
The civil engineer to the town commissioners indicated that plans were underway to move the town's fire brigade and incorporate them in the town's new municipal building, so bringing the brigade closer to the town centre.
Another outcome of the inquest was that the wheeled escapes (wheeled ladders) should be moved to different parts of the town and therefore the tallest escape was relocated to Villiers Yard which was convenient for the highest buildings on Douglas Promenade.
The 45 ft escape was put at the foot of Broadway and the smallest placed in Kensington Road to serve upper Douglas and the Buck's Road area of the town."
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