Publisher's Synopsis
"Mann Ablaze" by Manx author Stan Basnett was first published in 1991 and traced the history of the Isle of Man Fire Service from its first beginnings in 1803 with the Sun Fire Office up until the formation of the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service in 1988. This second edition revises the early history and brings the history up to date and includes many more photographs of appliances and fires. It describes how the various early brigades in the island struggled to deal with outbreaks of fire and in particular the difficulty of moving the early appliances over any significant distance. Local Authorities struggled to meet their statutory obligations with sanitary improvements and the provision of water supplies and inevitably the provision of a permanent fire service took second place. Along the way the text paints a picture of the social history of the island giving an insight into a way of life long forgotten and right up to the present day where the old hotels and guest houses so much the life blood of the island economy in the Victorian era and beyond are now being demolished and replaced by high quality apartments. The Summerland fire in 1973, in which 50 people died, was at the time the worst peacetime disaster in the British Isles since 1929. Its effect on legislation in the island and to building regulations throughout the UK was major. Cause and effect is in fact the main thrust of the book as it traces the development of the fire service through legislation and regulations following the result of fire. The final chapter describes the development of the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service over the last two decades making it one of the most modern in the British Isles.
