Lincolnville fire chief visits London fire house
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff Writer
Being a fire chief, Lester Kaiser, Lincolnville, takes an interest in fire-fighting operations in other countries. While working as a fireman in Bosnia for the army, he visited fire stations there, as well as in Germany.
When he and his family were in England in August, he had the opportunity to visit a fire station in London.
It happened quite by accident.
The Kaisers and other Scouts, who were in England to attend an international Scout camp, were at the Girl Scout center in London when Kaiser stepped outside and found a fire truck parked in front of the building. A fireman's dream!
He met a crewman who invited him to visit the station house which, he was told, was "just down the road."
After finishing his tour with the Scouts, Kaiser walked to the station. It turned out to be about 17 blocks or about one-half mile away.
As only a fireman would, he noticed a strange lack of fire hydrants along the way. Then he discovered a metal plate embedded in concrete emblazoned with the words "Fire Hydrant" and learned they are underground in London.
When he arrived at the station, he learned it was the third oldest in London, built in 1915. He said it was well-kept and of beautiful architectural design.
The firemen gave him a London Fire Brigade T-shirt and hat badge, and both sides enjoyed an exchange of facts. He found there were some definite differences between British and American fire fighting techniques.
When Kaiser was ready to go to the subway to travel to a meeting point with his Scout group, the fire chief gave him a fitting send-off with a ride on the fire engine.
"I thoroughly enjoyed it," Kaiser said.
