Records of the Middlesex County Council Fire Brigade Department relating to administration, 1948-1965, including files relating to policy including: procedures, establishment and organisation of the Ambulance Service, transfer of Ambulance Service to the Chief Medical Officer, record keeping, financial regulations, budget estimates, mutual assistance with the Fire Brigades of other Councils, Ambulance Service correspondence with the public including complaints, prosecutions against members of the public, attendance of personnel at inquests and photographs.

Files of routine orders; files relating to operations including: procedures for mobilising the Fire Service, co-ordination of arrangements and command, response to major incidents including photographs and press cuttings, fires of special interest, reports, inquests, policy on special services, instructions for extinction of fires involving special risk, radioactive materials, oil pipelines, London Airport (Heathrow), Northolt Aerodrome, motorways and the Olympic Games.

Files relating to appliances and equipment including: purchase of new vehicles, replacement of vehicles, licensing and insuring, maintenance, vehicle designs and development, water pumps, contracts, salvage tenders, emergency tenders, reports on accidents to vehicles, ambulance equipment, inflatable boats, training in smoke conditions, foam apparatus, hoses, extension ladders, lifting gear, protective clothing, petrol policy and tyres.

Files relating to communications including: telephone facilities, fire telephones, control room and headquarters, development of Middlesex Radio Scheme, radio training, call bell system, automatic fire alarms, damage to fire alarms, fire detection systems, and exercises. Files relating to hydrants including: statistics, marking of hydrants, water company police, emergency water supplies, hydrant schemes, and improvement work.

Files relating to the management and maintenance of Fire Service accommodation including new building programme, plans of fire stations, fire station organisation, repair depots and workshops, catering and feeding requirements, and log books.

Papers relating to press and publicity, including: policy on information given to the press, information given to technical magazines and general publications, publicity films, medals, honours and awards, ceremonies, demonstrations and displays, competitions, and inspector's visits.

Papers relating to the transfer of the Service to the Greater London Council (GLC), Hertfordshire Fire Brigade and Surrey Fire Brigade in 1965.

Records of the London County Council Fire Brigade Department relating to emergency wartime measures, 1914-1949, including subject and policy files on the First World War History of the Brigade; First World War air raid measures; experiments to test the efficacy of dry-powder fire extinguishers against incendiary bombs; fire protection for munitions factories; coal and food rationing; war badges for off-duty wear by firemen of military age; employment of disabled ex-servicemen; medals and decorations awarded to Brigade staff (uniformed and non-uniformed) on war service; interwar consideration of air raid precautions; fire-fighting during air attacks; press cuttings on air raid precautions; auxiliary fire stations; air raid warning signals; unexploded bombs and shells; Fire Service Information Bulletins; co-operation between military and civil authorities; Ministry of Information Official Bulletins; duties of fire brigades in case of invasion; National Fire Service (London Area) Regulations, 1941; nationalisation of fire services on 18 August 1941; situation reports; decontamination; emergency vehicles; River Service; Emergency Water supplies; communications in wartime; observation posts; anti-gas and incendiary bomb control training; Auxiliary Fire Service recruitment; liaison arrangements with London Salvage Corps; honours and awards for gallantry; reports on individual air raids (in and out of London); long range rockets.

Original air raid fire reports, First World War, and original reports on incidents due to enemy action, Second World War. Daily returns of air raid fire calls, First World War and Second World War. Situation reports, Second World War.

"Fire Over London: The Story of the London Fire Service"; London Auxiliary Fire Service informative leaflets used for recruiting purposes; National Fire Service (England and Wales) Directory; London Civil Defence Region Directories; Directory of London Fire Brigade and London Auxiliary Fire Service Stations and Sub-Stations; registers of B Class auxiliaries (the fire-fighting category) enrolled in the Auxiliary Fire Service from 1938; Press Cuttings Book; London Auxiliary Fire Service Routine Orders.

London Fire Region (LFR) files, including messages received at night in the Regional Control Room; LFR Newsletters; air raids on Portsmouth and Southampton; incendiary bombs; Fire Service vehicles; Water Relaying Units; women auxiliaries; Regional Fire Officer duties; Regional Fire Headquarters staff; twice daily situation reports (London Civil Defence Region); Regional Fire Control Room Occurrence Book; London Fire Region Twice-daily Situation Reports; Home Office Daily Air Raid Intelligence Reports; Home Office Weekly Summary of Air Raid Intelligence; Home Office Detailed Reports on individual fires; training films; monthly returns of personnel and appliances in each outer-London brigade; medals, decorations and honours; underground control room; conferences; protection of fire stations against bombing and poison gas; aircraft crash fires; reporting of casualties.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Fire Brigade Department, 1949-1965, comprising fire reports providing details of incidents handled by the Fire Service; analysis of fire calls; and statistics relating to ambulance service calls.

Records of the London County Council Fire Brigade Department, 1822-1965, including subject and policy files on general topics including correspondence on question whether horses can smell fire and locate scene of outbreaks; participation by Brigade in International Horse Shows; surprise inspections of stations by the Chief Officer; passing of information on fires to firms of fire assessors; the funerals of Sir Eyre Massey Shaw and Sir Lionel Wells; drills and competitions; Women's Fire Protection Force; emergency arrangements during the 1926 General Strike; pamphlet on National Fire Brigades Association; International Fire Exhibition, Paris; mutual arrangements between brigades for extinguishing fires; London Fire Brigade Questions and Answers Book; liaison with press; displays and demonstrations at exhibitions and events; London Fire Brigade Museum; reorganisation of the Brigade (1934); visits by officers to foreign fire brigades; the Royal Commission on Fire Brigades and Fire Prevention; Departmental Committee on Fire Brigade Services (Riverdale Committee); Fire Brigades Act, 1938; insurance companies' contributions towards the cost of the Brigade; Central Advisory Council for Fire Services; press cuttings; transfer of Fire Services from National Fire Service to local authorities after Second World War.

Subject and policy files regarding fires and special services, including papers on: fires aboard ships; fires on tramcars; fires in dance halls, factories, workshops, warehouses, Government and LCC buildings, hospitals, nursing homes, massage establishments, chimneys, hotels, clubs, lodging houses, restaurants, fried fish shops, places of public entertainment, houses, flats, tenements, schools, colleges, churches, church halls, University buildings, wharves, docks, gasworks, gas mains, departmental stores, shops and retail markets; fires involving explosives; static electricity as a cause of fire; reports on serious fires; legal right of Brigade to enter premises on fire; Society for the Protection of Life from Fire; special services including gas escapes, lift accidents, railway accidents and pumping operations during flooding; fires of doubtful origin or caused by arson and incendiaries; City fire inquests; lives lost at fires; electrical hazards at fires; organisation at large fires; oil fires; fires and panics; special reports on individual fires; fires involving celluloid; reports on fires by fire prevention officers; register of fires and other incidents attended by the Brigade Control Unit.

Subject and policy files regarding appliances and equipment including land steamers, horses and stabling, motor vehicles, motor pumps, Merryweather's pumps, escape vans and turntable ladders, electrical turntable ladders, foam tender, fireboats "Alpha", "Beta", "Gamma", "Massey Shaw" and "Raidwood", smoke helmets, respirators and breathing apparatus, chemical fire extinguishers, fire escapes, asbestos protective equipment, air foam. Also Stores Ledgers and registers of accidents to vehicles and appliances.

Subject and policy files relating to communications including street fire alarms, fire alarm telegraph systems, fire telephones, malicious false alarms, automatic fire alarms, radiotelephony, messages, Watch-room and Control Room procedures, teleprinters, radio installations, list of automatic fire alarms and fire telephones connected to each station.

Subject and policy files relating to fire prevention, including tests of fireproof flooring; inspection of public, government and Council buildings; fire precautions at various buildings including hospitals; petroleum storage; petrol fires on barges; celluloid risks; explosives; electric high voltage and neon signs; household fire protection rules; revised fire drill rules for schools; automatic sprinkler installation; foam installations to deal with petrol and oil fires; automatic drencher installations; means of escape in case of fire; Advisory Committee on the Amendment of the London Building Act, 1930; fire prevention arrangements on ships and Tube railways; Fire Prevention (Business Premises) Order, 1941.

Subject and policy files relating to water supplies including liaison with Metropolitan Water Board in cases of water shortage at fires; hydrants and hydrant tablets; maps showing locations of hydrants; hydrant registers. Subject and policy files relating to Fire Brigade buildings, particularly London Fire Brigade Headquarters at Albert Embankment.

Original fire reports, containing detailed reports concerning individual calls to fires, including false alarms, including: address of fire, occupiers of premises, business or trade carried on, where fire started, particulars of fire, times of calls, method of extinguishing fire, fire appliances in attendance and fire station called. Also daily return of fire calls, compiled under section 31 of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act, 1865, which required the Fire Brigade to supply each fire insurance company with a daily return of fires occurring in the Metropolis. The information generally duplicates that of the fire reports.

General reports and publications, including Memoir of James Braidwood; pamphlets and order of proceedings; handbooks; lectures; reports; articles; guidebooks; memoranda, orders and instructions; order books, statistics and log books. Also photographs.

Proceedings of the Fire Judges' Court, in the case of John Wall and Sir Paul Niele and others.

Papers of the Fire Judges Court, comprising decree in the cause of Sir Richard Betenson, petitioner, against Richard Betenson, his son, and others, concerning burnt houses in Cheapside, in the parish of St Mary le Bow.

Memorandum on fires in London and other places, 1778; with inventory and valuation of furniture for Bydorp House, Hanwell, undated (late 18th century).

London Fire and Civil Defence Authority minutes, agendas, decision sheets, printed papers and reports, 1985-1992; minutes, agendas, decision sheets and papers of Committees including the Civil Defence Committee, Fire Brigade Committee, Personnel Committee, Planning Committee, Policy and Resources Committee, Scrutiny Sub-committee, Urgency Committee and Senior Staff Appointments Sub-committee, 1985-1992; papers relating to disciplinary tribunals and appeals, 1986-1988; papers of the Equal Opportunities Working Party, 1986-1992; papers of the Fire Prevention Working Party, 1987-1991; posters, 1988; notices of meetings; and issues of the 'London Firefighters' magazine.

Fire reports for the Operations Department, 1986-1990, and fire reports for the Western Command Headquarters, Wembley, Southern Command Headquarters, Lewisham, Eastern Command Headquarters, Stratford and the Croydon station, 1991. Also some station call registers, correspondence and Fire Investigation Team reports.

Records of the London Fire Engine Establishment, including Committee minute books; out-letter book; annual accounts and registers of fires in London, which contain information relating to fires attended by the London Fire Engine Establishment, including date, time of discovery, place, name and profession of occupier, possible cause of fire, details of insurance, who raised the alarm, who put out the fire, which engines attended, and what was damaged.

Records of the London Salvage Corps including deed of constitution, Committee minute books, annual reports, accounts, papers relating to suspicious fires, statistics, and circulars.