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.

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.