D999 URC This is a Derbyshire Fire Control Unit. It is based on a Dodge G13C chassis with a Customline conversion. New in 1986, this vehicle is based at Ripley. The plate on the side reads “Derbyshire County Council Fire Service”.
The rear view of the same Dodge. The red and white checker markings indicate its control status at a large incident. Firefighters arriving at an incident would report to the rear door to be briefed.
FJ04 BZF is a Vauxhall Combo that is also with Derbyshire.
X843 GJF This red Vauxhall Astra belongs to Derbyshire F&RS. It carries a simple livery and mag-mount blue lights on the roof.
FM52 FBU This red Skoda Fabia diesel is used by a senior officer with Derbyshire F&RS.
V604 DRB is parked alongside two other appliances a a firefighter uses it to pump water at an exercise.
P429 NKU This Leyland DAF FA75-300 is a 4-wheel drive, tri-axled Derbyshire appliance with Carrmichael bodywork.
AF53 GRX This is a silver Ford Galaxy that is used by the LFB. It is fitted with a full-width blue light bar and grille repeaters.
NX06 AOA This is a 2006 Cleveland appliance whose cutting equipment is being used by its crew to extricate a casualty from a Ford Escort as part of an demonstration.
WX54 VKL This is a MAN 6×4 prime mover produced by Marshall SV. Over 200 of these vehicles were ordered in 2004 by the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s ‘New Dimension’ initiative. They are a very flexible vehicle as pods of specialist equipment can be loaded onto the rear and taken to the incident. This is done by a small crane arm that is mounted behind the cab.
The rear view of the Marshall prime mover.
SV54 AUJ This is a 10-crewcab Scania belonging to Grampian Fire & Rescue, with Emergency One (UK) bodywork. It is ‘711’ which is based at Peterhead full-time station. The most striking thing is that the engine’s base colour is white (as is the rest of Grampians engines). Rumour has it that this is because any replacement panels would have had to be sprayed with a base colour of white before the red – so this colour scheme saves time and money!
SV51 EVY This Grampian’s ‘963’; a Scania aerial ladder platform. Written on the cab doors is the corporate slogan ‘Preventing Protecting Responding’.
YY52 UVS This Vauxhall Astra is one of a number of identical vehicles used for fire brigade work by Humberside. From a distance they look very much like police cars.
YY52 UVO The rear shot of another identical Astra.
YW02 KPL Humberside also have Vauxhall Movanos on the run. This example shows the minimal livery and small blue flashing light.
Y643 KDP This unusual 6-wheeled fire vehicle is a Angloco Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pinzgauer. The light pump is operated by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and is based at Crowthorne.
VS 68 AA is a Defence Fire Service Volvo appliance.
RX04 SMU This is a Merercedes-Benz Econic Operational Support Unit from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue’s fleet.
The rear view of the OSU, showing the fork-lift truck that is used to unload it.
WX54 VLU This ‘new dimension’ engine is a specialist vehicle supplied by the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister. It is a Prime Mover / Hose Layer / Heavy Pump, based on a M.A.N chassis converted by Marshall Specialist Vehicles.
The rear view of the same fire engine.
A close up of the front of this fire bus shows that it is fitted with blue and red flashing lights on the roof. Fire command vehicles are permitted to show a red and white checkered light, but this this vehicle has solid red.
This Mercedes Appliance has yet to be registered and assigned. Notice the bumper mounted emergency stop button for the winch and the flood lights on the roof.
WX04 WVD is a Dennis Sabre water rescue pump operated by Wiltshire Fire Brigade. It has bodywork by JDC and is stationed in Swindon.
WX53 FBG is a Mercedes Econic turn-table ladder unit with Angloco bodywork. It is seen here with its stabilisers and telescopic boom extended. The appliance is based at Swindon.
We now have a Ford Focus C-MAX demonstrator fire car. It has only the roof mounted light bar and is shown here in a generic fire livery.
The side view. The vehicle could be used to carry fire officers on day-to-day duties or on blue lights to incidents.
This is a ScotTrack Glencoe All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) belonging to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. It is a tracked personnel and equipment carrier that is used in very inaccessible areas (moorland for example). It is fitted with a blue flashing light on the cab roof as well as some livery. It doesn’t carry a registration plate.
The side view. Notice how the twin-seated cab has material sides and roof. Also notice the lack of a steering wheel! The driver controls the vehicle by a joystick arrangement. Front- and rear- facing floodlights are also fitted. The ATV is carried on a trailer towed by a fire brigade Land Rover. This example was new in 1993 and is based at Northallerton, it’s sister vehicle is a 1995 version based at Kirkbymoorside.
N765 YEF This Volvo FL6.14 is the Incident Command Unit for North Yorkshire. In an unusual white livery, this ICU carries communication equipment and office space for use at major incidents.
The rear view of this 1996 vehicle, which was converted by Baileys Totalfleet. It is stationed at NYF&RS’s HQ.
M470 KOV This Dennis SS239 is on the run at Erdington, Birmingham. It is one of a fleet of eight identical engines with successive registrations run by West Midlands Fire Service. It replaced a J-reg Dennis-Carmichael.
F538 UAJ This Volvo appliance is used by Skipton Junior Fire Fighters. Previously it was a front-line appliance with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
N177 SDA West Midlands Fire Service run this coach. It is a Dennis Javelin / Plaxton Premier 43-seater. It is used to transport personnel and is based at Solihull.
G245 UWW is a London Fire Brigade Renault-Dodge S56 truck. In 1990 the LFB bought 15 identical vehicles, with registration numbers 232-249. This one was still operational in 2005. Notice the big blue rotating beacons high up on the roof, and the small repeater on the front grille.
This red Ford Transit is used by the private company Event Fire Services.
RX04 CHC is a Mercedes Ateco fire engine used by the London Fire Brigade. This appliance has forward and reverse ‘FIRE’ wording on the front.
The side view of the same appliance. Notice how that the livery has not been fully completed at the time when this photograph was taken. It also appears that the ladders are absent form this vehicle.
P477 RHV is a Volvo FL6 with Saxon bodywork. It is about to leave Lambeth station in central London station on an emergency call.
The London Fire Brigade appliance leaves its garage at speed. Note the advertising on the side locker advising you to plan your escape route from your home.
YX51 FYE This is a Dennis Rapier appliance from Humberside FB. It has yellow and red striping down the sides and a winch (covered in red material) on the front bumper. An odd feature is the red and white checkered light in the centre of the light bar. Normally reserved for control or command fire vehicles, the light can be illuminated when more than one pump is at the scene of a fire to indicate who is in charge. It is also interesting to note that this is the only way that a UK vehicle can legally display a red light to the front.
The rear view of the Goole-based engine.
AF53 GPY A London Fire Brigade Ford Transit, fitted with a light bar and grille lights.
N843 OYN A LFB Vauxhall pick-up seen at headquarters.
F539 UAJ This engine is an ex-front line appliance from North Yorkshire F&R that is now used by Tadcaster Young Firefighters.
R804 CUA A West Yorks. Volvo FL6.18 Saxon Simon 262 Hydraulic platform, based at Wakefield fire station.
The rear view, showing the cradle.
BU04 FMG A West Midlands Fire Service Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI. Both rear doors display the two emergency telephone numbers for the UK: 999 and 112. ‘112’ was adopted in the 1990s to be the single emergency number that could be used in all European Union countries. It makes no difference which one you dial.
YR52 ODL A South Yorkshire Mercedes appliance.
YAB 254W This Dennis belongs to Kingston upon Hull Volunteer Emergency Services.
The side view shows the locker’s contents.
The rear aspect.
XAS 280V This Bedford CF van has no real livery. It is fitted with blue flashing lights and has silver locker doors on both sides.
The rear view shows the back opened to reveal a hose reel and pump.
WV52 CGK is a Mercedes Econic rescue unit operated by Wiltshire fire Brigade. It is based at Westlea fire station.
The rear view showing the lights fitted to this appliance. The top orange lights can be used as an arrow to direct traffic around the appliance either to the left or right.
The side view showing the battenburg markings over the lockers. Note that this appliance only has two crew.
CU03 AHV is the incident command unit used by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. This large truck is used to co-ordinate incidents and is equipped with rooms where the strategic planning can take place. Notice how the Welsh word for fire, tan, is also on the front of the truck.
The wording on the offside is in English, whilst on the nearside it is in Welsh. You can see from this picture that the telescopic lighting/communications tower is extended. You can also see the additional flood lighting around the side of the vehicle.
EO51 LUE This Peugeot camper van is used as emergency accommodation to people who have been made homeless due to a fire in their home. It is operated by volunteers of the Red Cross.
YB03 LUA This Ford Ranger is a F.I.R.E. – BIRD (Ferno International Rescue Equipment). It has a choice of five removable pods that are attached to the rear. The user can choose from water rescue, confined space and rope rescue, major accident rescue, fire rescue and major incident rescue and decontamination rescue.
YD04 NGB This 2.5-litre turbo diesel truck is the same as the one above, but shows pod 1: the water rescue unit. Notice how the roof still has blue flashing lights that are plugged into the cab. It is sensible to have specialist pods which remove the need to buy five vehicles, or a smaller number of large vehicles.
GTC 609X This is an old Dodge fire appliance used at Berkley Power Station as an incident response vehicle.
HOO 124T The Ford is another ex-private company fire engine. Notice the lack of livery and just ‘Fire Service’ written on the sides.
C317 HGB This ex-Strathcylde appliance has bodywork by Fulton Wylie and is a preserved demonstartor.
E755 HRV This old Bedford appliance is ex-Hampshire but has few clues to it’s current role. It has no writing on it, and the square blue lights down the sides have been replaced with amber lenses.