Category: Fire

WU54 EJY Another Dennis appliance used by Wiltshire Fire Brigade leaving the fire station on a job.

VO03 KNJ is another MAN appliance. This time we have a pump unit based at Painswick in Gloucestershire.



The rear view of the pumping appliance showing its eye-catching livery.

VO02 HCL is a Dennis pump based at Stroud. It has red and yellow battenburg markings down the sides.



The rear view of the above appliance. The poster on the rear shutter advertises the need to have a smoke alarm to protect your family.

W196 PKT is a MAN special rescue unit based at Gloucester and operated by Gloucester Fire and Rescue Service.

M429 XAS, a Volvo FL6 with Carmichael bodywork. On the right is R119 RST, another Volvo FL6 but with Emergency One bodywork. They are seen here emerging from the Highlands and Islands’ Stromness Fire Station.

NX53 LVZ is a Renault van used as a service support unit by Cleveland.

M405 VFM is a Mercedes recovery truck operated by Cleveland Fire brigade. It is equipped with amber flashing lights rather than blue to signify that it is used  as a support vehicle.

APT 968W is another preserved Dennis appliance, operating on blues and twos here.

J36439 is a preserved Dennis appliance, formerly used by the fire service on the channel island of Jersey. Notice the lack of striping down the sides.



Another view of the appliance off-road.

XAS 523 is a Bedford RLHZ Self-Propelled Pump, more commonly known as a Green Goddess.



The rear view of the 1950’s appliance which is now in preservation. For more photos of this type of fire engine in use, see the ‘fire strike’ section.

H881 MKV is a Land Rover Defender 130 double cab used by Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service.

EBB 846W is a former incident command unit from the Tyne and Wear fire brigade. The vehicle took close to two years to design and build and was registered for road used in 1980.



The units call sign was Alpha 07, and it still displays this plate next to its left hand indicator. The appliance is now in preservation, some 25 years after it was first put into service.



The vehicle contains everything required for a major incident including briefing rooms and a kitchen. To accommodate all of these features, it was based on a Dennis bus chassis, with the body work built about that.

This Dennis appliance was photographed even before the body work was finished! This is how the vehicle would come from the manufacturer before it goes to the body builder for further fitting and finishing.

NX53 AYW is a Volvo appliance from York fire station. It is seen here under routine maintenance. To enable access to the engine and other mechanical components, the front part of the cab is designed to tip forwards.

Here is a 52-registration Mercedes fire engine which is a Decontamination Unit and a Breathing Aparatus Control Unit with South Yorkshire.

This black and red Range Rover is used for non-emergency work by South Yorkshire F&RS’s Community Safety Team.

This Honda Civic is shown a very minimal fire livery. The light bar can be unclipped from the roof of the car and the fire signs are magnetic and can also be removed when not in use.

This Mitsubishi L200 double cab pick up is used by Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and carries the county council’s name on the side. The single blue light set on the top of the pick up hard back is complemented by two LED’s in the front grill.

SN05 MJF is a Volvo based appliance used by the Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service. It features battenburg stripes down each side of the appliance as well as red and white striping on the front to increase its presence on the road.

This Volvo XC70 is also used as a fire car. This particular model features four wheel drive transmission and raised suspension to enable the vehicle to be used for limited off road use. Its base colour of brown is unusual for a fire vehicle.



The rear view showing the cars smart livery.

This Volvo S40 is a fire car in a generic livery. It has a low profile clear LED roof light bar as well as additional clear LED’s on the grill and bumper.



The rear view of the car.

K69 YBO is a Mercedes-based truck with Saxon bodywork. It is used by South Wales Fire Service as a control Unit.

This is an Iveco-based appliance used by Cheshire Fire Service. It is much smaller than a conventional fire appliance and could be used in congested city streets or in rural areas when it may have to travel some distance to incidents. It would be quicker than a conventional-sized appliance in these situations.

E576 GJX This Land Rover Defender has been specially extended to accommodate fire-fighting equipment on the rear. This tri-axle vehicle provides fire cover at events and is run by East Lindsey Fire Protection Services.



The rear shot shows the modifications. A water tank is in the centre, and is surrounded by hoses, extinguishers and other such paraphernalia.

OU05 OUD This is an Oxfordshire Fire Service Honda Civic. It is in sliver with a yellow stripe up the sides. It has no emergency warning equipment, but may be fitted with a removable blue light.

EN53 HJO This is a Ford Ranger fire car that may be in service with the Jersey Fire Brigade. It was spotted in Portsmouth, Hampshire. It has a band of stretched red and yellow battenburg marks up the sides, as well as a full-width light bar.

FJ03 LWTThis Dennis Sabre appliance is with Derbyshire F&RS. It carries red and yellow battenburg markings that extend over the lockers. This twin-cabbed vehicle is based at Ascot Drive.

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 AUJThis 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 EVYThis 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.