Category: FIRE

RFD 694 / 46 RN 53
RNAD Broughton Moor
Dennis
Carrying dual registration plates on the rear, both military and domestic Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

CRX 658M
Royal Air Force
MK 9 Fire Fighting Vehicle (FFV Crash)
Based at RAF Stanley in the Falkland Islands. After the 1982 war, the Royal Air Force took over the airport naming it RAF Stanley. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

28 AJ 52
Royal Air Force
Dennis / Thornycroft Nubian Major Foam Tender MK9
The introduction of the MK9 along with TACR1 and new foams began a new era in crash fire-fighting. The MK 9 has a large tank capacity of 1250 gallons for water and 130 gallons for foam liquid. This meant that the MK9 did not need to rely upon extra water being delivered from DP trucks. The MK9 also had an impressive jet throw from its monitor which made it a particularly powerful and effective tool in fighting large aircraft fires. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

A153 OVG
Royal Air Force
Bedford Mountain 4×4
The Bedford Mountain 4×4 was introduced in 1985 to fight fires on RAF sites which had Bloodhound missiles. After these missiles were removed from service these vehicles were used for domestic fire-fighting duties. The roof hatch was controlled by a monitor fitted to the cab roof. Stone guards protect the windscreen from flying debris, and a First Aid Hose Reel was also provided. There were 11 of this type of vehicle built. This particular vehicle served at RAF Nordhorn and was later sold to the Civil Defence Corp where it was sprayed bright yellow, it then moved to Seething Airfield in Norfolk (the lettering from which is still visible through its most recent respray). Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

KFF 132 / 24 AG 59
RAF Fire Service
Thornycroft Nubian 4×4 Dual Purpose (DPMK1/1A) Appliance
It was built to replace the wartime Water Tankers as backups to the Foam Tenders. The Dual Purpose Fire/Water Truck MK1 (DP1) went into service in 1957 and was supplied until 1958. Modifications were made to some and were supplied with a monitor and deployed on Surface-to-Air Missile sites, these vehicles were given the designation of DPMK1A and continued in service until 1980. As the name suggests (Dual Purpose) it was used not just as a water carrier but could be used as a Foam Crash Truck and was also equipped for Domestic Fire Fighting. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

23 AJ 99, KGV 46K
RAF
Truck Fire Fighting 4 x 2 Domestic Water 100gal Bedford
This appliance was number 22 of a batch of 25 ordered for the Royal Air Force in 1971. This unique series of appliances bore the typically long winded service designation of ‘Truck Fire Fighting 4 x 2 Domestic Water 100gal Bedford’ shortened by Fire Fighters to ‘Mini Angus’. They were bough to provide fire cover at RAF ‘non-flying’ stations such as training establishments, stores depots and hospitals. This particular vehicle spent the majority of it’s service life at RAF Hospital Nocton Hall in Lincolnshire. It went into storage in 1983 and was released from government service early in 1985. In July of the same year it was acquired by Crane Fluid Systems Ltd. and went to Ipswich where it served alongside their Works Fire Brigade until February 1997 when it was acquired for preservation. It has been painted various colours over the course of its life and so is now known as ‘Joseph’. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

PKE 259L, 27 AG 81
Royal Air Force
Bedford / Pyrene Mk8
The Mk8 was introduced in the early 1970s to replace Mk 5 & Mk 5A Foam vehicles. It was the first modern Crash Tuck to be operated exclusively from the monitor position and had a Jaguar 4.2 ltr engine installed for driving the pump. It was never a popular vehicle amongst RAF Fire-Fighters because the Mk8 was sluggish and ungainly and had the unfortunate tendency of running out of water and petrol far too quickly. The Mk 8 was the last vehicle to use air-blown foam. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

31 AG 69
Royal Air Force Fire and Rescue
Simon Gloster Saro
Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

42 KB 12
RAF Fire & Rescue
Bedford TKG
Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

02 AY 22
Defence Fire Services
MK11 Scammell Super Major 6×6 Gloster Saro Crash Tender
The MK11 was introduced in the late 80s as a Primary one foam tender to supplement the MK9 fleet. They were mostly based on passenger aircraft airfields and some were fitted with turntable ladders for accessing TriStar flight decks (Mk11A). With an impressive performance and powerful Rosenbauer monitor the Mk11 proved a popular vehicle to work with. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

C763 GVU
RAF Fire and Rescue
MK10 Carmichael/Scammell Nubian
It was in 1981 that Carmichael built the prototype of the MK10 for the RAF Fire Service; it was designed as a Primary 2 Truck which would be used on smaller category airfields. Several variants were made. Most of the MK 10 & 10A versions were converted to a MK10E with the fitting of a new cab and new monitor pipe work. The first Mark 10’s originally had one tank containing a premix foam solution but because of domestic fire fighting requirements the MK10A’s were fitted with separate water and foam tanks. The 10B had a turbo fitted and the 10C was only supplied to the Royal Navy and was fitted with a high pressure pump. The 10D was fitted out to accommodate the Clan Lucas rescue kit. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

PKE 279L
Army Fire Service
Bedford / HCB Angus
Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

02 AY 04
RAF
Bedford M1120 4×4
Part of The Queens Flight. Several types of vehicles before this were used to support the Helicopter Support Uni (HSU). Three of these vehicles were manufactured. This one, the Bedford M1120 4×4, was built by Edgehills of Hook and was introduced in 1985; It is diesel powered and was designed to carry 200 gallons of AFFF and 120 gallons of Aviation fuel. It carried extinguishers, hand tools, first aid equipment and was complete with it’s own pump. This one was introduced in 1985. They were painted RAF blue with no identification markings. Apart from it’s role as fire rescue/and aircraft refuelling, it also carried radio equipment to act as air traffic control. The RAF Fire-fighters would also act as liaison with all the local area agencies. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

25 AG 94
RAF Fire Service
Mk 7
This vehicle was previously stored at Barkston Heath before it was acquired by the RAF Firefighting Museum Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

26 AG 36
RAF Fire Service
Thorneycroft Nubian 4×4
Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

RAF Fire Service
Bedford
039EB’ and ‘1211’ are shown in place of the front and rear number plates Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

42 RN 91
Defence Fire Service
Ibex / Carmichael
Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

10 AY 98
RAF Fire and Rescue Service
Mark 12A / Carmichael
Previously based at RAF Brize Norton Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

Q877 0BP
Royal Navy
Land Rover Series III
Based at RNAS Portland Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

51 AG 49 / GBG 542Y
RAF Fire and Rescue Service
TACR2
The TACR2 was the replacement for the TACR1 and was introduced to the RAF Fire Service in 1977. It was based on a chassis which was developed by Carmichael and Sons in the early 1970s. The RAF ordered some 46 which had Gloster Saro bodywork. HCB – Angus also built a further 18. They remained in service until 1985 and were replaced by the TACR2A. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

28 AG 00
RAF Fire and Rescue Service
TACR1
The TACR1 came into service in 1972 and was the beginning of a new generation of rescue tender for the RAF. It superseded the ACRT (Dry Powder) and TACT (Old type Foam). The TACR1 carried a new fire fighting media which was AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) which was pre-mixed in the tank. It also carried an EPCO Hydraulic Rescue kit and a Pneumatic powered ‘Ripper Gun’. It was capable of acting in an unsupported roll on advanced airfields operating with the HARRIER aircraft with a crew of three, but would also act as the rescue truck along with major foams trucks on large Crash Lines. With the requirement for a crew of three and only a standard cab, a seating position was created at the rear of the vehicle for the third crew member whose only communication to the cab was via a voice tube. Not always popular with crew members when assigned to this vehicle!!! This vehicle 28 AG 00 on display is the very first that was supplied to the RAF Fire Service. As well as carrying out Crash Line duties 28 AG 00 was deployed in 1977 to St. George’s Barracks in Sutton Coalfield dring the National Fireman’s Strike, (Operation Burbury). The crews acted as a B.A. team in support of 42 Marine Commando and attended some 230 incidents in a 58 day period. It saw service at RAF units Manston, Newton and Swinderby before being sold at the end of its service. It was recovered from Lydden Motor Race Circuit in Kent where it had been used as fire and rescue truck. During its extensive restoration it revealed eight layers of paint which included red, green and Day-Glo. Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.

FND 189F
RAF Fire Service
Land Rover
Seen at the Museum of RAF Firefighting.