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CROSS COUNTRY FIRE APPLIANCES
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By A. A. TOWNSIN, FIRES do not always occur within a few yards of a road, and fighting them can present difficult problems if a normal fire appliance cannot be brought within a reasonably short distance. The orthodox fire engine is designed for speedy travel over good roads and adaptation to enable it to travel across rough country is not usually practicable.
Until comparatively recent years this situation was accepted as being inevitable and hand beating was the principal method of tackling a heath fire. But the greatly increased value of timber and the increasing tendency to build individual houses on land of this kind created a need for more efficient means of • tackling this type of fire. Fortunately, suitable vehicles to form the basis of cross-country fire appliances were also becoming available, so that the problem and its solution arose at about the same time.
Surrey, with a considerable area of heath and woods and a large proportion of its population living on or near such land, is a county which has a combination of factors making the provision of cross-country fire appliances particularly desirable.
Out of approximately 80 pumping appliances employed by the Surrey County Council Fire Brigade, 12 are small' crosscountry units based on Land-Rover chassis. The model chosen is the long-wheelbase version, with petrol engine. A Goodyear pump is mounted in front of the engine and the output of this is designed to allow the vehicle to accompany a fireman as he walks along when extinguishing a heath or grass fire, the engine being used for pumping and propulsion simultaneously. A hose reel accommodating 180 ft. of tubing is mounted at the rear, whilst the centre portion of the body contains a 160-gal. glass-fibre water tank.
The bodywork, like that of quite a number of other Surrey Fire Brigade appliances, was built in the brigade's workshops at Reigate, using, in this case, the standard Land-Rover as a basis. Side lockers contain alternative nozzles. An interesting point in this connection is the desirability of conserving water so as to avoid emptying the tank for as long as possible. The tank can be replenished from a hydrant, or the pump can draw water from a pond or ditch, but these courses of action would normally involve temporary withdrawal from the fire or some loss of mobility. It has been found that nozzles giving a fine spray are effective for this kind of fire, as well as being comparatively economical in their use of water.
I was privileged to watch a demonstration of the capabilities of one of these units on Reigate Heath, typical of many stretches of heath in Surrey. Quite apart from the ability to travel, over remarkably rough ground characteristic of the Land-Rover, it was obvious that the self-contained nature of the complete fire appliance and its ability to move while pumping could be of real value in fighting a heath fire with the likelihood of rapid spreading. Even though the 160-gal, tank will not allow a lengthy stay in the fire area, it gives a means of extinguishing a
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small fire before it can spread or can help to control a larger one during the vital early minutes, giving an opportunity for more substantial equipment to be brought into use.
Standard practice, when a call to a fire at which a Land-Rover unit seems likely to be of value is received, is to send it in company with a normal fire appliance so that the capabilities of either or both can be used to the best advantage. The small unit's ability to negotiate narrow lanes is sometimes of value, although the comparatively large turning circle often associated with vehicles on which the steered wheels may be driven can be a drawback in some circumstances.
A development which is complementary to the method of tackling awkwardly sited fires, just described, is the hose layer. A new type was developed by the Surrey Fire Brigade about
two years ago and .the three vehicles produced are of a unique design,' at any rate so far as this country is concerned. Both heath fires and those affecting country houses are often difficult to tackle because of the lack of adequate water supply nearby. . New estates also sometimes lack an adequate supply for fire-fighting purposes. Laying hoses over any distance by hand is comparatively slow, as well as being quite complicated, due to the need to-couple each length in turn.
The hose layer is a vehicle intended to lay .large7 diameter hose over a long distance by running it out over the specially designed tailboard as it is driven at any speed up to about 30 m.p.h. Some 6,000 ft. of rubber-lined nylon hope is carried and a 4 x 4 vehicle with good cross-country travel capability was essential.
Three hose layers arc in use, one each being stationed at Guildford, Epsorn and Holley, to enable the areas of the county in which they are likely to be needed to be reached with the minimum delay. They are based on Thornycroft Nubian TFB/B81 chassis with Rolls-Royce B81 eight-cylinder 6.52-litre petrol engines developing 195 b.h.p., four-speed main and two-speed auxiliary gearboxes. Tyres are 12.00-20 (14-ply), Trakgrip.
The bodywork, designed and built by the brigade workshops, is in the form of a van. The hose is carried in three long bins, a 2,000-ft. length already coupled being contained in each bin. An individual tailboard is provided for each bin and,. together with the vehicle's own tailboard, forms a ramp down which the hose is fed out during laying operations. Some slight damage was anticipated when hose was laid in this way, due to the impact of being dropped on to the road surface. In practice it has been found that the best results from this point of view arc obtained by laying the hose at a fairly brisk pace of 25 m.p.h. or so, when the pull on the hose is sufficient to cause it to be paid out in a curve behind the vehicle, contact with the ground being comparatively gentle. Packing the hose in the bins has to be done carefully so that it pays out smoothly, and to facilitate this the bins are mounted on wheels and are removable from the vehicle. A fully loaded bin weighs about a ton and a hand winch is provided to enable it to be hauled up into the vehicle or to control its descent. The handle for the winch is detachable, being arranged to protrude from the left-hand side of the bodywork when fitted. The ramps for lowering the bins to the ground are of atuminium channel and when not required are stowed under the floor.
In addition to the hose itself and items associated with it, such as ramps and warning notice hoards to enable it to be a31
laid across roads, two light portable pump units and a portable canvas darn or reservoir capable of holding 3,000 gallons are carried, The self-contained pumps, incorporating Coventry Climax four-cylinder petrol engines, are stowed one on each side of the vehicle in lockers immediately in front of the rear wheels. They can be pulled out from the side of the vehicle on sliding supports and operated in this position, or can be carried elsewhere. Detachable wheels are provided for use when justified, but the units, which can pump at 360 gal, per minute, are sufficiently light to be man-handled over moderate distances.
The hose-layers are thus quite versatile machines, and I understand that they have been found to be more nimble on ordinary roads than might have been expected. A power : weight ratio of approximately 19,b.h.p. per ton gross gives quite a lively performance, whilst cornering is better than 13 suggested by the comparatively high build. The Surrey Fire Brigade generally favours fully automatic transmission for fire appliances, so as to relieve the driver of the need to pay attention to gear changing and enable him to concentrate on other aspects of driving both safely and as rapidly as possible when answering a call. The hose-layers have orthodox constant-mesh gearboxes. Regular drivers have found, however, that quick gear changes are not only possible but give better results than attempting to use the gearbox in a more leisurely manner.
The remaining unit in the brigade's fleet which has a good cross-country performance is the breakdown lorry. This is not only used to recover fire appliances which have got into difficulties, but is sometimes called upon to assist when other vehicles have been involved in accidents or broken down. This is also based on a Thornycroft Nubian chassis with Rolls-Royce B8I petrol engine, but the version chosen for this application is a TFA/B81 6 x 6 model. The crane, mounted on a turntable at the rear, is capable of lifting 5 tons, whilst a power winch, capable of hauling 20 tons by means of a 200-ft. cable, can be B32 used from the front, rear or each side of the vehicle and is operated from the cab. Other equipment carried includes an axle ambulance for front or rear towing, a 5-ton snatch block and two 15-ton jacks. This vehicle incorporates a Thornycroftbuilt cab, but the remainder of the bodywork was built in the brigade's workshops; the crane had previously been mounted on a Bedford QL chassis.
Fire-brigade duties differ considerably from a maintenance point of view from those of almost any other form of commercial vehicle. The mileages of fire appliances are generally very small; one vehicle I saw had covered only 1,000 miles in two years. On the other hind, engines are frequently started and run briefly as a matter of regular routine (instant readiness must be checked), and this running is often insufficiently long to warm the engine up completely. Cylinderbore wear is, therefore, inclined to be high by standards based on mileage. Another point which can influence matters considerably is that an engine may be called upon to drive the appliance's fire pump for several hours at a big fire. Mileages actually covered are influenced by the location of the fire station and the size of area covered.
Overhauls on Inspection Basis
It follows that maintenance on a mileage basis would be unsatisfactory in several ways. It is equally obvious that no risk of a breakdown due to inadequate maintenance can be taken. The procedure adopted is to carry out a very thorough inspection and road test of the vehicle, carried out at the same time as a major servicing. Decisions as to overhaul work are taken on the basis of the results of this inspection, which is carried out every six months on major .fire appliances. Ancillary vehicles are inspected every three months. The cross-country vehicles fit into the same system as those meant for use on the roads. Oddly enough, although the actual fire appliances build up very small mileages, some of the brigade's auxiliary vehicles run considerable distances. A service van calling at each station in turn may cover a mileage of 30,000 per annum, for example. The central repair workshops are very well equipped and all forms ot repair work are carried out except for crankshaft regrinding. In addition to mechanical overhaul, bodywork repairs are carried out and, as already indicated, new bodywork is constructed. .1 was able to inspect a new tender in course of construction, as well as several complete vehicles, and can vouch for the standard of workmanship and finish being very high. I was also struck by the way in which the desirability of attractive appearance has obviously been borne in mind; a smart-looking vehicle must be an asset in an organization of this kind_ The Surrey Fire Brigade is evidently well organized to deal with emergencies wherever they arise, and its equipment for dealing with fires away from roads or water supplies is an example of a modern need being met by up-to-date methods. I am obliged to the chief officer of the brigade, and in particular to Divisional Officer J. J. Eddie, its transport officer, for assistance in describing how the problem is overcome.