Crew Comfort Studied in New Fire Tenders
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DROBABLY the first of its type to be put into production, a Fordson six-wheeled fire tender has recently left the works of J. H. Jennings and Son, Ltd.. Sandbach. It is one of a large number of tenders being supplied to Turkey. Previous bodies have been mounted on four-wheeled chassis.
All equipment is fully enclosed and there is a "saloon" for the crew of seven. The bulk of the body space is taken up by a water tank of approxi mately 900 gallons, which is piped to the centrally mounted hose reel as well as to the pump, driven by a power takeoff. mounted at the rear.
Use is made of the valanced running boards to afford extra locker space and there is a large locker on each side of the tank, in addition to the two small ones in the rear valances. The large crew cab has four doors, with directlift windows, hinged screens and comfortable, bench-type seats.
Ladder gallows, chromium-plated hand rails and a centrally mounted first-aid reel are fitted on the roof. Other equipment includes a bell, an amber flasher, a siren and a searchlight, whilst provision is made for dealing with forest fires and spraying dust-laden streets by water sprinklers and sprays mounted at the front; these can be used when traversing burning undergrowth.
Another new tender built on modern limousine lines has been based on the underfloor-engined Commer chassis, J. H Jennings and Son, Ltd., having completed the work in co-operation with J. Kerr and Co., Ltd. A 400gallon water tank is placed amidships and is connected through a small pump to two first-aid reels in lockers on each side.
The body section immediately behind c12
the rear wheels accommodates a selfcontained mobile pump, mounted by means of channel gantries through the two side doors. A roller shutter is used to give access to the pump when it is to be employed in the mounted position. I recessed instrument and control panel for the first-aid reels is situated on the near side.
The locker between the twin hose reels is open to the crew cab. There are also one large and two small lockers on each side, making a total capacity
of approximately 130 cubic ft.All locker doors hinge upwards and have pan-type spring-loaded handles; the interiors are illuminated automatically when the doors are opened.
The crew cab, which seats seven persons, has four hinged doors with direct-lift windows. The bulkhead of the front bench-type seat is made in the form of shelves which are open to the rear. The body is constructed of wood framing covered with altaluminium panels.