A Well-equipped Auxiliary Fire-fighter
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Barking Fire Brigade Takes Delivery of a Smart Appliance Intended to Ease the Work Tackled by Larger Machines
A PARTICULARLY smart and PI serviceable fire tender, which should adequately fulfil many presentday requirements, has recently been supplied to Barking Fire Brigade by W. J. Reynolds (Motors), Ltd., Ford House, New Road, Dagenham. The brigade purchased the tender for adding to its permanent fleet, with a view to having a machine available to deal with small fires, and thus reduce the calls made on the larger fire-fighting appliances.
The area over which the brigade's activities extend embraces factories of all kinds, as well as closely populated residential districts, so that all classes of fire have to be anticipated. The equipment of the machine includes a Foamite generator and two Pyrene foam branches, with 50 gallons of foam solution and half a ton of powder. In addition, there are large quantities of hose, breakdown and first-aid equipment, and a 30-ft. extending ladder. Tins wide range of equipment is accommodated in a specially designed body, which is mounted on a Thames 25-cwt. forward-control chassis. Provision is also made for the tender to haul a Dennis 250-350 g.p.m. two-wheeled trailer pump.
The body is divided into three distinct compartments—the driver's cab, in which there is a seat for an officer; a centre compartment, with a roller shutter along each side, in which the foam equipment is housed.; a rear section with full-length hose boxes on each side ; these boxes are 2 ft. square and can be used for seating six firemen. Hinged seats and large doors at the rear give easy access to the equipment.
The ladder is carried on rollers in a trough formed in the roof, and the towing equipment for the trailer pump is so arranged that it forms a convenient step to facilitate entering the rear compartment.
The body itself has metal-faced plywood sides, a panel-beaten roof, and is lined with mahogany plywood. Although the construction has been carried out to meet a particular purpose, the price is low, being £295 for the vehicle, painted to choice, but, of course, not including the actual firefighting equipment.