Fire Engines Photos

Seeing the pump in the foreground has 3 words in the station name on the side of the truck and given this shout was at sharpness, I would say that it has to be from Wotton under Edge.

Added by Des Moore on 18 August 2009.

Des,you would be right.

Added by Bob on 18 August 2009.

The ship behind is the Liberian flagged GIALIA and a fire was discovered in the timber cargo on the 28th August 1969. The appliance would be from Wotton-under-Edge.The photo I would think is the day after (or later) the fire was reported, eventually they cut a hole in the ship to allow it to settle on the bottom of the dock as all the water they were pumping into the ship was making it unstable.

Added by Mike Nash on 26 January 2016.

As a young JO in the early 1970's, I undertook a very interesting ship stability course at the Leith Nautical College. I can't remember our tutors mentioning cutting a hole in a vessel and allowing it to sink as a means of fighting fires on ships ... but I can understand the simple logic and it is guaranteed to work! I suppose it is the marine equivalent of 'allowing fire to burn out'!! Back then the fire report would have been handwritten and submitted on the old Form K433. I wonder what the OIC entered as the 'Method'. It appears a four-word entry would have sufficed ... 'Extinguished by Authorised Sinking'. That would have raised a few eyebrows in the then Department of Fire Statistics at the Home Office!!

Added by Keith Richardson on 27 January 2016.

I believe there was 'an authorised sinking' of a ship in Hull docks in the 1980's!

Added by Rick LOUDON on 28 January 2016.

Nice photo . The crew compartment on the Ford D series cannot have been a pleasant place to ride in.

Added by Craigw on 29 January 2016.

The body is the cheaper HCB-Angus one. Can't remember the name of it though.

Added by Grant Melville on 31 January 2016.

Craig: It was actually very spacious - being the full width of the body with quite good head room. I am 1.90 tall and could stand up very easily.

On one occasion, we fitted eight into the crew cab and another three in front - rather more than Gloucestershire ever ran to fires with!

Added by Rob Johnson on 30 May 2017.

Rob , was actually thinking of the lack of windows , but like houses probably lighter in there than it appears !

Added by Craigw on 02 June 2017.

The cab and bodywork on the Ford is called "Low cost" I kid you not!

Added by John Johnstone on 03 June 2017.

The rear window in the front tilt cab was removed, with quite a large opening (surrounded by a beefy rubber grommet to keep the rain out) to facilitate communication between the OIC and the crew in the back. This meant that quite a lot of light came in this way to add to light from the side door windows, so it was not all that bad...

Added by Rob Johnson on 07 June 2017.

i am looking at this ford costcutter and I dont want to appear contradictive but the rear height inside the cab couldnt have been more than is normal for fire appliances as the chassis rails dictate the interior height and looking at the floor in the open door there is no way unless you were a very short person could you stand up in there, even in the footwells it wouldnt be possible to stand up, I have rode in ford d series, dodge k series , dodge commando and scania and no way can I stand up in any of them and I am five foot seven!! you van only stoop , as for the way through to the cab it must have been some grommet its about a foot behind the tilt cab , anyway just saying is all, cheapskate fire authorities never change.

Added by Donny Mclean on 14 June 2017.

The grommet was indeed a chunky item. Wallace would have been very proud! As a matter of record, I don't know if it really worked, but the cab did smell very strongly of rubber...

Added by Rob Johnson on 15 June 2017.

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