This was the first Dennis Sabre to go into service, initially stationed at Chippenham in 1995, Wiltshire receiving 3 Mercedes-Benz WTLs that year in addition to the first Sabre, Wiltshire having been heavily involved with the development of the Dennis Sabre. Wiltshire received another 36 Sabres from 1995 - 2007 until the first Scania appliances arrived this year. Jon.
Added by Jon Godden on 06 December 2009.
Jon, Can I shed somemore light on you recent post? This was the first registered Dennis Sabre 06/04/1995. However I have heard that H&WFRS claim to have put the first Sabre into service(M281 KWP) that was registered a month later on 01/05/1995 I believe this happened due to M650 EMR doing a demo tour when it left the factory before being delivered to wiltshire. I also found out that H&WFRS purchased their's direct from dennis as oppose to going through the purchasing consortium. I was to be the new owner of M650 EMR but on the 11th hour the brigaqde found the finances required to purchase it from the leasing company. They are suppose to be using it in one of their youth project they run.
Thanks for the extra info regarding the first Sabres, i was only going on memory and registration dates- i was living and working in Swindon at the time and recall that M650 EMR did do a lot of demo / promotional work at the time. I was delighted in it's arrival having moved from Worthing in 1994 and was missing my Dennis "Fix", away from my beloved West Sussex. Jon.
Can somebody tell me how Wiltshire designate their first- and second-away pumps? What I mean is: are they referred to as Water Ladders & Water Tenders, or Pump Rescue Ladders & Rescue Pumps, or Water Ladder Rescues & blah blah blah...? Cheers!
M650EMR was infact the second Dennis sabre to be built with the chassis number 103. M281KWP was infact the third Sabre to be built with a chassis number 104. The first Sabre to be built was Chassis number 102 which was built by Carmichael for Merseyside and was cancelled before it entered service and started out as a Demonstrator before ending up at Midlands Fire protection services re N932TPK
Added by Wayne Davies on 14 September 2012.
I photographed N932TPK at Rhyl in 1996 when it was on a tour. R635PMO was at Rhyl too before she was purchased by Cork City Fire Department.
Wayne, M281 KWP is due for disposal very shortly. It was at workshops today along with M282/3/4 KWP. I wasn't aware that it was one of the first Sabre's off the production line. L962 YAB, the last Rapier in the brigade, is also sat in the yard, which I think be will going for scrap. Also noteable is that the CARP is still sat there gathering dust!
Added by Jon Godden on 06 December 2009.