Fire Engines Photos

By the look of the hose reel and the amount of hose in the locker, the Suffolk crews like to (or have to) get pretty close to whatever is burning! But they do seem to carry around enough ladders.

Added by Rob Johnson on 15 June 2010.

Rob, just so you know, this is a PRT (Pump Rescue Tender). It is a combined firefighting/rescue vehicle so as a result carries less hose to make way for more rescue equipment, hence no LPP in locker 7 instead a fold up basket stretcher.

There are a small number of hosereels, but in the event more and needed then a make-up for more pumps is required.

Hope this helps explain why that is for you :)

Added by Peter Bromley on 18 June 2010.

Sounds like a very good reason for UK fire services to adopt the one-man hose carts used in France, Germany and some South American countries. These carry 200 M (650 feet) of 70 MM hose in 10 preconnected lengths, hang on the back of the appliance, and can be used by one man to very quickly access the hydrant and/or reach the fire scene. Most pumpers carry two, and they can be got to work really fast. My other suggestion is to mount the ladders on powered overhead gantries, as is now commonplace in many European countries. This enables the side lockers to be built up to the cab roof line, or higher, and accessed by folding steps, with powered angled shelving, so all the rescue gear and firefighting equipment can be accommodated. The other benefit is that the 13.5 meter ladder can be mounted horizontally, instead of sloping to the rear, so there is more cubic space available for the water tank, which in turn increases locker space if the tank continues to hold 400 IG. As crews get smaller and one appliance has to do more of everything without becoming unwieldy and simply too huge, we need to think about implementing some of the good ideas which our colleagues in other countries have already proved can work.

Added by Rob Johnson on 18 June 2010.

Would this be a city machine rather than a rural machine?. I know our machine carries 16 lengths of 70mm and 4 lengths of 45 mm plus 2 HPHR's and a LPP aswell as associated RTC equipment, H-Rise Flats bag, GP Linee, Working at Height kit, first-aid backpack, enviro bag, chimney kit, grassland kit and basic water rescue kit.

Added by Stevie Murray on 19 June 2010.

Stevie as i said to Rob, this is a PRT (Pump Rescue Tender). They are designed to provide areas of the county of Suffolk with more advanced rescue equipment whilst maintaining some sort of firefighting capability. This appliance is rural, Stradbroke is in North Suffolk right on the Border with Norfolk, however they do have some notoriously dangerous roads near to there patch.

As a result Suffolk fire & rescue allocate these PRT's strategically to areas where there are accident hotspots so that in the likely event of accidents happening, PRT's or ERT's (more advanced) are able to respond in the quickest response times possible.

With regards to hosereels, our PRT at Sudbury had 5 lengths of 70mm, and 2 45's and that coupled with 2 HP hosereels is it!! everything else is rescue equipment.

Hope this answers your question mate if not let me know :)

Added by Peter Bromley on 19 June 2010.

Learned a lot from your discussions above...

The versatile Hose Reel is vanishing from our New Construction over here - apparently for Financial Economy reason, and, Health & Safety reason (Not enough water-flow in 1 inch (25 mm) line...

Replaced by the "Trash Line" - pre-connected lengths of 1 1/2 inch(38 mm) or 1 3/4 inch (45 mm) in a cross-lay bed, behind the cab, or, in the front bumper(fender).

Miss the Hose Reel - could be quickly deployed for chasing grass-fires, vehicle-fires, chimney fires(flue fires) and easy for by-standers to assist, especially for man-power-starved rural Fire Depts.

Regards, from Canada,
Pat_R-B

Added by Pat Rivers-Bowerman on 24 June 2010.

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