Fire Engines Photos

This beautiful car was part of a large order placed by the then BSB (nowadays renamed RSB, which is the fully professional Lisbon's Fire Department/Brigade)to the German bodymaker METZ.The 29 units order (probably the largest single order to METZ at the time)consisted in the following units, all using MERCEDES chassis: 2 Senior Command Vehicles + 5 Junior Command vehicles + 4 Light Pumper/Officer on duty vehicles + 14 medium Pumpers + 2 Tanker/Pumper units. This was the major revamping/re-equipment ever of the BSB/RSB, indeed its absolute turning point from animal to motor traction. Delivery took place around 1930/1931, withy some of the units still active in the 50s. The car in this picture was one of Command units and it carried a small water tank in the area of the luggage compartment! Radio-communication with the vehicles was also adopted very soon after this innovative move (starting with the Officer on Duty units). Detailed description of the order (and several pictures of the vehicles delivered) can be seen in the following book:150 Jahre Metz, by R.Metzger, published in 1992 by Konkordia Verlag (Germany)

Added by APR343 on 04 April 2014.

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