I always thought this was one of the most stylish French fire pumper designs, even if the rear bodywork was a bit lower than it could have been. It certainly created a very light and airy crew cab - possibly a record with respect to being pleasant to travel in….French fire services have almost universally operated first aid compact light pumpers with crews of three to six members alongside heavy pumpers with crews up to a dozen for most of the last hundred years. The thinking was that as most fires are usually quite minor, a small crew with a fast and maneuverable light truck with a small tank can often get the job done, while the heavy pumper takes longer to turn out and is slower, but has everything for a more serious incident if it is really needed. In recent years this has begun to change, as light pumpers are getting bigger and more comprehensively equipped, while heavy pumpers are often rescue pumpers too and crews usually max out at eight. For example, BSPP operate PS with five, and heavy pumpers with eight, while BMPM have only three on a PS but six on a full size pumper. It seems most departmental fire services run with four or five on a PS and usually six on a heavy pumper or rescue pumper.
Added by Rob Johnson on 20 February 2026.