Fire Engines Photos

I've seen these appliances in books before, does anyone on her have any technical specs on them and also interior shots.
They look a good machine, but would like to know more about them.

Added by John Johnstone on 09 January 2008.

Johnno, check out the following which will give you what you are looking for from the New South Wales Fire Brigade in Australia,,

www.nswfb.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=161

try this one too, the other address was the New South Wales version:

www.fire.qld.gov.au/about/fire_engines.asp


Added by Pavel on 16 May 2009.

Pavel, you are a top man my friend, thanks for that, i will have a look, cheers and take care, John .

Added by John Johnstone on 16 May 2009.

Yeah Pav, thanks for that, I have been interested in these little pumps too, they look really useful machines.

Added by John Stott on 17 May 2009.

Im my opinion they would have been one of the worst fire engines ever made. One door in/out only for the crew. Very cramped. Ive turned out to jobs in these when the NSWFB first got them and was not impressed. The Dennis was a heaps better fire engine while the Accos they replaced are still going strong, even the ones recently retired some going to collectors while others have gone onto nwere lifes as construction or service vehicles. Im told they are to be all scrapped(not resold at auction like the Accos etc) as soon as replacements can be built.

Added by Aaron Bischoff on 09 November 2009.

No, my uncle is a retired firemen in the NSWFB, I'm pretty sure that they had two doors and I've heard of some models being made with 4 doors

Added by Tiger on 04 June 2013.

In 1993 the austral inc introduced the second generation Mk2 of Firepac truck. The updated model can be identified by the modified design of the front end with small square headlights. Firepac Mk2 used by almost all fire departments in Australia. Despite several advantages, such as, excellent visibility, they had one major drawback - the cabin had only two doors, the right was used only by the driver, and the entire crew (5 people in the outfit) had to leave the vehicle through the single left door. Th chassis was fitted with a six-cylinder diesel engine Caterpillar or Cummins, as well as automatic transmissions Allison. Two major versions were produced - Firepac 3000 with Rosenbauer NH30 pump with a capacity of 3000 l/min, and Firepac 3500 with Godiva pump with a capacity 3500 l/min.
Shortly before the close of the company, Austral showed the third generation Mk3 of Firepac. Externally it differed only by details - steel bumper of a new shape, modified windows of the doors, and another way of installation of rear-view mirrors. Under the cabin was placed a new 7.2-liter diesel engine Caterpillar 3116. This appliance comes in two pump configurations: midship and rear mounted pump position. In 1999 all assets of Austral company were purchased by Varley, and the production of Firepac trucks continued under the new brand.

Added by Alan on 04 June 2013.

i think you are getting mixed up with the Varley Commander , they had 2 doors either side, the firepac had only a door for the driver and a small door behind it for the crew as seen in this photo , bit iffy I would say

Added by J Hanson on 04 June 2013.

Thanks, Alan, for clearing that up for me. Apparently, another drawback is/was that they were designed as fire trucks from the ground up, meaning that when they reached the end of their service life, they could not be sold off and used as normal trucks, like the Internationals could. This meant they were somewhat of a liability when it came to disposing of them.

Added by Tiger on 04 June 2013.

My uncle also told me that the chassis was far too weak to hold the weight of the water tank, leading to many Firepacs cracking their chassis. This led to their nickname "Fire-Cracks". Yet another major disadvantage was the fact that they were plumbed for remote foam pickup only. Thank God that the Varley, the Firepac's successor, now has four doors, a much stronger chassis and an onboard foam tank! The Firepacs looked great, but were hopeless in practical terms.

Added by Tiger on 27 March 2014.

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