Fire Engines Photos

What a beauty!

Added by Barry on 09 July 2008.

This is what a pump/ladder is all about, easy to get in and out of, roomy cab, well designed locker stowage, fast, great brakes, handles well with brilliant road holding and minimum corner lean, great on the eye as well, not in your face and doesnt look like a cement mixer, built in this country too, so why oh why are they getting thinner on the ground ???

Added by Big Al on 10 July 2008.

Big Al, I'm a Dennis man through an through, actually going back to the early 1970's.I drove the Rapier, don't know much about the Sabre, no nothing about the Dagger, but until Dennis give a better service, brigades will turn to other manufacturers I'm afraid such as Scania, Volvo and Mercedes, etc.I understand that West Sussex are now just buying Scania.Nine new appliances ordered this year will be Scania again(JDC Bodywork-Ithink).Three new Rescue Tenders have been ordered and again I understand will have bodies built by JDC.Its a shame
really but I'm wondering, do Dennis(JDC)still want to make fire engines??????.

Added by Pete Matten on 10 July 2008.

I am a serving firefighter of 26 years, the frs I work with have moved over to scania from volvo prior to which they purchased dennis, the scania whilst having a better driving environment is in no way as good as the dennis for handling, speed, accelaration, and in particular ease of ingress and egress, this to my mind makes it a safer appliance, the volvo fl series whilst a fairly good workhorse was fairly mundane and until the arrival of the supercharged version dismally slow, talking of which we regularly get overtaken on the motorway in the scania as its limited to 63 mph, the reason i guess is to stop it tipping over, i agree i think dennis are letting the name die, at least on fire appliances which is a great shame, i am not being dewy eyed just practicle they are a genuinely better machine and with some investment perhaps they could be market leaders again, but as long as the trendies buy scania who are selling at a huge discount to gain market leadership i am afraid it looks like the end of the finest fire appliance ever built, the question I would ask why ?

Added by Big Al on 11 July 2008.

Hi i added this pic and it fact drive this Appliance. i have to say she is such a joy to drive. But i`m sad to say that here in Gloucestershire we are not going to be getting any more Sabre`s, as of this year we have started to switch to MAN. :(

Added by Des Moore on 15 July 2008.

For those interested, it seems as though Dennis has pulled their socks up a bit, and are releasing the SABRE Mk 9, West Mids has placed an order for 12. Also Royal Brkshire ahs teamed up with Dennis, JDC and have amde up a Dagger Pumper Rescue. So fingers crossed hey!

Added by Darren on 31 August 2008.

I have trawled the internet and cant find any mention of a mk9 sabre, anyone any info, i also notice jdc have pulled dennis from there list of chassis suppliers, that is the end i fear, pity its the best by far

Added by Big Al on 25 September 2008.

I would far prefer to stop and take a picture of a Dennis, please don't get me wrong I like Scania's, but for a fire appliance the Dennis is the swan the rest the ugly ducklings.
Andrew.

Added by Andrew Wright on 25 September 2008.

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