Recently in Fire and rescue trucks Category

Neil Temple clearly knows how to get around me...with a Unimog picture and what better than another Moggie fire-fighter! "Hi Brian, today I was at the 'Powered by Mercedes Benz 2009' end of Grand Prix season bash at Mercedes Benz World, near Brooklands. There were many interesting vehicles at the event and as soon as I saw this magnificent Moggie I thought of you and the blog. It belongs to the Surrey Fire & Rescue service and as i'm sure you'll agree is quite a machine!"

I thought it was about time we saw the latest Mercedes Zetros six-wheeler in action and what better than as a fire truck. Which reminds Biglorryblog, emeregency vehicle bodybuilding specialists recently rolled up for a two-day event to held by the German truck maker. And amongst the vehicles on display was the aforementioned Zetros in fabulous forestry fire-fighting fig! Now click through here to see what else was there too! 

As a long time partner of fire-fighters (or as we on Biglorryblog say Sapeurs and Pompiers) as well as local authority fire-fighting and rescue departments, Renault Trucks has set up a dedicated 'Urban Fire-fighting Bodybuilder Department', offering emergency services a single contact capable of responding rapidly to their specific needs. And to further cement that relationship Renault has launched a new, extended cab, Midlum Fire Tender and here it is...

Tim Cotton has provided yours truly with this 4x4 fire tender and says: "Brian, yet more holiday snaps! The tracked fire engine made me think about this Renault Fire engine I saw in Limoux France in 2007"

 Now click through here for a BIglorryblog mystery fire engine from Italy...and a pizza quiz!

"Behold!" says Biglorryblog. It's the mighty two-section full-track carrier 'Vityaz DT-2P' can transport people in harsh road and climatic conditions, in temperatures of -40 to +45 ºC. So what is this unusual emergency response vehicle doing on BLB? Well, it, and an number of other Russian fire engines fitted with Allison auto transmissions www.allisontransmission.com recently appeared 

at a special emergency vehicle show...and click through here and you can read all about it! Plus there's a photo pie quiz too....

Last one for today...so I thought it was about time Biglorryblog provided you with some pictures of the superb Pierce Manufacturing tractor drawn fire truck. And as you all know Pierce is one of the manufacturing divisions within the Oshkosh Corporation. Fire engines don't get much better than this..or do they? Click through here for a full 'Velocity' fire truck!

"Hi Brian, I saw this beast on Delhi International Airport. It's a Rosenbauer airport crash tender. From now India will get little a bit more fast! Regards Abhishek Bargode."

And click through for one more...

Thanks to Abhishek Bargode I can announce that the first Mercedes Actros fire engine has arrived in India..and here it is exclusively on Biglorryblog...first on the back of a Tata artic! 

And now on the back of what looks like an old Merc Powerliner--or is this a Tata too? Now click through here for one more..

OK anorak army... What on earth is this? Answers on a comment please (for a pie) and click through here for a close up. The truck in the background provdies a useful clue...

Sometimes even the life of a truck journalist can get mildly exciting. Driving around the Bavarian countryside on the launch of the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Euro5, we found the preceding truck, running a few moments ahead, in the middle of a breakers yard. It turns out that the BMW in the picture had lost patience with the Canter obeying the 70km/h limit and went for the overtake approaching a blindish bend/crest, collecting an oncoming Renault Espace. The Renault ended up in the field behind the picture, leaving its offside front suspension in the road and its driveshaft bouncing off the Canter's windscreen.

With the only injuries being a bit of airbag wrist for the Bee-Em driver, we helped clear the road then legged it before the Polizei arrived to interview everyone in the vicinity, just in time to meet the firemen coming up the road.

I thought it was about time we featured one of those wonderful American LaFrance http://www.americanlafrance.com/ fire trucks on Biglorryblog and here's a recent delivery to the burgh of Lambertville. And they've chosen a 75' Mid-Mount Tower Eagle six-wheeler with a throbby 515hp Detroit Diesel S60 and Allison 4000 EVS autobox. That should get them to the fire in a hurry. Now click through here for some more...

Let's face it, the number of people who really a 4x4 is pretty small. So it's nice to read about an end-user that can justify one and word reaches Biglorryblog that an all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has just taken on a life-saving role with one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in the UK www.keswickmrt.org.uk/. The Sprinter 4x4 is working as an ambulance/personnel carrier in the Lake District National Park, where it is on 24-hour emergency standby.

And here you can see it, and the Keswick mountain rescue team (complete with mountain rescue dog) in all theitr glory..now click through here for the full story... (And more on that dog!)

Biglorryblog is grateful to David Hecker whose website you should visit at www.aussiebigbangers.4t.com. David sent me these shots of a fire engine that thought it was a submarine... And says: "It had 2000 km on the clock and happened up near Tewantin in the recent heavy rain." Now click through here for more...

Word reaches Biglorrybog that Bedfordshire & Luton Fire & Rescue Service has added four MAN TGM 13.280BL 4x4 fire appliances in response to what the service sees as a growing requirement to operate 'multi-role' vehciles. In addtition to serving as rural fire-fighting engines the compact 13-tonners will also be used as front line 'urban' machines. Now click through here for more...

Now here's something you don't see everyday... A VW Constellation fire engine! And I have my 'travelling cloggie chum' Tim de Jong (he's a crazshee guy) for it. Indeed Tim tells me: "Hi Brian, sometimes the Dutch cloggie chum isn't travelling 'physically', but he does remain simply at the office, surfing the interweb. It's there where I found this rather special fire engine if you ask me." Now click through here for more...

AtkiPete Lynch in Oz e-mails me to say: "G'day Brian, shocked to see one of my lovely ACCOs going up in smoke yesterday! Looks like some Drongo has put chemicals out in the household garbage and this has set off a fire inside the compactor... The fire brigade tried to douse it with water but they couldn't really get to it so the ACCO was escorted off to the local dump with a couple of Scania fire engines in "hot" pursuit! Cheers, Pete."

AtkiPet Lynch has seen sufficiently red to send me these splendid shots of fire engines following the recent post from Tim de Jong in which Tim sang the paises of the International LoneStar fire engine... And it's got Pete hot under the collar as he says: "G'day Brian, have you been out in the sun already this year? Suggesting that International LoneStar is the best looking fire engine indeed!"

Clearly miffed Pete adds: "Any true fire engine Anorak will agree that the Australia has the finest fire engines and even my lack of photographic skills could not spoil this lot!"

Indeed I wonder if, in his own unique way Pete might not be telling us all to go to blazes... Anyway click through here for more!

Biglorryblog's globe-trotting cloggie mate Tim de Jong has sent me this picture of an Interrnational Lone Star fire engine and to say: "Hi Brian, So there I was, at the Mid-American Trucking Show. This phenomonal International Lone Star fire engine was nowhere to be seen at the show - but we did see a PC on the International stand displaying this unique picture as a screensaver. And as you know, BLB's spies look just a little bit further than anyone would expect, naturally. The Americans didn't mind at all forwarding it to me. And they didn't say: 'Sir, do you want cheese with that...?' BLB clearly opens some internationally 'hidden doors', you know...!"