Fire Engines Photos

You are correct. The manufacturer, Chubb Fire Vehicles, were based in Feltham, just outside Heathrow Airport England. Interestingly, the building was part of the hangers built between the wars on the old Hanworth Airpark.

Added by Ashley F Ingall on 12 April 2011.

I think I designed this fire tender I worked as a freelance designer at Chubb fire and Security, trouble is I can’t remember the year maybe in the 70’s
The truck was actually built but they wanted a body added, I’d blagged my way into the job having never designed anything like this, it was I seem to remember a very good hourly rate!
I didn’t have a clue how to even start the styling exercise but one day walked down to Feltham high street and bought from a toy shop one I believe one of the thunderbird models, can’t tell you which one it was a long time ago, but it had a radar dish.
I kept it in my drawer and would use my dividers to scale the thing up; this was before CAD so I did all this on paper drawings. Main thing I recall was the very steeply raked windscreen and the reverse chamber from the front wheels to the pointy nose.
They were very pleased with the design and although I left before they built it, I heard later that they got a design prize for it, the citation was that “although futuristic the design seems vaguely familiar”
Little did they know why.....


Added by Jaro on 24 December 2012.

Congratulations on an excellent fire vehicle design job mr Jaro!

Added by Nikos on 25 May 2013.

Comment removed at request of Commentor

Many years (30 +)later when I moved to France there was for a brief period one of these jobbies at Carcassonne airport.....

Added by John Rolfe on 23 June 2013.

Andy the Dennis Rapier also won a Design Council Award 20 years later.

Added by Dr. B.A. Hutchinson on 23 June 2013.

Comment removed at request of Commentor

I remember these engines, I was an electrician at Chubb Fire when they were building them. I did all the electrics on the one that went to Manchester. Those were the days!

Added by Alan Renwick on 01 November 2013.

Alan, I worked for Pyrene / Chubb vehicles and tested a great number of these fire trucks. including the Pathfinder. I was also responsible for the test ground in Feltham.

Added by Martin Spiller on 03 November 2013.

I rode one of the Pathfinders at the Farnborough Air Show in either 73 or 74, I was employed by MOD Fire Service at the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough where the air show was held.

Added by Mike Williams on 04 November 2013.

Hi Martin, Those were great days, I remember going to a test ground with a Protector and there was a Pathfinder there doing tests and you could see the wall move that they were testing the monitor against. I think the test ground was in Wraysbury though not Feltham.

Added by Alan Renwick on 04 November 2013.

Hi Alan there was a test ground in Iver in Bucks and moved to Feltham were all of the protectors were tested until the end I also went to airshows with the vehicles.

Added by Martin Spiller on 08 November 2013.

Hi Martin, I remember the name of the test ground now, it was Chobham Tank testing ground near Chertsey. I think it is some sort of race track now. There were some big blocks for testing the suspension and six wheel drive.

Added by Alan Renwick on 08 November 2013.

I worked with you Martin @ Chubb

Added by Karen on 15 October 2014.

Hi Karen after the vehicle dept was sold I worked at High wycombe with dave and dai I have photos of the vehicles we had there the pathfinder from new york being one I will put them on the site.

Added by Martin spiller. on 17 October 2014.

I wonder if my memory still works? You wouldn't be the same Karen I photographed at The Airman pub circa 1996 (when CFV was in it's final days) along with Dick Wendland, Les Ferris, Derek Wooden, Ollie Miller, Rita Woods and others from the design office?
Interestingly, I only today came across a promotional video of the vehicles on YouTube which had a brief glimpse of the drawing office shot from where my desk was. (Search for Chubb Fire Vehicles..I'm afraid this site won't allow me to include the url)
Your name rings a bell, Martin, even though we never actually met. Although I recognise a few of the guys working at their boards, I've no idea who the man in the foreground is working at Derek Wooden's desk.

Added by Ashley F Ingall on 17 October 2014.

this vehicle was also at Kos airport, (Kos island), Greece, in the 80's. I was at that airport that time(Civil Aviation Authority)

Ed: you can see the YouTube film referred to here

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDUxLjOJrIE&t=45s

Added by Sakis Papachatzis on 09 September 2026.

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