Fire Engines Photos

1 of the 5 single cab Sabre

Added by Clarence on 02 October 2010.

It is back at Stafford and the Scania has moved to Londton

Added by Eric Elsmore on 28 October 2010.

Thanks Eric. That's interesting. Does anyone know why they've swapped houses?

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 30 October 2010.

I think the reason may be is, there is more crashes around exit 15 on the m6

Added by Eric Elsmore on 02 November 2010.

This truck has swapped with Staffords Scania HRT. Reasons for this are now Stafford has lost it's 2nd pump watch numbers have been decreased to 7 on duty with no retained cover there occasions when I could be off the run due to insufficient crewing!?!? and as Longton has retained cover and they ride the Hrt there is less chance of it going off the run!!!
But Clan Lucas hydraulic gear on the Sabre is Far better then the Webber gear on the Scania!!! So Stafford have had the better deal really!!!
And the Sabre is far more fun to drive!!! Hope this helps???

Added by Staffs lad on 08 February 2011.

Thanks Staffs lad for your input, but I'm sorry to say that it doesn't make it any clearer to me at all. Are you saying that as the Scania is the newer truck of the two, the powers-that-be have moved it to a station with a bigger watch so it is less likely to go off-the-run, and 'they' are therefore more likely to get their money's worth from it?

Also, as Stafford is the county's more centrally located station out of Stafford and Longton, you would think that every effort would be made to keep their RT on-the-run above any other.

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 08 February 2011.

Lol
yeah it makes no sense!!!
There is talk that once the Sabre comes to the end of her service it Wont be replaced!!! Leaving staffs just 1 Hrt!!! And having it north of the county is crazy!!! Although there is also talk of a Rescue pod and prime mover to contain Hrt gear and rope rescue kit + a few add on bits of kit to be at Stafford also possibility a foam pod as Stafford station has got a foam training area !!!
Who knows what hair brained plans and schemes lay ahead for Staffs fire and rescue!?!?

Added by Staffs lad on 09 February 2011.

When you think about it (and what with all the rescue gear now carried on frontline pumps), it is feasible to think the county could manage with one just HRT, especially in these austere times, but it would have to be positioned centrally to be an effective county-wide appliance. And when you look at a map of Staffordshire, there is nowhere more central and with as good an access route to the motorway than Stafford.

I used to love fire brigades for their fantastic vehicles and the tremendous work they did. But as I get older, I now find myself (in a perverse kind of way) almost looking forward to the madness that now pollutes this once-awesome establishment! Some of it can be quite amusing, even entertaining!

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 09 February 2011.

It could be very feasible if they equipped all Prls with suitable kit to deal with the modern vehicles!!! The kit we currently carry Is not able to deal technology in new vehicles!!! Such as Boron steel, to name but one!!!
And also it's not only about the kit on the truck it's expert knowledge that comes with it!!!
We have arrived on scenes of some horrific RTAs in the south of the county nearly 40mins in and almost taken over with knowledge and expertise!!!
I guess we will have to see what happens!!!
But do know what you mean regards the old fantastic trucks!!!
And by that token the old Fantastic Fire Stations!!!
before all these massive mortages from the government!!!!
fire brigades have gone never to return!!!


Added by Staffs lad on 09 February 2011.

First of all Stafford has never had any retained at the new Station. The two main reason's that Stafford and Longton have swapped RT's is the manning.At Longton the wholetime primary man the ALP and the RT with retained back up for the RT if the ALP goes out but if the wholetime take the RT the ALP goes off the run as the retained are not trained on it at present, this means that the RT is on the run 24/7. At Stafford the wholetime now switch man the ALP and the RT so if the ALP goes out then the RT is off the run and visa versa. With the system at Stafford the RT tends to be off the run alot with the wholetime WrT now at the new Rising Brook station during the day. The Dennis SC RT was refurbished by Angloco 2 years ago before it went on the run at Longton with the plan for it to be on the run for another 8-10 years. Staffordshire are also planning to build a bulk foam carrier, the chassis has already been purchased.

Added by Soren Heeks on 10 February 2011.

Yeah I am pretty sure that's what had already been written!?!
And Staffords Wrt is at rising brook 24/7 and is being kept on the run by whole fighters and retained Ffs from around the county!!!
Thus proving that retained cover is Not reliable!!!
There is alot of brigades that are not allowing retained Ffs to ride Specials because of mataining competance in coreskills.
Probably due to increased paperwork and such like put on watch managers and crew managers, and not being given any more time to drill!!!

Added by Staffs lad on 11 February 2011.

Rising Brook is retained station, and the firefighters are live 5 minutes from the station. If think I'm wrong check the Staffordshire fire website. Stafford WrT was replaced by an TRV

Added by Eric Elsmore on 14 February 2011.

Think in reality they rarely make Rising Brook station within the 5 mins!!!
Proven by Stafford 1 booking in-attendance at calls less than 500yrds from the front door of Rising Brook station!!! And a Trv cannot replace a whole time pump as doesn't attend Rtas or property fires. Meaning a poorer service to the county town!!!



Added by Staffs lad on 14 February 2011.

It is based at Stafford, because I seen it going on teddesley road in penkridge at 1:45 today.

Added by Eric Elsmore on 26 August 2011.

Very interesting commentary lads.....it would seem to me ( a Canadian Fire Officer) that this strict adherance in the UK to "wholetime, part-time, retained etc) is actually causing more wrongs than rights.....I know that in my departments that I ensure that EVERY member is trained and maintains their skills and qualifications in ALL aspects of the job...we run one of 3 Heavy Rescue units in the County..in addition, almost every department and station seems to have some auto extrication capability ( equipment - training wise). It is pretty common practice here, in Ontario at least for a Rescue unit to respond out with a MINIMAL staffing of 4, more usually more...my Department, we roll with 6 on board..plus additional units respond......often a total of upwards of 20 FF's and Officers will be on a scene......traffic control, apparatus ( appliance) operators, extrication team, safety officer(s), I.C., suppression standby, medical assist ( helping paramedics)....and that is for a common MVC or an RTC as you would call them......I just can;t fathom WHY any FD anywhere would limit it;s manpower by only having some trained etc......and what is a TRV and why wouldn;t they attend a "property fire"...I assume that these would be a structure fire?.......

I sure learn alot from the comments here re: the UK fire services.......some simular, alot different......

cheers, and I;ll watch for the replys

Added by Jay on 27 August 2011.

Hi there Jay. A TRV is what Staffs F&RS call their baby engines, technically a Targeted Response Vehicle, a small van-sized engine that responds with a crew of four to small fires - grass, brush, litter, even car fires. An example of one can be found at picture 11011.

Every one of Staffordshire's stations run an engine that carries the full set of 'jaws-of-life' crash rescue gear. Staffordshire have two Heavy Rescue Tenders like the appliance above to respond to more-demanding rescue situations as well as the more usual RTC. Not only does it carry more-specialised kit but it has an invaluable wealth of knowledge thanks to the guys that regularly staff it.

The usual response to an RTA persons reported in Staffordshire is two pumps (one of which will be a Rescue Pump), a Heavy Rescue Tender, and any number of officers and support staff, which can mean anything from eleven to fifteen firefighters, all of which are RTC-trained and experienced, though some more than others.

Good to hear from you. Hope this helps.

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 27 August 2011.

This seems to be out and about a lot in Stafford lately. Good to see it still going, I always wondered what happened to the Scania.

Also this is the place to ask, whats the deal with the new 'Driver Training' Scania? It appears to have what looks like a Hose Laying type arrangement on the back? Maybe with Foam equipment too?

Added by David on 26 February 2013.

Many fire departments in North America have a recall protocol for off-duty members, to insure that special-purpose and/or reserve trucks can be quite rapidly manned by fully-qualified off-duty personnel. They are usually not called out very often, but can make a real difference in making sure coverage is sufficient when it is really a concern.

Added by Rob Johnson on 27 February 2013.

This is now for sale on a HGV website! Stafford has gone from (in my time, at least) 2 pumps, 1 RT, 1 ALP and 1 Line Rescue to 1 pump, 1 line rescue and a retained pump (Rising Brook). That's quite a loss. Stafford station will be looking pretty empty now...

Added by David on 09 November 2014.

Hey David, I take it that Stafford have now lost their ALP then? I knew it was on the cards, but I just didn't know when exactly.

A single Scania pump and an ageing Land Rover rope rescue unit! I bet Stafford's huge appliance room is now an empty, echoing, forlorn place indeed. Stafford really have borne the brunt of recent cuts.

I too can remember Stafford's two pumps, HP, RT and RRU - all wholetime-manned. I remember the old station too (where ASDA is now) - an ideal central location, with no need to build a second station (and waste money) on the other side of town. You know, some Brigades get it so wrong at times. It's such a shame that my home county brigade is one of them. I just hope the savage cuts at the county town don't lead to unnecessary losses of lives and property. But sadly I fear that is inevitable: because if Rising Brook are off-the-run, as often happens at retained stations, then amazingly, a town with a population upwards of 100, 000 has to rely on a service that is on a par with a small village or hamlet. And that's utterly disgraceful.

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 15 November 2014.

Hi Yelp,

The recent fireworks factory explosion in Stafford was attended by Burton's ALP (quite a drive, that!) which seemed to suggest that the ALP was gone. Given it dated from 1994, it stands to reason it was to be retired and not replaced.

Agreed on Stafford station, I remember it opening (when it had Divisional HQ attached to it if I remember!). A delve into Staffs FoI requests offers up an interesting one regarding call outs over the past 10 years. Stafford has seen a near half reduction in call outs in 10 years. Although its lovely to see a fully stocked fire station, I imagine in the face of such an obvious reduction in workload that its inevitable that cuts, particularly to vehicles, will occur. (Although I am aware of the saying 'lies, damn lies and statistics'!).

What I don't understand so much in the UK is that we look to cut vehicles as much as possible, while much smaller towns and cities in Europe (particularly Germany and France) are able to maintain fleets of 5-10 vehicles that are effectively 'jump crewed' depending on need. Perhaps that is the way forward? Who knows.

Added by David on 20 November 2014.

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