Fire Engines Photos

Very similar to Hampshire's newest ALP.

Added by David Jones on 11 April 2011.

Does this appliance have further crew seating in the cab?

Added by John Mc Ateer on 12 April 2011.

Highgate having a ALP? What's happening to Bournbrook? Is that still going to have a ALP?

Added by Tom on 12 April 2011.

@John McAteer, it only has a two man cab John.

@Tom, Bournbrook is losing their ALP which is transfering to Highgate, however until the Highgate crew are trained up, the old ALP will continue at Bournbrook. I remember when the West Mids had a very healthy aerial fleet!

Added by Andy Daley on 13 April 2011.

I thought one was based at Walsall and the other at Oldbury?

Added by Michael Penny on 13 April 2011.

I can remember ward end having a EFR and did Dheldon use to have one? I remember when Central had 2 prl's and a Dennis TL them where the days.

Added by Tom on 14 April 2011.

Michael, Walsall had an ERF HP when I went, they said they definately arent getting a new ALP. The Highgate lads told us that the new ALP comes to them on 18th May.
Tom, my first ever visit to Central, they had a Dennis R Series and Dennis RS Pump, and a ERF TL. Happy days!

Added by Andy Daley on 16 April 2011.

Sorry , but I don't think this has rear steering.It has I think the wrong set up ie the single wheels should be at the front and rear, the drive axel between the 2 single steered axels just like 2 in East Sussex and Hampshires but if you you can show this ALP with the rear most axel turning I stand corrected.

Added by Shaun R. on 17 April 2011.

Hi Shaun, I can confirm that this truck has a steering rear axle I was with andy when these photos where taken and I have a picture of it turning in the yard which shows the wheels turned. If I get a chance I will post a pic.

Cheers

Matt

Added by Matt Brown on 18 April 2011.

You are correct about it having a steering axle but the name used is wrong as the rear axle on this is driven not steered.

Added by Sean Griffiths on 27 November 2011.

I Saw a Volvo idetical to this with no Station Name on the side but with fleet number 112, in use at Wolverhampton 2 years ago rescuing someone from a roof during storm Doris.
Does Wolverhampton NOT have such a machine?
The Oldbury appliance covers places such as Stourbridge and goes into the Worcestershire area at times too.

Added by Michael Earith on 06 March 2019.

Michael Earith....... today West Midlands Fire Service have only five ALPs, but get this.... only THREE are actually on-the-run, with the oher two acting as reserves. Active ALPs can be found at Coventry Central, Highgate and Walsall. The two reserves are located at Oldbury and Walsall. Personally I find it quite shocking that a metropolitan county of three million people has just three active aerials to rely on. Particularly when in the mid- to late-'80s each division ran two, making a total of TEN aerials - a veritable mixture of TLs, HPs and ALPs. But what do you expect from a cash-strapped brigade who, at the same time and up until quite recently, also ran 64 Pump Rescue Ladders? Today they run just 39. I would not want to live in the West Midlands.

Added by Yelp Bullhorn on 14 August 2020.

Yelp - they are not far behind London, which has only 11 operational aerials for 8.3 million people in an area of some 600 square miles. No wonder it took them over half an hour to get the first one to the Grenfell fire. London is now talking about alternate manning for them, so they will not be crewed by dedicated personnel. The brigade is also considering whether they should ever still actually be part of a first alarm response at all - except for high rise fires IF and ONLY IF dispatch get at least four calls to the same address.

Scotland seems to be one of only a few brigades which still seem to be serious when it comes to aerials, but most - if not all - of theirs are CARPs. When the London brigade was formed by the merger of some formerly adjacent city and county brigade elements, they had a total of 28 operational, fully manned aerials, so they too have dropped by nearly two thirds.

The recent Park Royal bakery fire had no aerial on the first attendance roster, despite being a forty or fifty foot high industrial scale building, which was well alight. Although two were eventually deployed, they took their time. In most places I know of - even in Third World countries - a building like this would automatically rate a fist attendance with an aerial as well as three or for pumps, and would not likely turn into a fifteen pump overnight fire fight...

Added by Rob Johnson on 15 August 2020.

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