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E20 Brightlingsea Rescue Pump, Essex.
Fire Engine Photos
No: 40774   Contributor:   Year: 2017   Manufacturer: Dennis   Country: United Kingdom
E20 Brightlingsea Rescue Pump, Essex.

Dennis Sabre XL EY53 JJE currently on the run at Brightlingsea Fire Station in Essex.

Of note... This is the very last Dennis Sabre XL appliance to be permanently assigned to an Essex Fire Station. It is due to be replaced by a Scania P280 on Friday 13th October 2017.

This picture was taken on 17th June 2017.
Picture added on 13 October 2017 at 10:30
add commentComments:
After what happened to the Knights Templar in France, Friday 13th has never been an auspicious day.

Let us hope this last of the once famous Dennis fire appliances is preserved for posterity. In its day it was a modern design and much loved by many of those who rode them...

Added by Rob Johnson on 13 October 2017.
this is what I dont get, in its day , its the same age as the scania p series, it is still in front line service in many brigades both here and in ireland, look at it, old fashioned, not for me, look at the visibility in the cab, the nice wide low entry, large door and great body length, I would have it any day over many so called modern designs, and it looks like new !!

Added by Alan Ramsay on 30 October 2017.
Alan:

The reference was simply motivated by the fact that Dennis is no longer manufacturing fire appliances, and that this unit is apparently the last one in service in Essex - which used to have a fleet for many decades, which was dominated by Dennis vehicles along with only very small numbers of other makes.

It is certainly not the only British truck manufacturer to have disappeared from the scene. They almost all have!

Essex is one of many fire services who have had to contend over the years with maintaining a fleet of vehicles rendered obsolete by the disappearance of the chassis manufacturer, with the associated difficulty of securing satisfactory and timely spare parts supplies...

Added by Rob Johnson on 04 November 2017.
Really, spare parts, so how do the very many brigades all over the world manage, Ireland for instance can't get enough of them, the parts are all proprietary apart from the glass and door handles, really, are you saying Cummins, Allison etc don't sell spares.

Added by on 08 November 2017.
There are various solutions. These include local manufacturing and remanufacturing, third-world "will fit" sourcing, cannibalizing older worn-out units, and actually switching equipment around, including major items like engines.

But it does not always work, and its not unheard of for units to be off the run for weeks or even months awaiting for spares, so one problem running older trucks is that you need plenty of reserves.

When I sold the first D series to Gloucestershire in 1967, the transport officer told me he had terrible problems getting parts for their Dennis fleet, which was why they were no longer buying them - so the problem is not new...

Added by Rob Johnson on 09 November 2017.
Anyone know what the difference in price of a Pump by Dennis compared to a Scania or other commercial chassis? I know it may take some digging to find this out.

Added by Les Davis on 09 November 2017.
Les:

If you want to take a trip back into memory lane, back in 1967 when I sold these eleven Ford D series HCB Angus water tenders the price was about 15% lower than a comparable specification Dennis.

As regards Scania, they became ultra price competitive after British fire brigades started leasing their appliances instead of buying them. Although they did have a price advantage, their big selling point was that they had much higher residual values when it came time to sell them, so the lease cost could be as much as 25% lower.

This high residual value was because the Scania engine and chassis were very durable, were popular as used trucks all over the World, and could very easily and cheaply be converted to left hand drive. Volvo trucks had the same characteristics and a similar reputation, and were also less expensive to lease for the same reasons.

Dennis did not have any presence or any kind of reputation in markets with left hand drive, so disposal of off-lease units was a lot more difficult - which made them uncompetitive when it came to leasing.

Added by Rob Johnson on 10 November 2017.
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