Andy Daley (BritishAndy) Photos

[madmax1964uk]

Andy thanks did you know that Manchester Airport UK have six Oshkosh strikers being delivered two in June 14 then another two in August followed by another two in October 14

[Guest]

Great photos, thanks Andy!!

[Guest]

Andy thanks did you know that Manchester Airport UK have six Oshkosh strikers being delivered two in June 14 then another two in August followed by another two in October 14

 

Hi, sorry for the late reply, I heard that they were getting a batch, but didn't know the delivery dates. Thank you very much, the airport is only 30 miles away so will look forward to seeing them.

 

Andy

[Guest]

Ok guys, sorry for the delay - I had a week long buffing trip to Poland (which I will post in due course), but in the meantime lets get back to England's second city - Birmingham, covered by the West Midlands Fire Service.

 

Since around 1977, the WMFS have remained loyal to Dennis chassis for their pumping appliances. Since then they have operated pretty much each variant including the Dennis RS, Dennis SS and ultimately the Dennis Sabre with the XL cab. The XL cab can be used to accommodate up to eight personnel, but the WMFS chose to utilise the space to carry additional equipment.

 

The went with the Sabre XL from 1995 to 2007 when Dennis ceased to produce fire apparatus.

 

This is a 2006 model based at Hay Mills station. The apparatus is known as  Pump Rescue Ladder, its your basic engine company with a bit more added cutting gear plus an assortment of hand ladders, the largest being a 13.5 metre triple extension.

[Guest]

Another Sabre XL, this one is by far the busiest apparatus (appliance) in the West Midlands, Highgate -  the station has two pumps and an aerial and between them go to around 4000 runs per year, which when you consider they don't roll on medical or EMS runs, its a very busy ride.

 

Highgate have their own Twitter page which you will see advertised on the side of the rig.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

In 2007 Dennis stopped making fire engines so the West Midlands had a bit of head scratching. They purchased three evaluation rigs, a MAN, a Mercedes Atego and a Volvo. The WMFS deemed the MAN and Mercedes pretty poor, so they opted to go with the Volvo. In the meantime Volvo Trucks redesigned their cab and produced the Volvo FLL range.

 

This is a 2009 version with JDC bodywork, it is based at another really busy station - Ladywood. The guys had just got back from a run and apologised to us about the dirty rig - then another run came in and they were off again.

 

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, like most countries around the world, the UK is being crippled by Government cuts, the Fire Service in particular having their budgets slashed time and time again. Stations are closing, guys retiring and nobody replacing them and appliances (apparatus) are being taken from stations.

 

The West Midlands have tried to combat this by replacing the majority of their two pump stations with a single Pump Rescue Ladder (PRL) and what they call a Brigade Response Vehicle - a van!

 

Government fat cats and Politicians will say these things are absolutely brilliant, with a crew of three they will compliment the full-size PRL's perfectly. In reality all they are is a glorified van with a jet wash in the back.

 

Based on a Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4 chassis they carry a driver plus two personnel, have a high-pressure water fogging system, two SCBA sets and some ancillary equipment.

I wont get into the politics side of things but the opinion of the guys is these things will cost a life sooner or later.

 

 

[Guest]

Rear shot showing equipment storage

 

 

[Guest]

Aerial appliances in the UK are not like in the USA, we use primarily as water towers, they often carry two guys - driver and commander and do not have a selection of hand ladders. They roll on request only, mostly to working fires or when the Incident Commander requests one.

 

The latest additions are four brand new Volvo FM380 6x4 rear-steer's built by Angloco and fitted with Finnish Bronto Skylift 32metre booms.

 

 

[Guest]

The Bronto's are replacing the previous Hydraulic Platforms - Snorkel's. The WMFS have always favoured the Simon Snorkel SS263 - 26 metre, 3 booms. They were good and reliable, but the elbow (or knuckle) was always banging into obstructions, especially in narrow streets.

 

This is a re-chassied Snorkel from a 1977 model, they deduced that the booms have a far longer life span than then actual chassis. They ordered this as a one-off to replace an older model that rolled on its way to a run.

 

[Guest]

A rare sight, three aerials posed together in the yard at Walsall station. The Volvo is their current aerial, the other two are brigade spares housed on station.

 

 

[Guest]

Special apparatus is mostly based on the demountable system, this is were there is a dedicated prime mover with a hook lift capability, they then hook the pod or container which is required, transport it to the firescene and unload it. They can either then return to station to collect additional pods, or be available for additional incidents.

 

The system works pretty well to a degree, obviously the pods cant be unloaded on rough terrain or hills, but in an urban area it works well.

 

This is their Hazmat Pod, carried on a 2008 MAN TGA 6 wheel Prime Mover. It is based at Perry Bar station and when it goes on a run they take their pump along to man it.

 

 

[Guest]

To be honest, most of their pods look identical to it is pointless posting. Instead we go to the final rig of that particular trip, and the one I had hoped to see the most........

 

The West Midlands Fire Service Incident Command Unit was delivered in 2013 on a Volvo FLL chassis with WH Bence bodywork. Based at Handsworth, it rolls on all six pump fires and above (roughly a third alarm). It is fitted with all the usual gadets, including real time CCTV, digital radio, landline telephones, hazmat database - they even a drone which is fitted with a camera so they can buzz it around the firescene.

 

 

[Guest]

Other side.

[Guest]

Right guys, that was our trip to Birmingham and the fantastic guys of the West Midlands Fire Service.

 

Now, time to dust off your passports and visit Poland. I spent a week with seven other buffs on a trip which had been months in planning, visiting professional, volunteer, airport and industrial brigades in the Krakow region.

 

It was probably THE best buffing trip I have been on, especially due to the diversity of the trucks we photographed, and the hospitality of the Polish people.

 

I will try and make a start tonight, but to get you in the mood, here is a taster of something you guys might like..........

 

 

 

[firesafe91]

Awesome images!

[DaveYoung]

Love these pics!

[Guest]

Great photos and info Andy!!

[Guest]

Ok, on the Sunday we flew from our respective local airports in the UK out to Krakow-Balice International Airport, or to give it the official title - John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice. They named it after the Pope - John Paul II (who was actually a volunteer Firefighter once upon a time!)

 

The airport opened for civil aviation in 1964. It was a military site until 1968 and still has a military area today,  Four years later the first passenger terminal was built there. In 1988 the authorities decided to build a new terminal that was opened for public use in 1993. In 1995, the entire apron was modernized. In 1998 it was decided that Pope John Paul II would be the official patron of the airport. It was modernized once more in 2002, and since then new international connections have been established.

Kraków Airport is the second busiest airport in the country after Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.

 

They are currently constructing a new terminal and apron such is the growth of this place.

 

 

[Guest]

I had arranged access to the airport weeks in advance, so when we landed and collected our luggage the Airport Firefighters were waiting for us in the terminal to take us straight to the station for photography - talk about getting off to a great start!

 

As mentioned, the airfield is joint civilian and military, yet they are completely separate and have little or no contact with each other. The civilian guys have a brand new station and an impressive array of armoury.

 

First up, a 2011 Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 Crash Truck complete with Snozzle.

 

The problem we found early on was the language barrier, we had a lovely lady from the PR office with us but getting the rigs positioned was difficult early on.