Caporegime
For R124/LA420 etc, inside my lorry.
- Thread starter chipperhead
- Start date
, surprised they don't allow you aircon!
Caporegime
Soldato
Must be the poverty-spec version - there are some blank switches on the dash! 
Soldato
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- 23 Nov 2004
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Are you allowed to just drive around in the engine?
I was serving a female firefighter and her mate when another guy ran into the shop shouted up they had a shout n they all bolted to the engine that was parked outside.
I was serving a female firefighter and her mate when another guy ran into the shop shouted up they had a shout n they all bolted to the engine that was parked outside.
Soldato
5.62 mpg in a truck!!! 
Very nice.
Very nice.
Caporegime
5.62 mpg in a truck!!!
Thats actually pretty damn good for a truck that I'd guess rarely ventures onto a motorway for a long cruise, is constantly loaded with equipment (not to mention water!) and generally gets driven hard on call outs.
I bet it handles considerably better than the older Volvo's - any direct comparisons chipperhead?
Also, the dash LCD screen, I assume thats a Fire service issue piece of kit? Scania R's have a similar setup but its not the same from my memory of my last outing in an R500.
I'd love a go in a fire engine, especially a Scania one!
Just out of interest, is it speed limited? I'm guessing not.
Associate
Looks cool. Does it have one of those 'Eye Witnesses' on it?
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Ok then let me answer a few of your questions:
The LCD can show a map with our position on as we have GPS, it also can display any of the cameras fitted to the vehicle so it's good for reversing. We can also get information from it for hazardous materials so we know what we're dealing with at an incident. Also it has our SOP's (standard operating procedures) so if we needed to brush up on our knowledge of a certain job we could check en route, not that we ever do and also by the time the system has booted up we're normally about there anyway.
It does have onboard cctv but it also records what is being said in the cab, there was an uproar about this so they have removed this.
It is a Scania, infact here is a picture of the appliances from my station, a Scania is on the left but this is now our old one, the pictures above are from our new Scania that uses compressed foam to put out fires instead of just using water.
It's me in the picture below driving the engine second from the right which is a proper Fire Engine, it was a sad day when we lost our Rapier. This is because these are built from the ground up as a Fire Engine and they handle awesome with leaf spring suspension and don't roll all over the place like air suspension Scanias do. The Scanias are a standard wagon chasis which they then put a body on be that bin wagon or Fire Engine. As you can see on the right is a Turntable Ladder, I can drive and operate that too.
I learnt to drive in an old Volvo Engine, it was shocking, that broke so we swapped onto a Dennis SS like the one below, that was equally as bad. Slow, noisy, very slack steering, doesn't corner etc.
Not sure about the LCD display, it's in them when they arrive and thats as much as I know.
Now R124/LA420, if you wanted a go in a Fire Engine forget the Scanias, the one to drive is a Rapier (the one I'm in in the top photo in this post), they are unbelievable, when you learn to drive on blue lights they take you to an old airstrip and you learn to take them to the limits, you couldn't do this in a Scania as it would roll over. Drifting in a 15 ton engine is amazing, slalom in cones, emergency stops and cornering, these babies don't half squeel though. You then dump the water in the tank and do it all again, except this time your mostly sideways, these handle great in the dry but like any wagon you have to show them respect in the wet.
Our new Scanias are speed limited untill you go on blue lights, they are also automatic but you can use them tiptronic with a stalk next to the steering wheel.
The LCD can show a map with our position on as we have GPS, it also can display any of the cameras fitted to the vehicle so it's good for reversing. We can also get information from it for hazardous materials so we know what we're dealing with at an incident. Also it has our SOP's (standard operating procedures) so if we needed to brush up on our knowledge of a certain job we could check en route, not that we ever do and also by the time the system has booted up we're normally about there anyway.
It does have onboard cctv but it also records what is being said in the cab, there was an uproar about this so they have removed this.
It is a Scania, infact here is a picture of the appliances from my station, a Scania is on the left but this is now our old one, the pictures above are from our new Scania that uses compressed foam to put out fires instead of just using water.
It's me in the picture below driving the engine second from the right which is a proper Fire Engine, it was a sad day when we lost our Rapier. This is because these are built from the ground up as a Fire Engine and they handle awesome with leaf spring suspension and don't roll all over the place like air suspension Scanias do. The Scanias are a standard wagon chasis which they then put a body on be that bin wagon or Fire Engine. As you can see on the right is a Turntable Ladder, I can drive and operate that too.
I learnt to drive in an old Volvo Engine, it was shocking, that broke so we swapped onto a Dennis SS like the one below, that was equally as bad. Slow, noisy, very slack steering, doesn't corner etc.
Not sure about the LCD display, it's in them when they arrive and thats as much as I know.
Now R124/LA420, if you wanted a go in a Fire Engine forget the Scanias, the one to drive is a Rapier (the one I'm in in the top photo in this post), they are unbelievable, when you learn to drive on blue lights they take you to an old airstrip and you learn to take them to the limits, you couldn't do this in a Scania as it would roll over. Drifting in a 15 ton engine is amazing
, slalom in cones, emergency stops and cornering, these babies don't half squeel though. You then dump the water in the tank and do it all again, except this time your mostly sideways, these handle great in the dry but like any wagon you have to show them respect in the wet. Our new Scanias are speed limited untill you go on blue lights, they are also automatic but you can use them tiptronic with a stalk next to the steering wheel.
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Never heard of this, is it cctv? Our new one has 7 cameras on it recording constantly to a hard drive.
Caporegime
Ok then let me answer a few of your questions:
The LCD can show a map with our position on as we have GPS, it also can display any of the cameras fitted to the vehicle so it's good for reversing. We can also get information from it for hazardous materials so we know what we're dealing with at an incident. Also it has our SOP's (standard operating procedures) so if we needed to brush up on our knowledge of a certain job we could check en route, not that we ever do and also by the time the system has booted up we're normally about there anyway.
It does have onboard cctv but it also records what is being said in the cab, there was an uproar about this so they have removed this.
It is a Scania, infact here is a picture of the appliances from my station, a Scania is on the left but this is now our old one, the pictures above are from our new Scania that uses compressed foam to put out fires instead of just using water.
It's me in the picture below driving the engine second from the right which is a proper Fire Engine, it was a sad day when we lost our Rapier. This is because these are built from the ground up as a Fire Engine and they handle awesome with leaf spring suspension and don't roll all over the place like air suspension Scanias do. The Scanias are a standard wagon chasis which they then put a body on be that bin wagon or Fire Engine. As you can see on the right is a Turntable Ladder, I can drive and operate that too.
I learnt to drive in an old Volvo Engine, it was shocking, that broke so we swapped onto a Dennis SS like the one below, that was equally as bad. Slow, noisy, very slack steering, doesn't corner etc.
Not sure about the LCD display, it's in them when they arrive and thats as much as I know.
Now R124/LA420, if you wanted a go in a Fire Engine forget the Scanias, the one to drive is a Rapier (the one I'm in in the top photo in this post), they are unbelievable, when you learn to drive on blue lights they take you to an old airstrip and you learn to take them to the limits, you couldn't do this in a Scania as it would roll over. Drifting in a 15 ton engine is amazing
Our new Scanias are speed limited untill you go on blue lights, they are also automatic but you can use them tiptronic with a stalk next to the steering wheel.
Interesting stuff!
I'm not surprised that the custom built engine is the better tbh although I am surprised you prefer leaf springs over air suspension, in my experience air is the only way to go.....
Staffordshire Fire & Rescue service had an open day a few years back, I very nearly got the chance to try an engine, I'd left my licence at home!
So very close....Drifting a tractor unit (about 8 ton) is fun enough, I've drifted a 17 tonner before, but, it was somewhat unintentional!
Post more pics mate, brings out the little boy in me.
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Here's a few pictures of the fire pump, this is in the rear locker. This is were you put the water in from hydrants and open water (rivers etc) and also were you get the water out for your hose, once the driver has driven to the incident it is his job to be the pump operator.
Here is a pump from a rapier, lots of levers and dials. It is a 1000 gallon a minute pump and it holds 400 gallons, so under 30 seconds at full blast
This is the pump from our Scania, 4 outlets instead of 2 and much simpler.
90% of it is controlled via the LCD unit, press a button and it does it all for you, no calculations, piece of cake untill it breaks and then your knackered. With an old pump you had work arounds, this just stops.
Here is a pump from a rapier, lots of levers and dials. It is a 1000 gallon a minute pump and it holds 400 gallons, so under 30 seconds at full blast
This is the pump from our Scania, 4 outlets instead of 2 and much simpler.
90% of it is controlled via the LCD unit, press a button and it does it all for you, no calculations, piece of cake untill it breaks and then your knackered. With an old pump you had work arounds, this just stops.
Caporegime
So often the case with modern equipment / vehicles, how on earth they think technology is progress stumps me sometimes!
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Interesting stuff!
I'm not surprised that the custom built engine is the better tbh although I am surprised you prefer leaf springs over air suspension, in my experience air is the only way to go.....
Staffordshire Fire & Rescue service had an open day a few years back, I very nearly got the chance to try an engine, I'd left my licence at home!
Drifting a tractor unit (about 8 ton) is fun enough, I've drifted a 17 tonner before, but, it was somewhat unintentional!
Post more pics mate, brings out the little boy in me.
Air is great for cruising down the motorway but in tight streets and high speed country roads you need firm suspension. I would say a Scania would be like a big soft sprung luxury car wallowing and bouncing from each bump and a Rapier like a Hot Hatch, much more feel in the steering, much firmer and a real joy to drive. I've just had a look on you tube and found a nice example of a Rapier, look how flat it corners, you chuck them about like a go-kart. You couldn't do that in a Scania.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=InSmVi7X5Ys
Soldato
On the way back from a call I guess?
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Yeah, we can drive were we like.
Soldato
Can you get porn on that screen?
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Last edited:
Man of Honour
Would you ever use that 1000gal/min pump at full blast? Can anything (that's not a river) supply that much water as fast as you can use it?
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For firefighting you can have it at full blast to supply an aerial appliance like a Turntable Ladder or if you are feeding a ground monitor. To supply at this rate you would need a river or lake or any other open water source, a hydrant wouldn't come close to providing enough supply.
Another reason to have it on full would be pumping out during flooding.
Very 'London's Burning'!
I remember when I went up in the drivers seat of an 'engine. Was a Volvo and I was 5-6.