Fire-fighting Vehicles in Preservation

While there are thousands of preserved commercial vehicles, there can be few that evoke such public excitement as fire-fighting vehicles. The sight of a vintage fire engine parading around the ring at a rally event can be a stirring one, with the crew (often fire-fighters themselves) in period uniforms with brass helmets gleaming and the bell clanging as the vehicle proceeds. Sometimes the crew may demonstrate a turntable ladder being extended to its full height or the hose reels being deployed, although modern Health & Safety regulations mean that it is unlikely that a demonstration of extinguishing a fire can take place. Fire brigades were established in the nineteenth century, just as mechanised road transport was beginning. Thus, their history can be told through the fire-fighting vehicles that have survived into preservation, and this book tells the story. In Britain, these vehicles were all British-built until recently. However, European and American practices are also featured through vehicles that have visited these shores or have been preserved here. Malcolm Batten explores the history of these remarkable vehicles through a host of previously unpublished images and informative captions.