1945 Ford F60S Water truck

[Tony Smith]

One of the interesting modifications by the BFB are the door tops.

As a Bush Fire truck, this vehicle would have remained in the shed during winter, or wet weather, only coming out in fine weather for hazard reduction burns, or in very hot weather during fire risk periods. As a result, there would have been no need for the canvas door tops to provide occupant protection. You would want all the cool breezes you could get.

But for actual fire fighting work, and open cab can present a real danger. One of the major hazards of a wild fire is radiant heat. Even from a distance of 20-30 feet away, radiant heat from a large fire can cause serious burn injuries, but it is very simple to avoid. The wearing of heavy clothing can help, but the easiest way is to screen the direct line of radiation with a solid barrier. Normally a vehicle is ideal protection, but driving through a fireground exposes the crew through the open door tops. The BFB solved this issue by manufacturing solid screens for the doors to shield the occupants.

A simple yet effective solution to a problem, with one small oversight. You should only close the doors when someone is inside the cab, as there is no means to operate the door release from the outside! This could be viewed a nice security measure, but it could be life-threatening if a crew were to leave a vehicle to fight a fire, but then had to return to the vehicle to escape.