Airport Fire Appliances

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

The first photo which we have been discussing is Guildford aerodrome in WA. I thought this was all to familiar, we have had this photo on the forum before,
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=18179

Also found this web page, showing one of these S&D trucks that were in RAAF service. I think the term "sweeper" was a nickname for them as it looks as though it is a fire engine of sorts, carrying a ladder, but bodywork is very similar to a cesspool tanker and gully emptier, with the tank and side stowage for hoses. Never seen a sweeper version of this truck though, doubt the engine would have had enough power to suck the dirt up.
http://www.georama.com.au/RAAFFireSe...26_Drewry.html

Ha ha Richard, by the size of the tank on the S&D it's any wonder the caption on your link asks why they ever bothered to try to change up a gear!! My experience in a Bedford (RL) some years later used to be the same, poor old girl would have struggled to pull the skin off a rice pudding. I worked with an officer who had some years on me in the ARFFS, vague though my memory is, I'm sure he wasn't fond of the S&D... But I'm glad for a bit more history on them to update the captions on these pics that I was fortunate to have printed by the DCA photographic section when organisations funded such things!! Cheers Tim