British and Irish Fire Appliances of the Twenty-first Century

Fire services within the United Kingdom and Ireland require fleets of specialised firefighting vehicles to attend and deal with all manner of emergency situations. Domestic fire appliances, turning out to fires, incidents and rescues from a local fire station, are supported as required by high-reach aerial appliances, water tankers, specialised rescue teams and command units. The firefighting requirements of UK and Irish airports require larger and more specialist appliances, carrying significantly greater volumes of firefighting media such as water and foam, which are on constant standby to deal with the most serious of airport emergencies.The last twenty-five years have been a period of change. Specialist fire-appliance manufacturers have come and gone, most fire fleets now carry the red and yellow ‘Battenburg’ colour scheme and the quantity, allocation and specialist capabilities of fire appliances are constantly being reviewed to reflect the changing needs of the emergency calls that are received.In this lavishly illustrated book, John Godwin looks at fire appliances in use over the last quarter of a century, referencing many of the UK and Ireland’s public fire-and-rescue services, as well as reviewing many airport fire-service fleets and industrial and private firefighting operations.

John Godwin is an automotive and transport photographer and author, with a particular interest in emergency service vehicles. For more than thirty years, he has recorded the development and use of police vehicles, fire appliances and other emergency response vehicles, focusing on the UK and Ireland, but also visiting more than fifty countries worldwide. John’s photographs are showcased on his comprehensive website (www.transport.photography) and social media channels. Images have also been used by emergency services for publicity materials and to support their training activities. In the early 1970s, John became a young fan of the classic film The Italian Job. In 2009, he was announced the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s competition to propose a credible solution to the film’s cliffhanger ending. He has visited and photographed many of the filming locations in London, Dublin, and Turin and enjoys researching the history of this popular film.