A Row of Fire Engines

G136 - 1936 Dennis Ace Pump

This vehicle was actually the Dennis Works own fire engine.

The HCVS divide fire engines - or appliances, as they prefer to call them - into two classes: open cab and enclosed cab. The open cab is the earlier class of vehicle. On the 2006 Run there were 11 appliances altogether, 6 open cab, and 5 enclosed cab. It's quite a sight to see so many lined up in their section of the Drive. Many of the fire appliances turn up with a crew of "firefighters", giving an extra bit of authenticity to the occasion.

Fire engines seem to have a pretty long working life. The winning vehicle in 2006 was G131, a 1914 Dennis, and is a good example. It worked at Coventry for the city fire service for 22 years. It then became a company fire engine for a further 22 years. It was finally bought back by Dennis in 1958 for £35! See the photo below (registration number DU 179). The machine is entirely original apart from having pneumatic tyres, a conversion done in 1936.

Another Dennis on the Run in 2006 was a 1916 machine, built for the London Fire Brigade. It finished its operational life as a company fire engine in 1955, and now belongs to the The Royal College of Science Motor Club, whose students keep it on the road around nine months a year - see photo below.

In fact, most of the machines on display are Dennis, and Dennis continues to this day to build fire appliances (John Dennis Coachbuilders).