AN OVERVIEW OF THE RAF FIRE SERVICE

The First RAF Fire Fighters had a demanding task, fighting fires in aircraft was a new concept and required different methods from conventional fire fighting. In a crashed aircraft, aircrew surrounded by fire have only three minute survival time and this requires rapid response and suppression of flames in order to create survivable conditions to affect a rescue. The early fire fighters found themselves poorly trained and under equipped and they had to develop new skills with the equipment they had inherited which were not purpose built but converted standard fire vehicles. Those pioneers overcame these obstacles and paved the way for today’s RAF Fire Fighters and from those times to the present their aims were:

 

  • To Save Life
  • To Minimise Damage to Aircraft and Associated Equipment
  • To Make Safe any Special Risk
RAF Fire Fighters have served all over the world from Africa to the Middle East, India, Far East, Central America, Falklands, Canada and Europe and had to operate in hostile environments and conflict zones which always brings new challenges. Apart from aircraft crash rescue RAF Fire Fighters are also trained in conventional fire fighting enabling them to react to fires in technical areas and married quarters and on numerous occasions have assisted the Civil Fire service in local off base incidents. They also have been trained to;

  • Carry out Light rescue.
  • Fight fires involving Nuclear Weapons.
  • Carry out Fire Prevention of buildings.

They also have been involved in two specialised units which;

  • Provided fire cover to Nuclear Convoys on the UK roads.
  • Provided fire cover to The Queens Flight.
The RAF Fire Service is by nature a rapid response force they have always been considered the best people to carry out immediate operational tasks on and off the airfield and during their history they have been involved in;

  • Deployment of emergency airfield lighting.
  • Bird scaring.Recovery of aircraft engaging the Rotary Hydraulic Arrester Gear (RHAG).
  • Barrier Arresting Gear.
  • Inshore rescue.
  • Casualty evacuation in war zones

During their history RAF Firefighters have received many awards for acts of bravery, many of these were earned during WWII but many have been awarded in modern times. The awards include George Cross’s, George Medals, B.E.M.s and the highest was the Queens Gallantry Medal awarded in 2011 to Warrant Officer Steve Bowden for an incident in Afghanistan.

To trace the roots of the RAF Fire Service it is necessary to go back to the early days of Military Aviation, and as aircraft became more complex so did the Fire Fighters job and the need for improved equipment to enable them to save lives.

The RAF was officially formed on the 1st April 1918 and during its formative years the loss of aircraft and equipment due to fires caused a great deal of concern. These incidents can be said to have been the foundation stones of the present RAF Fire Service. Although it must be remembered at this time, personnel tasked with fire-fighting were taken from different trades, with fire fighting a secondary task and this would be the status quo until 1943 when the Air Ministry promulgated an order creating the trade of Fireman which would be a full time occupation.

History of the RAF Firefighter

1958
1958
1958

The Next Major Crash Truck finally delivered to the RAF in 1958 was to be the Mk6, a totally different type of vehicle that had never been seen before in the RAF Fire Service. Based on the Alvis Salamander chassis developed from the Alvis Saladin armoured car chassis it was 6×6 giving great off road capability and it could reach 60mph on a flat surface powered by a rear mounted Rolls Royce Mk81A petrol engine using a 5 speed pre-select gearbox. The driver position was in the centre of the cab. Although the foam producing capacity was about the same

1955
1955 – 8
1955 – 8

1955 was to see the first Crash Truck in the RAF with a central forward facing monitor. It was designated the Mk5A the body was built by University Motors and fire equipment by Pyrene. The early productions had a different rear body shape. This tender carried 450 gallons (2,025 litres) of water and 60 gallons (270 litres) of foam compound. This also could be used for domestic (structural) fire fighting. Mk5A with the square rear bodywork, photographed at Christmas Island (Australian Indian Ocean Territories)  Mk5A with the rounded rear body work, this vehicle served at RAF Leeming (Yorkshire) and RAF

1954
1954
1954

The Land Rover 80’was introduced, carrying the same basic equipment as the Willy’s Jeep. Image showing the equipment on the Landrover 80

1953
1952
1952

1952 saw the first of the post war vehicles coming into service, this was the Mk5 Crash Tender built by Whitson on a Thorneycroft 4×4 chassis with Sun Engineering fitting the fire equipment. It carried 400 gallons (1,800 litres) of water and 60 gallons (270 litres) of foam, the foam being delivered through hand lines. This also could be used for domestic (structural) firefighting. Mk5 Showing an original registration (AF) as they were built on second hand chassis’s

1953
1953

It was on the 2nd December 1953 the iconic Fire Badge was approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and presented to the Fire School by Air Marshal Sir Victor E Groome KVCO KBE CBE DFC. The badge was designed by Regional Arts & Craft College Hull. The motto was arranged by a Professor of the University of Hull, the translation being “E Flammis Atque Ruinis Salus” “Safety from Flame and Ruins” RAF Sutton-on-Hull Station Commander Wing Commander Eyes looking at the newly presented crest

1947
1947
1947

1947 brought and upgrade to the AP 957 (Air Publication) designated as Part 1 for general firefighting guidance and drills. In 1949 The second part was published and was for aircraft fire fighting and crash rescue services. As part of the training package at RAF Sutton-on-Hull recruits were issued with two manuals based on the information in the Air Publications and technical information from the producers of the Crash Trucks. But not all RAF Firemen were trained at RAF Sutton-on-Hull. According to written accounts of Firemen of that era up to about the year 1952, National Service Firemen were sometimes

1944
1944-5
1944-5

In 1944 the panel concluded that that vehicles capable of producing not less than 2,400 gallons per minute (10,800 litres) for a period of 10 minutes (with additional water supplies) should be made available. Also this should be supported by 1,500Ibs of Carbon Dioxide, but at the time no chassis could carry the quantity of media required. So the recommendations of the panel were met by producing Foam Tenders backed up by Water Tenders and CO2 Tenders. The first of these new Crash Tenders was the “1944 Conversion Type”, so called because it was a conversion of the 1942 WOT1.

1944
1944

Although the WOT1 and Crossley’s were in production there was still a shortage of fire equipment in the mid-war years. It was when the Fire School moved to RAF Weeton that the ‘Weeton Type’ was developed, which was designated WOT1A. It was on a strengthened chassis with and enclosed cab but the water/compound mixture was fed into the suction side of a standard Coventry Climax light portable pump mounted across the chassis. This increased the quantity of foam produced and a longer jet throw. Some 350 ‘Weeton Type’ Crash Tenders were put into service following their introduction in 1944. The

1943
1943

December 1943 the Air Ministry Order promulgated the trade of Firefighter a sub-specialisation of the Officers Support Branch, that of ‘Fire and Anti-Gas Officer’ was set up to command the new trade. The School was renamed as the RAF School of Firefighting and Anti-Gas During the period a second school was opened at Ismalia in Egypt, but was closed at the end of the Second World War. At the end of the Second World War, the Air Traffic Control Officers branch assumed the responsibility of the RAF Fire Service. In the post war years, some 5,000 Regulars and National Service

1940
1940
1940

In July 1940 the Fire Training moved from RAF Cranwell to RAF Weeton but only for 3 years and in August 1943 moved to RAF Sutton on Hull. This was where the Fire Service was to see immense changes in its structure and organisation. The Training unit was to be known as the RAF School of Firefighting. The Air Ministry realised that there had to be significant changes made in the approach to aircraft fire fighting. This was mainly due to aircraft becoming larger with increased fuel loads which in turn required greater foam producing capacity from vehicles. Also the

1939
1930-50’s – Fire Floats
1930-50’s – Fire Floats

Many people would not associate the Royal Air Force Fire Service with boats. But in the late thirties early forties some seaplane tenders which were used for servicing RAF Flying Boats were converted to Fire Floats in order to reduce the risk of damage by fire in the seaplane while secured in the harbour out of reach of a normal fire tender and it would also be used to protect other installations. At first there were several conversion types, and ranged in length from 37.5 ft, 38ft and 40ft (11 to 12 mtrs) and were powered by either Meadows or

1930’s
1930’s

During This Decade (1930’s) The Crossley IGL (Indian Government Lorry) went into service with the RAF the first example of this in 1936 was the ‘Streamlined Crossley’ 6×4 which was also the first fire vehicle with bodywork enclosing the whole vehicle. It was fitted with 200 gallon water tank and 20 gallons of foam compound were available for foam production and discharge by twin air-foam pumps driven by a power take-off in the cab. It was also equipped with four 60Ib CO2 cylinders discharging through hosereels and applicators. The streamlining was not an exercise in styling, but was designed to

1932
1932
1932

1932 The Air Ministry published an ‘Air Publication’ (AP) 957 entitled ‘ROYAL AIR FORCE FIRE MANUAL. Although it was a general fire fighting manual there is mentioned two early Fire Tenders and drills associated with these. Also an appendix laying out the Syllabus for a Course of Instruction in Fire Fighting Duties at RAF Cranwell appears. 1932 Ford 6 x 4 with Three Foam Tanks Another type of Crossley with mounted foam extinguishers. These vehicles also had the capacity for a stretcher bay to carry a casualty Rear view showing the stretcher bay.

1930
1930

In 1930 the RAF ordered more Crossley and Morris B1 chassis for conversion to fire tenders. 1930 Crossley `on the run’ 1931 Morris Commercial 3 Foam Tanks and Wooden Body Work.

1922
1922

1922 The Fire Training of RAF personnel started at RAF Cranwell where a small unit was established to train a trade known as Aircraft Handler/Fire fighter. The London Fire Brigade controlled the Unit who provided the instructors and devised the training methods and schedules. The Chief Instructor of the unit was Captain Desbrough. Very little is known of the activities and effectiveness of the unit at RAF Cranwell; however links remained with the London Fire Brigade well into the 1940’s.

1921
1921
1921

In 1921 Vehicles were initially adapted to the airfield role and modified Crossley 6X6 tenders were fitted with crash rescue equipment, a single 30 Gallon chemical foam extinguisher and ‘Fire Snow’ (Foam) hand held extinguishers. By 1922 the modification programme was complete. A rebuilt Crossley Crash tender at Duxford showing a single 30 gallon chemical extinguisher tank mounted behind the driver.

1918
1918
1918

In 1918 fires at Shotwick and Ternhill cost £57,000 also losses of nearly £50,000 after fires at Wyton, Upavon and Lopcombe Manor compelled the Air Ministry to order a number of fire fighting vehicles with pumping facilities. Also a fire On May 21st 1919 at Ligescourt in France resulted in the loss of a Handley Page aircraft (0/400 D8314) and the hanger in which was accommodated. This fire was fought with only portable extinguishers, subsequently the Court of Inquiry concluded that the RAF lacked effective fire fighting equipment and that personnel were poorly trained. This eventually led to the provision

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