Helen F
Warrington
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31 of 40
Fri 25th Oct 2024 1:10pm
Coventry was the first city in the world to be twinned internationally... although it would be joint first with Stalingrad/Volgograd. |
Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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Mick Strong
Coventry
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32 of 40
Fri 25th Oct 2024 6:35pm
On 25th Oct 2024 12:18pm, 20A-Manor House said:
October 1966.
The first yellow Dennis F36 fire engine made its debut at the Chief Fire Officer's annual conference at Southport.
For the City of Coventry Fire Brigade. KDU 997D being the first of three purchased:
Yellow paint specification number P339/7419 at I.C.I. Paint Division.
Yellow having a wave length of 5300-5500 angstroms.
Hi 20A-Manor House
Was this colour an experiment to make them more visible than the red ones?
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Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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JohnnieWalker
Sanctuary Point, Australia
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33 of 40
Fri 25th Oct 2024 8:36pm
That's my understanding of it - particularly as orange sodium lights were beginning to be used along the main city roads in the 1960s.
True Blue Coventry Kid
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Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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Not Local
Bedworth
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34 of 40
Fri 25th Oct 2024 9:51pm
The yellow fire engines glowed almost silver in the sodium street lights. The later red fire engines of the West Midlands Fire Service appeared a dull grey in the same lighting conditions. The yellow paint was actually called 'Coventry Fire Brigade Yellow'. |
Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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20A-Manor House
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35 of 40
Fri 25th Oct 2024 10:38pm
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Annewiggy
Tamworth
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36 of 40
Sat 26th Oct 2024 8:16am
Another first on these yellow fire engines ( a friend of ours would always say "they are not fire engines they are fire appliances" ) was that they were the first in the country to be equipped with air compressor power tools like cutting and jacking equipment and lighting. |
Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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Wearethemods
Aberdeenshire
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37 of 40
Sat 26th Oct 2024 8:55am
Cengar saw and zip gun, Anne |
Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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20A-Manor House
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38 of 40
Sat 26th Oct 2024 5:32pm
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Not Local
Bedworth
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39 of 40
Sat 26th Oct 2024 5:39pm
Whatever the intention, the yellow paint certainly made the fire appliances stand out under the sodium street lights. I was not a fireman but have seen them in action at a road accident and guess that they were probably safer because their fire appliance was utterly more visible than the old or the later red appliances (there was even a pink one some time in the 70's). This was all before the days of bright yellow hi-vis jackets and trousers and reflective stripes.
On the subject of air tools, I recall a fireman telling the story about 1974 when Coventry, Solihull, and Sutton Coldfield found themselves part of the new West Midlands Fire Service. There had been a road accident somewhere in the centre of Birmingham, possibly the A38M, and a person was trapped. An appliance from I think Solihull was despatched and arrived at the scene complete with the compressed air cutting gear. The Birmingham firemen had never seen anything so modern, although they all had big axes. The unfortunate victim was soon cut free from the car and whisked away to hospital. In the meantime the Solihull crew demonstrated the equipment to their Birmingham colleagues by cutting more bits off the wrecked car. The Birmingham boys the had a play, cutting even more bits off the car which was a nearly new Jensen Interceptor belonging to a well know pop star, although he was not in the car at the time. Apparently he took the loss of his car quite well and went out and bought another. |
Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks
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40 of 40
Sat 26th Oct 2024 5:48pm
Hello,
I heartily agree with your comments regards Birmingham resourced equipment. Possibly the fact that Birmingham council was a collection of village committee's, funding had to be agreed by so many integral bodies. Folks still refer to Eardington village, Aston village & so on. Only a thought.
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Local History and Heritage -
Coventry Firsts
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