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Jeep FC Fire Engines Around the World


 

Jeep Forward Control cab-over-engine trucks built by Kaiser-Willys from 1957-65 were the basis for a number of fire apparatus conversions around the world, quite different from those seen in North America.

Austria

Austria Most Forward Control fire engines in Europe were fully enclosed apparatus, with bodies supplied by various coach builders in Europe, on imported Jeep cab and chassis units.

This example from Sittendorf, Austria is courtesy of Das große Buch der Feuerwehr-Oldtimer in Österreich ("The Big Book of Oldtime Fire Apparatus in Austria") by Günther Graber und Erwin Hauke (1990). The FC-170 had a box added to the rear, with crew cabin, storage and pump compartment.
 

Austria A different way of achieving a similar configuration is seen in a pair of FC-150s from coachbuilder Peter Reitbauer (130K JPEG) in Stanz, Austria. A winter photo of one of them shows suction hose on the roof, and a canvas covering snapped over the open rear compartment for the gas-powered pump. Not much was going to stop this truck with its chains and winch, from protecting this area at the eastern edge of the Austrian Alps.
 

Austria This unusual photo shows the same truck being consecrated by a clergyman as it goes into service with the Freiwilliger Feuerwehr ("Volunteer Fire Brigade") in Edelsdorf in 1962. The FC-150 is serial number 65548-25213.
 

Austria The other FC-150 (left) was nearly identical, but equipped with a plow instead of a winch. It was used in the village of Fischbach, about 20 minutes east of Edelsdorf.
 

Fischbach The value of tire chains and a snowplow to the volunteer firfighters in this part of Austria, can be fully appreciated in this beautiful photo of Fischbach. Photo by M.B. under CC.
 

Austria Valentin Eggbauer, who grew up in Fischbach, is a Volkswagen Bus fan who always dreamed of restoring one of the FC-150 fire trucks. He says the Fischbach truck was "sadly scrapped 10-20 years ago, but I found parts from this truck including the doors (90K JPEG)."

In 2012 Valentin was able to purchase the Edelsdorf truck. it had been repainted in green (310K JPEG). Another photo of the Jeep on his trailer gives a view of the rear compartment (270K JPEG).
 

Austria This undated photo shows a parade in Fischbach. In the background is a Willys MB still in service with the Feuerwehr at the time.

Valentin has documented his restoration of the Edelsdorf Jeep on his Austrian Jeep FC-150 Blog.
 

Bermuda

Austria Here's a surprise -- a lighting truck seen in Hamilton, Bermuda in 1978. Photographer unknown.
 

India

Mahindra This Mumbai fire engine is built on a Forward Control Jeep chassis (210K JPEG) fabricated in India by Mahindra & Mahindra. It appears to be based on UK apparatus designs of the 1960s.
 

United Manufacturing I also ran across this photo advertising United Manufacturing Co. of India, makers of fire apparatus. Again it's reminiscent of a British design.
 

Netherlands

Gendt Jan Scheele took this photo of a 1964 FC-170 beautifully preserved by the community ("gemeente") of Gendt, south of Arnhem. Designed for equipment and personnel transport, the truck was never equipped with a pump, but can be seen here pulling a pump and hose trailer.

Sweden

Sweden Chris Doka in Sweden rescued this FC conversion which apparently had a front-mount pump, hardly ever seen on a Forward Control other than those built by Howe in the USA.
 

Sweden I don't know what this truck carried in the way of water and hose, but it has a crew cab and lots of gear storage.
 

Switzerland

SwitzerlandFully-enclosed fire engines built on an FC-170 chassis were popular in Switzerland's climate.

This FC was used in Glattbrugg, a suburb of Zurich, to carry equipment for closing down streets in case of an emergency, and was in service from the 1960s through the 1980's. Thanks to Richard Jud and Craig Brockhaus for the photo.
 

SwitzerlandHere's another example, configured slightly differently, but clearly from the same builder -- Hanni Co. of Zurich, Switzerland. The volunteer fire department in Regensdorf, another suburb of Zurich, has been restoring this FC-170. See also a rear view (30K JPEG) and right side view (50K JPEG).
 

VordemwaldA little further south of Zurich is Vordemwald, whose Feuerwehr ("Fire Department" in German) takes their FC to shows like Jeeptreffen 2005 (60K JPEG) at Rothrist, on a regular basis.
 

LadderThis photo comes from Swiss Firefighters, and the truck appears to belong to the Service du Feu ("Fire Service" in French) of Vallorbe, north of Lausanne in western Switzerland.
 

Rear view The rear view gives an idea of how much storage space these trucks have. Photo courtesy of Thomas Müller.

See also a front view (310K JPEG) of this FC, proving that it can handle trails like any Jeep.
 

Dry chemical Here's something different, a truck with a 750kg dry chemical tank. It retired in 2000 from Huber+Suhner, a Swiss company making power and data cables and components. Photo by Andreas Frei.
 

See also the Jeep-Zanzi, a Swiss-built cab-forward truck on a CJ-5 chassis.

Thanks to the photographers. -- Derek Redmond


See Forward Control airport crash trucks in Willys Fire Trucks in Australia.


Also on CJ3B.info, see Forward Control Fire Engines in North America.

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Last updated 23 March 2024 by Derek Redmond redmond@cj3b.info
https://cj3b.info/Fire/FireFCWorld.html
All content not credited and previously copyright, is copyright Derek Redmond