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FIREFIGHTING UNITS
A Thornycroft-Simonis Six-wheeler and a Portable Pumping Set for Use in Connection With a Lorry or Van.
DURING a recent visit to the . works of Simonis, Ltd., Park Royal, London, NAVA°, we were shown two new machines of widely different types for combating outbreaks of fire. A six-wheeled Thornycroft chassis was being equipped with a 300-gallon self-priming turbine pump of the well-known Simonis type, and we were able to witness this undergoing its initial pumping test. It is the first model of its kind to be produced from this factory and one of its novel features is described below.
In many instances the water which passes through the cylinder jackets for cooling purposes during pumping operations is allowed to flow to waste over the surrounding ground ; this naturally involves, on certain surfaces, the collection of a considerable volume of water which may cause difficulty in extricating the vehicle when the job has been completed, owing to the ground becoming boggy. As the Thornyeroft-Simonis six-wheeler is designed for tackling fires in districts which would not he readily accessible to four-wheeled machines, it has been necessary to avoid any risk of bogging from the cause mentioned. A by-pass device has been built into the cylinder-head riser to allow cooling water to flow from the main pump of the fire-engine through the cylinder jackets and out again, joining the main delivery stream. In this way an adequate flow is ensured to prevent overheating, of the engine and there can be no collection of water around the front wheels due to wastage from the cooling system. The pipes between the pump and the engine run along the near-side frame-member of the chassis and are well protected from any possible damage.
At the other end of the scale is the second new appliance a small portable machine that can be carried upon any vehicle which has bufficient
platform space. It consists of a framework of angle-section steel with collapsible handles at each corner. Four men can easily lift this outfit, or two strong men can handle it, but, of course, not so quickly.
A JA.P. water-cooled V-twin engine drives a 120-gallon Simonis pump through a flexible-disc coupling. One tank above the engine holds petrol and oil, whilst the other holds the cooling water and there is an overflow from it to release the pressure generated due to expansion of the water when the engine
is running. Starting is by means of a handle driving a dog-member through the medium of a roller chain' the dogmember can be pushed inwards in the usual manner to engage with the crankshaft.
Flitch plates are used at the corners of the angle-steel frame and brackets are provided to carry the suction hose. Angle-steel brackets also are used as a moUnting for the engine crankcase. Controls for the single-lever carburetter and magneto are by Bowden cables and there is a drip-feed lubricator for the engine. The delivery hose is carried separately on the vehicle which transports the pump.
On the occasion of our visit a very smart Renault-Simonis was being despatched to the Welwyn Garden City Urban District Council. This had a body built of mahogany framed in ash. The equipment included a 200-250gallon pump with a power take-off from the clutch shaft, a 25-ft. escape ladder, two foam extinguishers carried on the running boards and a dissolved acetylene lighting set.