Let’s face it who wouldn’t want to drive a Fire Engine? It’s all about those blues and twos wailing sirens and firefighter heroics in that London’s Burning (or Fireman Sam) kind of way on this fire engine experience in Oxfordshire. And as well as sitting in the driver’s seat yourself you can also book an add-on passenger ride for that ultimate fire crew experience!
There’ll be no 999 call outs or emergencies to respond to and no fires to put out which leaves you to concentrate on the fine art of driving one of these most recognisable behemoths of the road. We’ve all pulled over to let fire engines pass as they thunder past to attend that urgent situation be it road traffic accident or cat up a tree but have you ever stood next to the cab of one? They are surprisingly huge.
For this experience you will be driving a Dennis RS fire engine that was last stationed at the Stanlow Oil Refinery in Cheshire. Technically called a Rescue Pump this particular engine carried a longer 13.5m extendable and retractable ladder (perfect for those hard to reach felines) reels of water hoses and lots of rescue and cutting equipment – so it’s no wonder that it needs a huge 10.6l engine to power it.
Indeed the Dennis is an impressive piece of kit. Capable of pumping 2500l of water per minute (!) they were a formidable force in fire services around the country until the 90s. And despite all the weight a Dennis RS with its V8 engine is capable of a very spritely 70mph+ on the roads making them an thrilling vehicle to drive that’s for sure even if it does only do 8mpg!
As we mentioned as well as sessions to drive a fire engine we also offer extended packages that give you a passenger ride in a wonderful 1950s Green Goddess. These Bedford-built appliances were used by the army as auxiliary fire engines and the fleet of 900 was kept by the Home Office right up until 2004. Whether you drive or drive and ride these fire engine experiences are simply superb fun – and yes you will be able to switch those sirens on!
