Green Goddess
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The Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the Bedford RLHZ Self Propelled Pump, a fire engine used by the British Armed Forces. These green-painted vehicles were built between 1953 and 1956 for the Auxiliary Fire Service. The design was based on an army transport truck.
Auxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Fire Service was established as part of civil defence preparations after the Soviet Union detonated a atomic bomb. It was thought that a nuclear attack on Britain would cause a large number of fires which would overwhelm the ordinary fire service, so a large stock of basic fire engines was ordered to form a reserve capacity. The Soviet detonation of a hydrogen bomb in 1955 made the Auxiliary Fire Service largely irrelevant, but the Green Goddess stock was retained, even the Auxilary Fire Service was disbanded and civil defence reduced to a 'care and maintenance' basis in 1968.
Operational Use
Since 1968 the vehicles have been used by the Armed Forces to provide fire cover in a number of fire strikes, notably in 1977 and 2002. They have also been deployed to pump water in floods and droughts.
In March 2004, the Government announced that it was conducting a test sale of 40 of its remaining fleet of more than 900 vehicles, and that it was planning to dispose of the remainder.
The role of Green Goddesses has now been superseded by new contingency arrangements. The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 gives Government the power to instruct Fire and Rescue Authorities to make their vehicles available in the event of future industrial action. New Incident Response Units introduced after the September 11, 2001 attacks offer high power pumping ability among a range of other contingency functions.
Technical Specifications
Unlike modern engines they have no radio, no cutting equipment, only a single 35 feet (10 m) ladder, and a top speed of 35 to 50 mph (50 to 80 km/h). They also have less water capacity at 300 gallons (1,400 litres) than a modern vehicle and poorer stability due to a lack of partitions in the water tank. The vehicle cabins are made of wood and offer very little protection to the crew in the event of an accident.
One advantage that Green Goddesses enjoy over most modern fire appliances is four-wheel drive.
See also UK Firefighter strike 2002.
Green Goddess is also the name of a 1923 Hollywood motion picture directed by Sidney Olcott.