Our Green Goddess

Green Goddess

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 and the design was based on an army transport truck.

These imposing vehicles were in superb condition, having been maintained on stand-by for instant deployment if required. The majority have only covered between 2,000 and 3,000 miles and come with a full service history and a range of appropriate equipment; most were never in use. They retain their attractive period registration numbers and can be MOT & road fund license exempt if they are kept as fire engines.

Auxiliary Fire Service

The Auxiliary Fire Service was established as part of civil defence preparations after the Soviet Union detonated an 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 Auxiliary Fire Service was disbanded and civil defence reduced to a 'care and maintenance' basis in 1968 but the Green Goddess was retained.

The Green Goddess machines were not primarily fire engines; they are more correctly titled "4 x 4 self propelled pumps". Their main role was to pump huge quantities of water, from lakes, rivers canals and other sources into cities hit by a nuclear attack. The main pump has a capacity of 900 gallons per minute and the machines could be used in a relay system over a number of miles, with Green Goddesses at regular intervals to boost the water pressure. Fire fighting was a secondary role. Normal fire hoses could be used either from the main pump, which had four outlets, or from normal fire hydrants for which an assortment of connecting branches were carried. In addition the machines carried a small Coventry Climax pump, with its own petrol engine, which could also draw water from a river or other source, again feeding normal fire hoses and which provided a separate and self-contained fire fighting capability. A 300 gallon water tank was installed which fed small diameter hoses on each side of the vehicle to give an immediate "first aid" capacity to fight a fire whilst the main hoses were connected and brought into use. A stirrup pump was also carried together with a full range of other suitable tools and equipment. The vehicles were normally manned by an officer in charge, who sat in the front passenger seat, a driver/pump operator, and 4 fire fighters seated on the crew bench. Most were modified by the installation of flashing blue lamps and two tone warning sirens, and alterations to the rear lamps. They were well maintained in store being regularly road tested. Mechanically they were designed to be robust and easy to maintain. The Green Goddess was not the fastest of vehicles with a maximum speed of around 50 mph, a comfortable cruising speed of 40 mph, no power steering and sensitive on corners. Fuel consumption was between 8 and 10 mpg, depending on driving style.

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.