A.F.S equipment includes the Bedford WrT described in the vehicles section, as well as what's carried on it, and the personal gear carried and worn by auxiliary fire fighters.

Fire Kit

The helmets in use are the Pacific F4 and the Cromwell F500.

Fire kit made by both Bristol and Ballyclare is used.

Light Portable pump.

Used to supply water to the appliance if the water source is some distance from the fire. The type operated by Laois Civil Defence is a Ziegler TS 6/6. It has electric start, automatic priming and an attached floodlight.

Branches.

Several types are shown here.

On top is the older Type A, which has no on/off control.

The AWG branch hasjet/off/spray settings.

Diffuser branch has a wide range of spray settings.

The Noble allows for higher flowrates and has spray/jet off settings controlled by the ring on the end.

Standpipe and Key.

Connects the hose to the hydrant which is usually located underground. The key on the left can be used to remove the cover and turned to open the valve on the hydrant. the standpipe has a a female instantaneous fittings coupling to attach to the delivery hose.

Delivery Hose.

Standard 70mm non-permeable hose with BS instantaneous couplings. We also have 600m of 90mm delivery hose, which is used for transferring water over longer distances.

Fire E xtinguishers.

Come in different types to suit different classes of fire.

More information about the classes of fire can be found here.

Hand Axe

Handle is insulated. No longer carried by each fre fighter, they are still carried on the appliance.

Stirrup Pump

They date back to WWII, but still function as designed, useful for emptying flooded hydrant pits, and for chimney fires.

100mm Suction Hose

Used when drawing water from an open source such as a pond or river.

Suction Strainers

Used to prevent debris being sucked into the pump. The metal strainer screws onto the suction hose and is placed inside the wicker basket.