This article is from page 14 of the 2013-01-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
WITH Valentine’s Day just weeks away, Clare women have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfil their partners’ childhood dreams by buying them their very own working fire engine.
Shannon Airport last week placed two working fire engines on the market – a 4×4 Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV) and an 8×8 Foam Crash Truck (FCT). Both vehicles are made by the now defunked Irish company Timoney and have seen active duty in the airport over the last 27 years.
While the vehicles are likely to attract a lot of interest in the business sector, according to Shannon Airport’s Chief Fire Officer, Pat O’Brien, much of the interest is likely to come from private individuals and collec- tors.
“The RIV was designed to be first on the scene for all airport incidents. It has V6 turbo-charged diesel engine which is still in excellent working condition,” said Pat.
“The FCT is a bigger truck and has a V8 turbo charged engine. It is designed to carry 2,000 gallons of water and has a foam capacity of around 800 litres. Both of these vehicles would have been at the very top of the range when they were commissioned in the 1980. They have been out of active service for around two years now but are still in great condition. Their engines have been very well maintained.”
While no asking price has been given for the vehicles, interest is believed to be high, with enquiries being received from Ireland and the UK.
“With something like this, I would expect there to be a big interest from collectors and people who want to restore the vehicles. There is also a large commercial interest in vehicles like this. They are sometimes used in quarries or recycling plants to help keep down the dust,” continued Pat.
“Even to be broken up, the component parts do have a lot of value. It would be a shame to see them broken up though. You don’t get many miles per gallon but Timoney is no longer in operation and these vehicles are something special.”
Anyone hoping to own their very own fire truck can call Shannon Airport on 061 712622 and make a bid.