Lecture about the history of the vehicles of the Barcelona Fire Service

Today the Barcelona Fire Service has a fleet of professional vehicles to satisfy the needs of each type of task carried out. Advances in prevention and technology have made fire service vehicles better suited to their professional purpose. Looking back at the history of the Barcelona Fire Service also means looking at the evolution of their lorries. How have they changed over time? The head of the Technical Support Unit at the Barcelona Fire Service, Antonio Cabeza, will be going into the details in the lecture “The evolution of Barcelona Fire Service vehicles”, to be given at the MUHBA Oliva Artés this Thursday at 6 pm.

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20/12/2022 - 14:33 h - Security and prevention Ajuntament de Barcelona

The corps got its first two motor vehicles in 1908, starting a process to motorise the service which lasted until 1920, with rotating pumps replacing steam versions. This motorisation made the service quicker and more efficient.

One of the most iconic historical vehicles of the Barcelona Fire Service is the Delahaye fire truck, better known as the Genoveva, acquired in 1923 and characterised for its 400-litre tank for putting out fires autonomously.

As the firefighting corps turned professional between 1920 and 1958, other more advanced and specialised vehicles arrived, such as a lorry specially designed for putting out fires involving flammable liquids at airports.

As from the 1970s, and with the consolidation of fire prevention regulations, vehicles evolved again to the point where the current 105-strong fleet can quickly get to where they are needed. The equipment on these vehicles is suited to all types of intervention, meaning there are fire trucks, special lorries and container carriers, rescue trucks, command vehicles, personal and material transport carriers and maritime vehicles.

This lecture forms part of the cycle “The Fire Service and its history”, an activity linked to the exhibition “Protecting Barcelona. Firefighters and fire prevention 1833-2022”, which explains how fire prevention measures have been applied in the city from when the Barcelona Fire Service was created in 1833 through to the present day. The exhibition, which is on at the MUHBA Oliva Artés until 30 June, includes an excellent collection of vehicles used by the service down through the years.

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