What is Godiva Fire Pumps?

Godiva Fire Pumps the fire pump was developed by Coventry Climax in the late 1930s, referred to as the Coventry Climax fire pump. The name Godiva appeared in 1940 and may have originated from a steam pump named "Godiva" by the Coventry Fire Brigade.It was the second such engine to be used by the Coventry Fire Brigade and was christened with great ceremony in 1889 (the first being 'Sherborne' built in 1872).It is remembered in the Coventry Papers on its 50th anniversary in 1939.By 1938 the Fire Brigade had purchased a large number of Coventry Trailer Pumps and demonstrated them to ARP crews and members of the Auxiliary Fire Brigade.The "Coventry Climax Trailer Pump" is described as being capable of delivering 250-300 imperial gallons per minute (1,100-1,400 l/min)."It was a complete, self-contained unit, equipped with a powerful gasoline-powered engine, towed behind a truck, which would patrol the streets in the event of an air attack."In January 1940 they claimed to be the "largest producer of trailered fire trucks in the world" and the British government ordered over 6,000 of them.In addition to fire service and AFS, hundreds have been supplied to foreign governments and major corporations,lists two models, the smaller 120/220 GPM model claims 140 imperial gallons per minute (640 L/min) at 100 psi (690 kPa) and ten feet (three meters) of lift, the larger Model is 500GPM claiming 520 imp gal/min (2,400 L/min) at 100 psi (690 kPa) and 10 ft (3 m) of lift. During World War II, in addition to a large number of purchases by the Ministry of Defense, fire pumps were also exported to the United States for fighting forest fires.

One of the most unusual by-products of post-war fire pump development was the racing engine. After the war, the government asked Coventry Climax to develop a portable self-contained pump unit capable of delivering 350 gallons of water per minute.The new power unit designed for this pump unit is a successful combination of light weight and high power, which forms the basis for a series of racing engines.A portable pump unit created in 1950 was named the "Feather Weight Pump" (FWP).The 1,020 cc (62 in3) lightweight aluminum engine produced 38 hp (28 kW) with overhead camshafts.Three years after the introduction of the FWP, the pump engine had been adapted for racing.The first racing engine was named FWA and was a huge success. main entry

In the post-war period, water pumps played a role in Cold War civil defense preparations, with portable Godiva water pump units carried by vehicles known as "Green Goddesses".These pump trucks were used extensively by auxiliary fire brigades during the Cold War and were called upon to relieve strike firefighters in the 1970s and 80s.The portable pump was later made diesel powered and a trailer mounted version was also available.A new development in 1971 was the Godiva UMP pump.This is a two stage unit which allows it to work as either high volume low pressure or low volume high pressure.This applies to fire engines such as the Hestair Dennis R133.UMP and other Godiva pump types were and are used in a variety of firefighting equipment including the Dennis Carmichael Airport Fire Truck (UFP pump), Mercedes-Benz 263A Airport Fire Truck (UMPX pump), Mercedes -Mercedes-Benz Atego 1023/1325, MAN L2000 and Volvo FL6.Godiva also designed a remote fire suppression system for use by the British Royal Navy after the Falklands War.Godiva Fire Pumps continues to supply parts for Coventry Climax forklifts at a factory in the northern suburbs of Leamington Spa.