The Angus Fire Armour Company of London was the first to offer one of these for sale, launching it at the conference of the British Fire Services Association in Hastings, England, in December 1963. The flyer said: “It is with a feeling of great satisfaction that Angus Fire Armour introduce the wonderful Firefly Mini Fire engine. Constructed on the well tried Mini ¼-ton Van and powered by the BMC four-cylinder petrol engine developing 47bhp at 5,500rpm, this robust light fire appliance is capable of getting to the very seat of a fire regardless of narrow and congested roads or restricted means of ingress.”
Bexley Hospital, also known as the Bexley Mental Hospital or Bexley Asylum, of Dartford Heath in Kent, showed a keen interest. They ordered their Firefly on 20 January 1964 and took delivery of it in June that year. The Westminster Beige Mini Van was converted into a Pick-up with a steel-tube frame, covered with a canvas roof, repainted in Fire Brigade Red and converted with ladder gantries, Hathaway water pump with Villiers engine, 30-gallon [136.4 litres] water tank, 120’ fire
