The Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the RLHZ Self Propelled Pump manufactured by Bedford Vehicles, a fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), and latterly held in reserve by the Home Office until 2004, and available when required to deal with exceptional events, including being operated by the British Armed Forces during fire-fighters’ strikes (1977 and 2002).

The Auxiliary Fire Service was established as part of civil defence preparations after World War II, and subsequent events such as the Soviet Union detonating an atomic bomb made their presence supporting civilians as part of Britain's civil defence an important role.

Their main role was to pump huge quantities of water from lakes, rivers, canals and other sources into cities hit by a nuclear attack.

The machines could be used in a relay system over a number of miles, with Green Goddesses at regular intervals to boost the water pressure.

Prior to disbandment, the AFS used the Green Goddess extensively in support of the local fire services throughout the UK.

They provided additional water delivery and firefighting capability at times when the regular fire brigades had a major incident to contain.

New Incident Response Units introduced after the September 11, 2001 attacks offered high-power pumping ability among a range of other contingency functions.

In March 2004, the British Government announced that it was conducting a test sale[3] of forty of its remaining fleet of more than nine hundred vehicles, and that it was planning to dispose of the remainder.

The Green Goddess carried a range of equipment from standard hose and branches, through a selection of nozzles to provide different flows and jet patterns, to Light Portable Pumps and Ceiling Arresters.