B777-200 CREW WAS NOT PROPERLY DEICED AT EGLL.

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DEICING PROBS IN LHR. THE DEICING EQUIP AND THE TRAINING OF THE CERTIFIED DEICERS IS INADEQUATE AND UNSAFE AT LHR. AFTER A 4 HR WAIT ON THE GATE A DEICER FINALLY SHOWED UP. THEN AFTER MORE THAN 30 MINS OF WORK ON THE ACFT; HE HAD TO QUIT; AS THEY RAN OUT OF FLUID IN A TRUCK THAT HAD JUST BEEN FILLED. ANOTHER TRUCK ARRIVED WITHIN 30 MINS; RPTED THE JOB TO BE COMPLETE WITH ALL THE PROPER TERMINOLOGY AND DEPARTED. AS WE BEGAN TO PUSH BACK; FLT ATTENDANTS NOTIFIED US THAT PAX WERE RPTING ICE ON THE WINGS. FO CONFIRMED WE DID HAVE ICE ON BOTH WINGS. THE DEICERS WERE RECALLED AFTER ANOTHER DELAY; AND THEY REAPPLIED MORE FLUID IN A SPRAY PATTERN FROM A LONG DISTANCE THAT WAS INEFFECTIVE AS OBSERVED BY THE FO. AGAIN; THE WINGS WERE RPTED TO BE CLR. ONCE AGAIN; WE TOLD THE DEICER IT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT AND POINTED OUT TO HIM WHERE THE ICE WAS. THE ICE WAS FINALLY REMOVED ON THE 4TH ATTEMPT. ONLY ALERT; OBSERVANT PAX AND REPEATED INSISTENCE ON MY PART PREVENTED US FROM DEPARTING WITH AN UNSAFE ACFT. IN MY OPINION; THE EQUIP THAT IS BEING USED AT LHR FOR DEICING IS TOTALLY INADEQUATE FOR OP ON THE B777. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: SNOW HAD BEEN FALLING FOR ABOUT 4 HRS. THE TEMP WAS JUST AT FREEZING. SNOW HAD STOPPED WHEN DEICING HAD BEGUN. THE CAPT RPTS ALL ACR DEICING AT EGLL IS HANDLED BY CONTRACT CREWS. THEY ARE NOT EMPLOYEES OF THE ACR. EVEN THOUGHT THE ACR ORDERS DEICING EQUIP APPROPRIATE TO THE ACFT; THE CONTRACT DEICER SHOWS UP WITH ONLY 1 TRUCK. IN THIS CASE; THE CHERRY PICKER DEICE TRUCK WAS BROKEN; SO THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROPERLY DEICE THE WINGS. THE FLC WAS COMMUNICATING WITH ACR RAMP CTLR. HE WAS UNABLE TO IMPRESS THE CONTRACT PROVIDER THAT THE JOB WAS NOT GETTING DONE. THE CAPT RPTED THE INCIDENT TO HIS CHIEF PLT; AND WITH HIS SUPPORT; THE COMPANY IS UNDERTAKING A REVIEW OF THE DEICING CONTRACT PROVIDER.