Northumberland fire service's new aerial platform hailed as a 'game-changer' which will enable them to tackle blazes more effectively

Fire crews now have the keys to an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) which will can extend up to 27 metres high and will help deal with incidents at height.

The fire service purchased the £50,000 vehicle following a fire at Haltwhistle Working Men’s Club in December.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has borrowed one of the units from the likes of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service in the past, but the appliance was unavailable during the Haltwhistle fire and a second one had to be sourced from the south of Cumbria.

Councillor Colin Horncastle, chairman of the Fire Authority, explained why the council had chosen to purchase the machine.

He said: “There was a fire in the Haltwhistle area a few months ago where we needed a bit of equipment like this and Northumberland didn’t have one. It took some time to get one, because the Tyne and Wear machine wasn’t available and we had to get one from way down south in Cumbria.

“A machine like this new is roughly three-quarters of a million pounds. We were lucky enough to acquire this for about £50,000.”

Group manager Joe Haustead said the ALP would be a “game-changer” for both residents and crews.

He said: “We’re very excited to bring this appliance back into Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service. It will give us much more capability in terms of emergency response.

“It’s a game-changer for us, for the public and safer for the fire service.”