Seahouses crew takes delivery of new fire engine

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has recently introduced two new fire engines to its fleet of operational response vehicles.
Coun John Riddle with Chief Fire Officer Paul Hedley in one of Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service's new appliances.Coun John Riddle with Chief Fire Officer Paul Hedley in one of Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service's new appliances.
Coun John Riddle with Chief Fire Officer Paul Hedley in one of Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service's new appliances.

The two new vehicles have been placed on the run at Seahouses and Pegswood community fire stations.

The recent investment by Northumberland County Council will see the the fleet benefit from two new environmentally-friendly Volvo vehicles featuring automatic snow chains, nine-metre ladders which can be used by a crew of three and are more maneuverable and easier to use in confined places, enhanced interior crew cab design with greater space for the stowage of equipment and newly-designed single crew cab seats.

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The engines also feature 360 HD infrared CCTV with voice recording and data logging for enhanced crew protection.

The new fire engines also have a host of new features, including digitalised pump bay controls for main water delivery and hose reels, remote systems monitoring and lighting controls and improved hose reel technology.

An additional advantage of the new vehicles is that they are less expensive to purchase and to maintain than the traditional fleet.

Paul Hedley, chief fire officer, said: “The new fire engines are a fantastic enhancement to our operational fleet and provide our crews with a more flexible, efficient and operationally effective appliance for use when attending incidents.

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“We are always looking to introduce technological improvements to improve our ability to better deal with emergencies and to improve the safety of our firefighters. These new engines do just that.”

Coun John Riddle, Fire Authority Chair, said: “These new fire engines demonstrate the ongoing investment and commitment that the county council is making, equipping our firefighters with some of the best kit available, assisting them in providing a first class service to our communities.

“It is great to see that the new vehicles have better technology, enhance firefighter safety, provide better value for money and are more environmentally friendly than our existing fleet. I’m really pleased that the feedback from operational personnel has been very positive.”