Mini Fire Engines Trialed In Cumbria

21 March 2019, 06:15 | Updated: 21 March 2019, 06:18

Firefighters in Arnside and Staveley are going to get to trial a kind of mini fire engine.

The all-terrain 'Rapid Response Vehicles' are able to get to the scene of hard-to-reach emergency situations.

They have kit designed to be used by fewer crew, like battery-powered cutting tools.

Cumbria County Councillor Janet Willis, Cabinet Member for Customers, Transformation and Fire and Rescue said: "I'm absolutely delighted that we are welcoming these fantastic vehicles to our fleet after significant research, development and consultation. It feels like a real milestone and I'm confident that they will bring benefits in providing quicker response times and will effectively match our resources to demand and risk."

Chief Fire Officer, Steve Healey added: "I am pleased that our new vehicles are soon to be operational and piloted in Arnside and Staveley. This is a new way of responding to emergencies in Cumbria and we've looked and learned from other areas of the country such as North Yorkshire and the West Midlands who have successfully introduced them.

"New technology and procedures allow these vehicles to be crewed by fewer staff than a standard fire engine and will increase the availability of our resources in areas of relatively low risk or where there is another standard fire appliance at a fire station close by.

"They are equipped to be able to respond to, and deal with small incidents on their own and can also attend more serious incidents, such as house fires and road traffic collisions, alongside standard fire engines, and other resources.

"The obvious benefit the RRVs have are that they are far more flexible and agile than full sized appliances. They are all-terrain and given some of the challenges we have in rural areas and with severe weather events that can make areas hard to reach, these vehicles will be invaluable in providing immediate intervention to saves lives and prevent escalation of incidents."