More than £7.5 million has been invested in vehicles and equipment for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service over the past five years.
The funding has been used to modernise frontline appliances and specialist response vehicles across the county. This includes new fire engines for wholetime and day-crewed stations, while three on-call stations at Broad Oak, Herstmonceux and Forest Row are due to receive brand new fire pumps this year.
The service has also refreshed its specialist fleet with a new UNIMOG animal rescue unit, a new water carrier, a fire investigation vehicle and new response cars for fire officers.
Officials say the investment forms part of a wider programme to improve emergency response through new technology, while also offering greater protection to firefighters from contaminants and other health risks.
Louis Thompson, Strategic Engineering Manager, said:
“East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service carries out so many different types of emergency response, from animal rescues, flooding incidents, road traffic collisions and of course fires. Our fleet and equipment is an essential part of delivering that. We are already looking at how new technology can influence what our future fleet will look like and how it can help better serve our communities.”
Assistant Director – Response and Operational Resilience Matt Lloyd said:
“We aren’t just investing in our fleet. Each new vehicle or piece of equipment requires training and ongoing learning. The incidents we attend can push vehicles and equipment to the limits – we are working hard to ensure we learn from our experiences so that every new vehicle which comes into the Service is an improvement from the previous generations.”
The service has also invested in a new fleet and equipment hub at the former Fort Road fire station in Newhaven.
The building is nearing completion and will provide what the service says will be a safer and more efficient base for engineers maintaining vehicles and operational equipment.
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