LODDON TOWN COUNCIL

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service has unveiled a new fleet of 22 appliances that will make it quicker and easier for crews to extinguish dangerous fires and other incidents in the county.

The new state-of-the-art eight-crew vehicles will be deployed across Norfolk over the next 12 months, replacing existing appliances that are reaching the end of their lifespan. Based on the familiar looking Scania, they boast a wealth of new features to help improve operational response and mobilisation efficiency and make them even more effective during incidents, including:

•13.5m and 9m ladders for hard-to-reach areas

•A huge 2,250 litre water tank suppling 3,000 litres per minute

•Two extra-long 72m hosereels (18m longer than a standard hose) for reaching areas far away from the vehicle with extra wide 22mm diameter (increased from 19mm) to increase the water volume that can be pumped

•Public Address system to broadcast warning messages during incidents such as ‘stay indoors’ or ‘prepare to evacuate’

•New LED lighting and mast to provide flood lighting as night-time incidents

The new fully automatic appliance was unveiled today at the Royal Norfolk Show, where it showcased its new siren that incorporates a low frequency Howler unit to penetrate sound-proofed modern cars and provide better directional recognition.

The new appliances are part of over £20m investment in equipment and facilities of NFRS in the three years to 2025, which also includes a range brand new equipment, designed to improve firefighters’ ability to tackle fires and deal with other incidents such as road traffic collisions, efficiently and safely. These include:

•Battery-operated cutters, spreaders and rams, vehicle stability equipment, air lifting bags and small hand operated rescue cutters

•Battery-operated portable flood lighting to use away from the vehicle

•Enhanced battery-operated rescue tools including a disk cutter, drills, impact wrenches and reciprocating saws

•Misting Lances for wildfire firefighting

•Thermal imaging cameras

•Smoke curtains to stop the spread of smoke through a building

Councillor Margret Dewsbury, Norfolk County Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: 

“We want to provide the best possible service we can for Norfolk and its residents so it’s vital that we continue to upgrade our equipment to ensure our teams have the most up to date possible gear to protect our communities and keep them safe.

“This new fleet of vehicles and equipment will be a huge asset to Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.”