Smaller fire engines are being established in Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service
SMALLER fire engines are being established in Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service.
They are to be used as front-line emergency response vehicle at certain fire stations, which could eventually include Sidmouth and Ottery St Mary, writes Rebecca Thorne.
Group Manager Ally MacDonald said: “Devon and Somerset is the first fire service in the country to combine smaller appliances with compressed air foam systems instead of water.
“They will reduce standard equipment carried on the appliance, according to the risks in that location.”
Initial trials suggest the smaller appliances; which cost �140,000 as opposed to �210,000 for a full-sized fire engine, will reduce response times to certain incidents by up to 20 percent.
A DSFRS spokesman said smaller fire engines might be useful in Sidmouth and Ottery areas “because of the narrow lanes, as these are more easily manoeuvrable.”
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