Fire brigades buy slimmer fire engines amid huge increase in large cars
This article tells us how a huge increase in large cars in the past decade has led to brigades buying slimmer fire engines in order to navigate through narrow streets lined with parked vehicles.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is the latest brigade to announce that it is considering purchasing a fleet of thinner vehicles.
The proposal follows a spate of incidents where crews have been unable to reach incidents because their fire engines could not fit down the road.
The new slimmer engines are expected to weigh about 12 tonnes, compared to 16 tonnes for a full-sized fire engine.
There have been a series of emergencies around Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, where rescue crews have had difficulty navigating through streets full of cars, including one where a terraced house was nearly gutted and a man was hospitalised. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that from 2004 to 2014, the number larger cars registrations have seen some of the biggest percentage increases in registrations over this period. Dual purpose and multi-purpose vehicles rose by 62.9 per cent and 31.8 per cent respectively, the second and third largest increases out of the nine categories of vehicle. Steven Bell, head of sales at Emergency One, a leading manufacturer of fire engines to British brigades, said there has been a surge in demand for smaller fire engines in recent years. “It comes down to geography and location. There is more need for lighter and smaller vehicles in tighter streets and towns”