South Shropshire receives brand new £225,000 fire appliance

A brand new £225,000 fire appliance has been officially handed over to Craven Arms fire station giving even better fire protection to the people of south Shropshire.

The Scania fire engine carries 3,000 litres of water, 1,200 litres more than its predecessor, an older but well kept appliance which is on its way to Wellington fire station.

Jason Norgrove, Watch Manager at Craven Arms fire station, explained that the capability to carry more water on board meant that firefighters could deal with larger fires more effectively without ferrying water large distances.

“It means we have a large amount of water to deal with incidents in remote rural areas where water is in short supply.”

Farm and grassland fires, which can quickly spread, will be easier to tackle, he added.

The new appliance, which carries all necessary equipment as opposed to the smaller semi equipped appliance, is part of a gradual upgrade across Shropshire fire stations. The latest addition to the fire fleet will be based at Craven Arms where it can be mobilised across south Shropshire to Ludlow, Church Stretton, Much Wenlock and Bishops Castle.

It joins a £440,000 Light Pumping Unit (LPU) that arrived at Craven Arms earlier this year which can pump water from a hydrant, river or other water source, up to 1.7km.

Chief Fire Officer Rod Hammerton said Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service had some of the most professional on call firefighters in the country and they “deserved the right equipment to do the job.”

“I see this as a sound investment into the safety of our rural communities.

“This fire-engine will make sure that we can get the right number of people to an incident with enough water to deal with most problems or to make a really strong attack on a bigger fire while reinforcements are on their way.”

Councillor Eric Carter, vice chair of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority, said it was their job to make sure that Shropshire continues to invest in the safety of all its communities.

“This new fire appliance shows that commitment. One thing I know is that the firefighters of Craven Arms will look after it and use it well.”

The new appliance was handed over at a ceremony at Craven Arms Fire Station on June 30.

There are 18 on call firefighters at Craven Arms who deal with an average 130 emergency calls each year. So far in 2017 they have attended 70 incidents, including fires and traffic collisions.