New Peterborough fire engines to be green as well as red – thanks to bio fuel trial

New fire engines that have been delivered to Peterborough fire stations will be green as well as red, when a trial to run them on bio fuel will be carried out in the city later this year.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue have delivered seven new engines to stations across the county – including one to Dogsthorpe and one to Stanground.

Each fire engine is a Scania 280 carrying an increased capacity of 2,200 litres of water, a Godiva 30/10 e pump and new 22 millimetre hose reels with adjustable flow branches allowing 125 and 230 litres per minute of water.

They will also utilise the latest equipment, including fitted auxiliary batteries to accommodate extra support for electrical operational equipment, plus new battery powered cutting equipment. The pump operator screens are now larger and fitted onto the rear doors of the vehicle.

Other new features include a fitted cool box and water coolers, helping firefighters remain hydrated at incidents while also reducing the amount of plastic the Service uses. Locker rails are fitted flush within the body of the vehicle, reducing its overall width to help navigate tight spaces.

A trial will be carried out in Peterborough later this year, which will see them run on bio fuel, to reduce the carbon emissions.

Area Commander Wayne Swales said: “We want to ensure we provide our firefighters with the best possible equipment to be able to respond to emergency calls and protect their local community effectively. This does mean we need to continually invest in equipment and these new fire engines are an exciting addition to the county’s fleet.

“We’ve taken the chance to change and update how we configure and provide equipment on our fire engines. The crews at Dogsthorpe and St Neots worked alongside our Fleet and Equipment team, Procurement team, Operational Support Group and other departments to configure them to get the best product for our needs.

“Not only do these vehicles represent a significant investment in our operational equipment, they are also more environmentally friendly, demonstrating our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. These new vehicles will allow us to use bio-fuel, which we are looking to trial in Peterborough later in the year.”