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Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has unveiled a new fire engine, part of a larger investment to improve and expands its service.
The additional engine, which will operate out of Manchester Central Community Fire Station, was unveiled on 13 December, at an event attended by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham; Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green; and GMFRS Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel.
The new engine is the service’s 51st appliance, marking the first addition to its fleet in more than 18 years.
It is the first of two fire engines that are being added to the fleet following last year’s Fire Cover Review, which examined how GMFRS can respond to a constantly growing and changing city-region, keeping public safety at the forefront of everything it does. The next engine will be added to Moss Side Community Station next year.
A city transformed
Manchester city centre has been transformed in recent decades and now has more than 600 high-rise buildings – more than anywhere else outside of London. This had led to a rapid increase in demand for fire cover, which this additional engine at Manchester Central, plus an additional engine at Moss Side Community Fire Station, will address. These new engines will also increase resilience across the city region, being available to respond to emergencies outside of the city centre if required.
The new fire engines will also have additional crew members to increase the capacity for prevention and protection-focused outreach in some of the highest-risk areas. Greater Manchester already has some of the fastest response times in the country and the increased capacity will help to improve those even further.
This is part of a much wider investment into the service, including £3.5m put into replacing 15 fire engines with brand new greener models.
“Since my appointment as Chief Fire Officer in 2020, we have implemented numerous improvements across various aspects of the service. The Fire Cover Review was a crucial initiative aimed at enhancing the strength and resilience of our service for the public of Greater Manchester.
“The addition of a fire engine to the fleet in the vital and challenging area of Manchester City Centre, as a result of this investment, is exceptionally positive. This will enable our crews to provide the highest level of service to communities throughout Greater Manchester. Our rapidly growing city presents unique challenges for our service and firefighters; these additional fire engines and investment leave us much better placed to meet these demands.”
GMFRS Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel.
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