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Fire and rescue services in East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex (known as ‘4F’) have appointed a new supplier to replace and standardise breathing apparatus equipment across the region.
Interspiro has been announced as the successful supplier following a joint procurement and tender process to deliver the new breathing apparatus and ancillary equipment to keep firefighters safe when attending incidents across all four counties. Each of the four fire and rescue services will begin using the new contract over a phased approach and in some cases will commence implementation of new equipment as soon as possible.
The four services will continue to work together in parallel partnership to improve operational alignment across the region and to achieve best value for their investment.
The new equipment will be standardised across the four services making joint working at cross border incidents more streamlined and effective. The joint tender process has also enabled significant cost savings to be achieved through purchasing the equipment as a collective rather than individually.
Staff at all levels from across the four services have been involved in the procurement process and have had the opportunity to test the equipment in different scenarios to ensure it meets their needs. The initiative to procure the new breathing apparatus was project managed and led by West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS).
In a joint statement, East Sussex FRS’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Hannah Youldon, Kent FRS’s Assistant Director Response, Neil Griffiths, Surrey FRS’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Sally Wilson, and WSFRS’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Gary Ball, said: “We are delighted to be announcing our chosen supplier, Interspiro. Being able to provide our operational staff with the latest technology and equipment to keep them safe and to improve our working practices across the region is critical. This was an important decision and we have followed a detailed and robust process to get to this stage.
“Working on this project has provided fantastic opportunities for collaboration and we would like to thank all members of staff who have been involved in this process and testing the equipment. Diversity and inclusion have been carefully considered along with staff feedback to ensure the new equipment meets the needs of our breathing apparatus wearers.
“We look forward to building an exciting relationship with Interspiro as we prepare to receive our new equipment. Together we will continue working to improve the way we deliver fire and rescue services across Surrey, Sussex, and Kent and keep our firefighters safe while they protect their communities.”
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