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Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has expanded its frontline fleet for the second time in a year, with a new fire engine now in service at Moss Side Community Fire Station.
The latest appliance was unveiled on 19 September at an event attended by Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities Kate Green, GMFRS Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel and station-based crews. Its introduction follows the service’s 2023 Fire Cover Review, which examined how GMFRS could strengthen resilience and operational preparedness across a rapidly growing city region.
The new Moss Side engine takes the GMFRS fleet to 52 appliances. It is the second addition since the review, following the introduction of an engine at Manchester Central Community Fire Station in December 2024 – the first new fire engine there in more than 18 years.
As well as increasing capacity to respond to emergencies across the region, the Moss Side crew will provide additional prevention and protection outreach in some of Greater Manchester’s highest-risk areas.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said the investment was part of his long-standing pledge to restore fire and rescue capacity lost during austerity:
“Our two new fire engines and increased investment in GMFRS are an important contribution to our overall ambitions for Greater Manchester, helping keep people and communities safe, protecting business, and enabling them to thrive.”
The additions are part of a wider programme of investment, which also includes £3.5m to replace 15 fire engines with new greener models, as well as upgrades to fire stations, firefighter fitness facilities and the construction of new stations in Blackley, Whitefield and Stockport.
Chief Fire Officer Dave Russel said the extra appliance would help GMFRS deliver on its aim of being a “modern, flexible and resilient fire and rescue service.”
Deputy Mayor Kate Green added that the programme of investment was vital to ensuring Greater Manchester remains served by one of the best-performing fire and rescue services in the country.
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