East Sussex launch Volvo FL-280 Euro 5 fire appliance

East Sussex Fire Authority has purchased fourteen Euro 5 fire Volvo appliances, which will form a key part of the operational response capability to ensure the safety of the communities of East Sussex and the City of Brighton & Hove. This makes East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service the first service in the United Kingdom to use the Euro 5 compliant Volvo FL-280 fire appliance. Supplied by Volvo Dealer, MC Truck and Bus Ltd at Burgess Hill, the vehicles are equipped with advanced fire-fighting technology, including Firestore software and 1/7 foam.

”East Sussex Fire Authority are committed to ensuring that we are actively promoting sustainable environments within the City and the County and we are utilising public money in the most effective way possible,” explained the Chairman of East Sussex Fire Authority, Mike Murphy. “The new Volvo FL-280 Euro 5 fire appliances are an excellent example of how we can deliver an efficient, life-saving service to our communities at the best possible cost to the taxpayer and, at the same time, ensure that we have a minimal adverse effect on the environment.”

The new fire appliances replace the older Volvo FL6 model with three key differences. They have a low-level 15-tonne chassis, a one-piece factory-made Volvo cab and are equipped with the D7 280 bhp Euro 5 compliant engine.

In addition, the new vehicles are fitted with lightweight aluminium bodies from John Dennis Coachbuilders of Guildford and LED lighting throughout for longer life, higher visibility and lower power consumption. New portable LED lighting holds its own charge for up to 8 hours to light areas away from the appliance. The appliance also has a new lighter 12 metre main ladder which reduces the weight by up to a third, making for easier manual handling across the Brigades’ diverse workforce.

The appliances feature a new software package called Firestore which identifies the best location on the vehicle for all on-board items, ranging from life jackets to portable pumps. On-board ergonomics have therefore been considerably improved and East Sussex Fire & Rescue is the first Brigade to use this pioneering technology. Additionally, a specialist new fire-fighting foam is used. This technology, called 1/7 Fire-fighting Foam, converts the vehicles on-board supply of 1,800 litres of water into 12,000 litres of foam for improved fire-fighting capability. In another first, East Sussex Fire is the first service to fight structure fires with this foam.

By specifying the Euro 5-compliant D7 engine, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service leads the way in demonstrating their commitment to environmental protection ahead of its official introduction in September 2009. The drive train features fully synthetic oils which help deliver improved fuel economy of up to 8%, longer component life and better recyclability.

All fourteen appliances were ordered from Volvo Dealer MC Truck & Bus Ltd at Burgess Hill. Bill Brewster, Head of Engineering Services said, “We need to get the best technical specification today to support ourselves in the future, for up to 14 years, which is the intended in-service life for the vehicles. Coupled with very good value for money from Volvo, we have received excellent support from the local Dealer. MC Truck & Bus are able to get anywhere in the County for us in under an hour. They typically look after warranty issues, maintenance and all our training needs. It’s a real partnership approach to fleet management”.

The Chief Fire Officer & Chief Executive, Des Prichard went on to add, “These state-of-the-art fire appliances will ensure that our fire-fighters achieve the best possible response times and are able to arrive at incidents safely to effectively save lives. There is no doubt in my mind that the new Volvo fire appliances will not only help to ensure efficient delivery of services to the communities of East Sussex and the City of Brighton & Hove, but also underline our ongoing commitment to East Sussex Fire Authorities policies on the Environment Agenda.”

An event to mark the launch of the new fire appliances at Brighton & Hove Pavilion was attended by local dignitaries. These included the Chairman of the Fire Authority, Mike Murphy, the Vice Lord Lieutenant Peter Field and the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Councillor Carol Theobald.