SIX brand new fire engines will be rolled out to their new homes in the county in a £1.5 million investment by Cumbria County Council.

This is part of the continued investment in the fire service and will ensure crews can use the most modern fire engines to help keep people safe around the county.

Each of the new state-of-the-art fire appliances are carrying eye-catching fire and public safety messages.

The six vehicles will be placed at Carlisle East, Appleby, Whitehaven, Windermere, Ulverston and Walney Fire Stations.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, John Beard said: “Ensuring the safety of our crews and the communities we serve is our upmost priority, which is why these new fire engines have been designed with the direct involvement of our firefighters.

"A lot of hard work has gone into making sure that these new models will enable our crews to work safely and effectively both now and, in the future, so that we can continue to provide a first-class emergency response for years to come within Cumbria.”

Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue, Cllr Janet Willis, said: “I am delighted to officially see the latest additions to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s fleet.

"It gives me immense pride to be investing in the latest fire and rescue equipment.

"The new fire engines offer a wide range of improvements and better equip our firefighters to serve the people of Cumbria."

Each of the new fire engines has been branded featuring different messages:

  • Water safety – It is important to educate the whole community about the risk open water poses if you are not a trained professional with the correct equipment. Cumbria FRS want people to enjoy the water safely and are fully committed to preventing drowning incidents from happening in the first place.
  • Road safety – It’s vital all motorists drive safely and ensure their vehicles are road worthy to help prevent accidents. Lives are still being destroyed by the failure of drivers to be responsible behind the wheel before and during their travels.
  • Home fire safety – Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can save lives, but only if they are working. The Service aims to raise awareness on the importance of people having working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their home.
  • Wildfires – Wildfires are becoming much more common across the UK and in Cumbria and cause devasting damage to wildlife, agriculture, environment and properties. Help protect our rural areas in Cumbria from wildfires.
  • Pride - Having a fire engine wrapped with this design shows Cumbria FRS’s commitment to engaging with and supporting their local communities and being an inclusive organisation.
  • Hate crime – Cumbria FRS continue to raise awareness of issues surrounding violence and hate crime and its impact on the communities it serves and the organisation.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Nathaniel Hooton said: “Our appliances provide a fantastic presence in our communities, and we have decided to use this to help spread some important messages.

"We want to engage with everyone in our communities, and this is another way of doing that.

"I hope people will keep an eye out for their local fire engine and see what messages it is displaying.”

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has 44 frontline fire engines serving Cumbrian communities, plus reserve and training vehicles and specialist vehicles such as an Ariel Ladder Platform (ALP) and water bowsers.