A new state-of-the-art aerial ladder platform is to be unveiled at Carlisle fire station.
Journalists with a head for heights are invited to the city’s Warwick Street fire station at 9:00am on Wednesday 5 December. Here they will get a bird’s eye view of Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service’s new ladder platform being put through its paces.
Capable of working at heights of up to 32 metres, the new specialist rescue vehicle has a built-in hose reel and a camera which can of transmit pictures back to fire crews on the ground. The camera also has infrared so firefighters can detect 'hot-spots' in buildings before crews are sent in.
The new ladder platform is much more advanced than its predecessor and is able to reach previously inaccessible places –such as the reverse side of pitched roofs.
Firefighters are currently being trained to operate the new ladder which, when it enters full-time service early next year, will greatly enhance their ability to fight fires and undertake rescues at height
Cumbria County Council has purchased two new aerial ladder platforms, each costing £405,000. The second vehicle will be based in Barrow. Together, the vehicles will enable firefighters to respond to incidents across Cumbria.
Councillor Gary Strong, cabinet member responsible for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said: "This investment of £810,000 provides our firefighters with the latest technology when it comes to tackling blazes at height."
Cumbria’s Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison, said: "The existing turntable ladders at Barrow and Carlisle are coming to the end of their working life.
"We are delighted at the county council’s decision to invest in these replacement aerial ladder platforms which will greatly enhance our operational capabilities."
ENDS
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337
Notes
Journalists wishing to be taken up in the new Carlisle aerial ladder platform when it is unveiled at the town’s fire station at 9:00am on Wednesday 5 December should contact the county council's media team to confirm their attendance on the number shown above.