Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's (GMFRS) fleet of
fire engines has officially grown in size as an additional pump
has gone on the run at Manchester Central Community Fire Station.
The fire engine was unveiled today (Friday, December 13th) at an
event attended by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy , Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester
for Safer and Stronger Communities, , and GMFRS Chief Fire Officer,
Dave Russel.
The additional engine is GMFRS's 51st, marking the
first addition to its fleet in more than 18 years.
It is the first of two fire engines that are being added to the
fleet following last year's Fire Cover Review, which examined how
GMFRS can respond to a constantly growing and changing
city-region, keeping public safety at the forefront of everything
it does. The next engine will be added to Moss Side Community
Station next year.
Manchester city centre has been transformed in recent decades and
now has more than 600 high-rise buildings – more than anywhere
else outside of London. This had led to a rapid increase in
demand for fire cover, which this additional engine at Manchester
Central, plus an additional engine at Moss Side Community Fire
Station, will address. These new engines will also increase
resilience across the city region, being available to respond to
emergencies outside of the city centre if required.
The new fire engines will also have additional crew members to
increase the capacity for prevention and protection-focused
outreach in some of the highest-risk areas. Greater Manchester
already has some of the fastest response times in the country and
the increased capacity will help to improve those even further.
This is part of a much wider investment into the service,
including £3.5m put into replacing 15 fire engines with brand new
greener and state-of-the-art models.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, , said:
“The skyline of Greater Manchester has changed rapidly over the
last few decades, and the number of people living here has grown
alongside it.
“Keeping our residents safe is an absolute priority, and
investing in our fire service will go a long way to ensuring
that.
“I was immensely proud earlier this year when GMFRS was named as
one of the best performing fire and rescue services in the
country by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire
and Rescue Services. This further bolstering of the fire service
shows our commitment to improving its performance even further
and it's great to see this additional engine go to work.”
As well as investment in additional fire engines, £340,000 was
invested in Prevention and Protection activities – targeting more
resources to keeping people safe from emergencies before they
happen – following 2023's Fire Cover Review.
Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel, said:
“Since my appointment as Chief Fire Officer in 2020, we have
implemented numerous improvements across various aspects of the
service. The Fire Cover Review was a crucial initiative aimed at
enhancing the strength and resilience of our service for the
public of Greater Manchester.
“The addition of a fire engine to the fleet in the vital and
challenging area of Manchester City Centre, as a result of this
investment, is exceptionally positive. This will enable our crews
to provide the highest level of service to communities throughout
Greater Manchester. Our rapidly growing city presents unique
challenges for our service and firefighters; these additional
fire engines and investment leave us much better placed to meet
these demands.”
Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester for Safer and Stronger
Communities, , said:
“Residents in Greater Manchester deserve the highest level of
service, and this investment will help to ensure that is
delivered. The additional engines are part of wider programme of
enhancements to fire cover and special appliances across Greater
Manchester, alongside other investments including improved
firefighter fitness facilities, new state-of the-art fire engines
delivered last year, fire station upgrades, plus brand new fire
stations that are being built.”
