Monday 4 August
11.00hrs
Dan Norris, MP for Wansdyke, visited Chew Magna Fire
Station last week (Thursday 31 July) to see one of three
innovative new fire appliances introduced by Avon Fire & Rescue
Service (AF&RS).
Smaller than normal fire engines, ‘midi’ appliances are now
operating from Chew Magna, Clevedon and Bristol’s Temple fire
stations.
Built on a Mercedes Sprinter van chassis, the vehicles are two
thirds of the size of a traditional fire appliance, but come
equipped 
to almost the same standard as their larger counterparts.
They will be crewed by four firefighters – carrying among its
range of equipment four breathing apparatus sets, hydraulic rescue
tools, a 13 metre ladder, life jackets and a first aid kit.
The new vehicles also have capacity for 500 litres of water,
foam and have a hose reel and main pump for fighting fires.
The appliances were introduced at Chew Magna and Clevedon fire
stations at the start of July so their effectiveness in negotiating
rural roads could be assessed. In the past, it was feared that
narrow lanes could have hindered the progress of traditional fire
appliances.
AF&RS Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive, Kevin Pearson,
said: “Smaller appliances have already been brought in with great
success at other fire and rescue services around the country and we
see this as an improvement on those vehicles.”
“We are confident that our many months of planning mean our
‘midi’ appliances are better equipped and more versatile than those
already in use by other services. Our new ‘midis’ carry the same
minimum crew as the larger fire appliances and are equipped to an
extremely high standard - as a result they are ready to respond to
the same types of incidents as a normal fire engine.”
Chair of Avon Fire Authority, Terry Walker, said: “The
introduction of these three, brand new, appliances represents our
continued commitment to providing a modern response capability to
people in all the areas served by Avon Fire Authority. ”