Engines under fire again

Published on Wednesday 18 August 2010 17:39

MILLION-pound fire engines are off the road again after only being used for a matter of weeks amid fears they are dangerously unsafe.

The state-of-the-art appliances, which took two years to go into service in the first place, were back in the garage soon after because they were found to be unstable on the road.

One source told the Evening News of the giant machine being "up on two wheels" as it went round a corner and that it provoked a "crisis of confidence" among frontline firefighters.

The news of the latest problems emerged after firefighters were seen using a 23-year-old back-up appliance at a rescue off London Road this week.

Fire chiefs insist the use of the spare engine was not linked to the issue as it was on regular rotation when needed. But they did admit to "frustrating" delays with the new Combined Aerial Rescue Pump (Carp) engines.

Online poll: Is it time for Lothian and Borders Fire Service to give up on their new engines?

Vote now

The Carps, which cost 450,000 each, are designed to do the job of a conventional fire engine and a height appliance vehicle in one. They were bought with special funding from the Scottish Government.

Weighing around 18 tonnes, the appliances are much heavier than traditional trucks and previously had to be "slimmed down" before being allowed to operate in the Lothians.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire Service said one appliance allocated to Sighthill had been sent back to the manufacturers after just "a few weeks" following concerns that it "could not hold the road", while another, bound for the city's McDonald Road station, had never even left the factory.

It is understood the Sighthill engine is now at the service's garage at Newbridge.

"Technical problems with Carp have been well documented and is not a problem exclusive to Lothian and Borders," said the spokeswoman.

"Firefighter safety, and the safety of the public, is a priority and for that reason we will not put them 'on the run' until technical issues have been resolved."

She said there was "no intention" to scrap the Carps.

"We have had difficulties but when we are satisfied that all concerns have been addressed then we will get them back on the road," she said.

"It is public money and from our point of view we want the appliances to be on the run and doing the job that they are supposed to do."

Gavin Burrie, a Scottish official for the Fire Brigades Union, said: "The current (fire] chief and management team have inherited a very tricky situation. We understand they are doing their best to resolve it."

The Fire Brigades Union previously claimed the new appliances were designed to save money and jobs, rather than improve safety. There have been complaints about the vehicles in other parts of the country.

Safety questions were raised when one appliance toppled over in Strathclyde at only 15mph.