Expert set to decide fate of fire engines

AN INDEPENDENT expert is to be brought in to decide what to do with two expensive fire engines judged too much of a safety risk to use.

Two state-of-the-art fire appliances have been plagued with technical faults since being bought for 450,000 each three years ago.

The Evening News revealed last month that the "combined aerial rescue pumps" cannot even travel around round-abouts safely.

Now fire chiefs are to call in an "independent expert adviser", depending on the cost, which is to be presented by the Chief Fire Officer James Campbell at a board meeting later this week. If the cost is judged to be acceptable, the adviser will look at what the best use would be for the appliances.

The options include modifying them considerably so they can be brought into use safely at a cost of up to 190,000, using them as training vehicles - although that is said to offer "little benefit" due to the significant differences in equipment - or selling them, which is deemed "not likely to bring a satisfactory return".