Communities in the South East of England are set to benefit from even more support from their local fire and rescue service thanks to new vehicles supplied by provider of material's handling solutions, Briggs Equipment.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has taken delivery of three JCB Workmax utility vehicles as it looks to provide a broader range of services in rural areas.
Adam Eckley, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (left) and Gary Shaw, Product Manager at Briggs Equipment with the JCB Workmax vehicle.
The off-road vehicles have been fitted with a number of bespoke accessories, including a removable snow blade and grit spreader to help keep community facilities open when bad weather strikes. During the summer months they will be fitted with a water-based fire suppression kit to help fight small fires in fields and other hard to access areas.
Adam Eckley, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, explained: "The new Workmax vehicles will help to place the Fire and Rescue Service at the heart of the local community.
"Rather than just being seen during an emergency, we aim to add value by helping communities on a day-to-day basis and this could include keeping essential services such as schools and GP surgeries open during extreme weather.
"The Workmax is the ideal vehicle for this type of operation and we also intend to use them during our work with the County Council to clear drains and culverts to reduce the risk of flooding."
A fourth Workmax is due to be delivered later this year and DCFO Eckley says that the decision to work with Briggs Equipment was the result of the company's commitment to demonstrating the vehicle's potential combined with a passion for delivering tailored, value added solutions.
"Briggs Equipment provided a Workmax vehicle for a pilot scheme, driven by local need, to prove the concept. This pilot proved a huge success and we've received a lot of positive feedback from the community and our fire crews," he said.
"The flexible approach offered by Briggs Equipment has also enabled us to manage costs during a time of austerity for all public services," he added.
Gary Shaw, Product Manager at Briggs Equipment, commented: "We're delighted that Essex County Fire and Rescue Service find the Workmax so useful. The versatility of these off-road vehicles is already well proven and the fire service certainly seem to be putting them to good use."
As part of a strategic partnership between the two companies, Cannock-based Briggs Equipment now supplies two core models in JCB's acclaimed Workmax range of utility terrain vehicles (UTVs).
The Workmax 1000 and Workmax 800 are available for purchase or through comprehensive lease or rental options. The range has proved invaluable across a wide range of industry sectors - from military use to event management - as the UK developed vehicles perform off road where other equipment fails due to class leading power-to-weight-ratio combined with exceptional fuel efficiency.
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