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Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service has continued its 100 per cent loyalty to Iveco after taking delivery of a new Eurocargo ‘Type B’ fire appliance, supplied by the island’s Iveco distributor Bourgourd Ford.

Plated at 10 tonnes, the 4x2 Eurocargo 100E22D features a factory built crew-cab that will be used to accommodate a four-man crew and their breathing apparatus. It continues a long-established trend of specifying vehicles from the Eurocargo family, which are well suited to island service thanks to their narrow-track chassis and excellent blend of power, handling and manoeuvrability.

Nigel Acton, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service, based in St Peter Port, says: “Every frontline appliance in our fleet is built on an Iveco chassis, making us rather unique amongst other fire services in the UK. The Eurocargos serve our operation well, with their proven reliability and suitability to island life ensuring they continue to dominate our fleet.

“When we specify a new fire appliance we have to be very mindful of the island’s unique nature. Our operation embraces all of the same aspects of fire fighting and community safety as our colleagues on the mainland, however, we cannot benefit from any early assistance from a neighbouring Service and therefore have to be self-sufficient. In the Eurocargo, we have a dependable vehicle which meets the varied demands placed upon us,” he adds.
This latest Eurocargo features a modular Plastisol GRP body and is equipped with a full suite of ladders, rescue equipment and a 1,600 litre water tank, together with a foam capability. It marks the second Plastisol body in the Guernsey fleet, and the first to be supplied since Plastisol UK was established in Chorley, Lancashire, in March 2009.

It is driven through an Allison World Series automatic transmission – fitted by Iveco – and powered by a 5.9 litre Euro 5 tector engine capable of producing 217 hp at 2,700 rev/min and up to 680 Nm of torque between 1,200 and 2,100 rev/min.

The new appliance joins an eight-strong frontline fleet of Ivecos, including a Magirus turntable ladder, and will be responsible for covering the entire 25-square mile island and protecting its 60,000 inhabitants.

It is expected to remain on the fleet for 12 years and will be joined shortly by a new 14 tonne Eurocargo water tanker. This vehicle will be used primarily as one of two such support vehicles on the island, built specifically to carry over 4,500 litres of water to the scene of a major incident anywhere on the island.

Both vehicles will be serviced and maintained in the Services’ own workshop in close liaison with Bourgourd Ford’s facility in St Peter Port, which is located approximately half a mile from the Fire Station.