Red Fire Engines
Green Values for new fleet
Fully committed to reducing its carbon footprint , Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has taken delivery of twelve new electric vehicles to be deployed across Cheshire for support staff .
The all-electric Nissan LEAF cars , distinctly liveried with the message Red Fire Engines , Green Values , underpin the Service ’ s environmental credentials and replace some of the existing fleet of petrol cars used to go from station to station and home visits in local communities .
Multi-charge posts have been installed at nine fire stations across Cheshire , ensuring a network of fleet charging points in each of the four unitary areas .
Four LEAFs will be based at Warrington Fire Station , two at Chester , four at Crewe and two at Headquarters in Winsford .
Environment , Energy and Engineering Officer Ella Schubmehl managed the project . She said : “ Some of the vehicles used by our support staff , whether by advocates visiting households in the community or station to station or headquarter to station visits , were nearing the end of their contracts and would need replacing .
“ The Energy Saving Trust carried out an in-depth survey of precisely how and where the support vehicles were used and were able to see that , with the incorporation of strategically placed charging posts , a large proportion of the fleet could comprise electric vehicles , thereby supporting our low carbon aspiration of 40 % carbon reduction by 2020 .”
75 % of the total value of the vehicles is being grant funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles ( OLEV ) and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service the remaining amount over a two year period .
Similarly , charging posts have been 75 % grant funded with OLEV paying £ 26,593.00 against the Service ’ s outlay of £ 6,648.25 .
Cllr Tony Sherlock , Cheshire Fire Authority Environmental Champion , said : “ We launched our Environment and Sustainability Strategy in 2014 to ensure we achieve 40 % carbon reduction by 2020 and have been very fortunate to be included on the OLEV readiness project for the procurement of electric vehicles and the implementation of a charging infrastructure . With their help we have been able to reduce our carbon footprint and work towards being an increasingly environmentally friendly Authority .”
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