Nine fire engines to be bought in £4.4m investment

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed a £4.4m investment for new fire engines and equipment.

The service will get nine new fire engines over the next two years and a look to purchase a further nine vehicles by 2030, Lincolnshire County Council said.

It is also looking at getting new battery-powered equipment such as hydraulic cutters to reduce "unpredictable" fuel costs, the authority added.

Chief fire officer Mark Baxter said: "As well as improving reliability and resilience, this investment will help to better protect our crews from risk and future-proof our response capabilities for years to come."

The new fleet will gradually replace older engines currently in service, the authority said.

The battery-powered kit would also be more comfortable and efficient for crews to operate, the council said.

Alex McGonigle, executive councillor for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: "This is absolutely the right time to invest in replacing our older appliances.

"We're seeing rising maintenance costs as our older vehicles increasingly need more servicing and repairs.

"This investment will help save us money in the long term, and enable our crews to continue responding quickly and effectively when our communities need us the most."

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