London Hearth Brigade welcomed two brand-new “state-of-the-art” fireplace and rescue river boats into its fleet as a part of a £40 million funding from Metropolis Corridor.
The 2 new vessels, every price round £1.8 million, shall be used to battle fires alongside the River Thames and can contribute to a “considerably improved mass rescue functionality”, with every boat able to carrying as much as 45 folks.
It comes as a part of a wider funding in modernising London Hearth Brigade within the wake of the Grenfell Tower fireplace in 2017 which killed 72 folks.
Final yr, as a part of the identical funding, firefighters in London turned the primary within the UK to realize entry to 64 metre turntable ladders able to rescuing folks from high-rise buildings.
London Hearth Brigade can even be the primary brigade within the UK to deploy a totally electrical fireplace engine as a part of a trial this yr in a bid to decarbonise the fleet.
London Hearth Commissioner Andy Roe, stated final Thursday that the 2 new fireplace boats are indicative of the “important funding” made by Metropolis Corridor in upgrading the “equipment and functionality” of London’s firefighters over the previous few years.
Mr Roe stated: “Every boat is price about £1.8 million. They’re state-of-the-art and what they supply is a very considerably improved mass rescue functionality on the Thames, together with the power to battle very giant fires from the riverside.
“The Thames is that this wonderful place; one of many busiest waterways on this planet, the busiest waterway in Europe, and with a few of the most important growth alongside it. So, we each want to have the ability to rescue folks from the river – whether or not it’s one particular person or, as this boat can address, 45 folks – or whether or not it’s truly placing a fireplace out from the river utilizing this pure useful resource to pump water onto what are sometimes very giant buildings.”
Named after Second World Warfare firefighters Harry Errington and Gillian Tanner, the 2 new boats can journey at a most velocity of 40 knots – twice as quick because the boats they’re changing. They’re every fitted with high-powered hoses that enable crews to battle fires from the river in addition to a hydraulic crane and thermal imaging digicam that can be utilized to hold out rescues from the water.
The Hearth Commissioner was joined aboard one of many vessels by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Thursday afternoon to formally mark their launch.
Mr Khan stated: “The calls for on London Hearth Brigade have by no means been larger as a result of excessive temperatures and horrible flash floods we now have seen on account of local weather change. That’s why, as Mayor, I’m dedicated to doing all the things I can to make sure our frontline emergency companies have the suitable sources, insurance policies and gear to serve all of London’s communities.”
