Article by Samuel Couratin

By Samuel Couratin

UK fire service personnel have raised concerns regarding the safety of new engines that are being rolled out and an investigation has been launched after reports that the machines carry a risk of catching fire when attending incidents.

The problem has been highlighted by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which called for an inquiry into the potential problem following the purchase of four of the Combined Aerial Rescue Pumps (CARPs).

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spent £2 million on the engines, which are claimed by some to place lives at risk.

"They have continually been off the run since they were brought in," FBU spokesman John Gilliver told the Sheffield Telegraph, adding that two firefighters tackling an incident at height had to be rescued when a cage malfunctioned.

One of the vehicles is reported to have caught fire while at a blaze in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, while two others smoked after faults occurred.

A total of £700,000 was spent on the four specialist CARPs as they were initially found to be too heavy for use on UK roads and an investigation will now be carried out into whether they are safe to use.

The fire service said in a statement: "Like the FBU, we are concerned about these issues and are working tirelessly to address them to keep the CARPs available as often as possible."

Last month, the FBU responded to the report by the Public Accounts Committee on the failure of the FiReControl project by stating that lessons have not been learned from the exercise and ministers need to listen to control staff and their representatives to ensure the service operates effectively.

In its report on the scheme, the Parliamentary committee was heavily critical of abandoned plans to scrap 46 local fire and rescue control rooms and replace them with high-tech regional control centres.