A vital piece of firefighting equipment purchased in the aftermath of a devastating blaze in Haltwhistle has been hailed as a gamechanger for the people of Northumberland.
Fire crews now have the keys to an Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) which can extend up to 27 metres high and will help deal with incidents at height.
The fire service purchased the £50,000 vehicle following a fire at Haltwhistle Working Men's Club in December.
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Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has borrowed one of the units from the likes of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service in the past, but the appliance was unavailable during the Haltwhistle fire and a second one had to be sourced from the south of Cumbria.
Councillor Colin Horncastle, Chair of the Fire Authority, explained why the council had chosen to purchase the machine.
He said: "There was a fire in the Haltwhistle area a few months ago where we needed a bit of equipment like this and Northumberland didn't have one. It took some time to get one, because the Tyne and Wear machine wasn't available and we had to get one from way down south in Cumbria.
"All the services around us have got one of these machines so we have one now too. The people of Northumberland can rest assured that we can face almost anything.
“Incidents like the recent large fire in Haltwhistle have shown how important these high platforms are, and while we hope it won’t be needed very often, it’s another key piece of firefighting and rescue equipment to help protect the people of Northumberland.”
Coun Horncastle also explained that the council had received excellent value for money purchasing the ALP.
He added: "A machine like this new is roughly three-quarters of a million pounds. We were lucky enough to acquire this for about £50,000.
"It is excellent value for money for the people of Northumberland. From the county council point of view it can be used for other things as well - it can be used by building control to inspect dangerous buildings after storms."
Group manager Joe Haustead said the ALP would be a "gamechanger" for both residents and crews.
He said: "We're very excited to bring this appliance back into Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service. It will give us much more capability in terms of emergency response.
"We will now be able to deploy effectively at height above a fire. This will be used at a multitude of incidents to provide a better response to the public and will ultimately make our communities of Northumberland safer.
"It's a gamechanger for us, for the public and safer for the fire service. The council have done a great job."
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Jim McNeil added: "I would like to place on record my thanks to Northumberland County Council for the support and investment in securing this vehicle which will provide an outstanding addition to our existing firefighting and rescue capabilities."
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