Grampian networking
Communications company Arqiva have signed a minimum threeyear contract with Grampian Fire and Rescue Service to provide maintenance services for its analogue and digital radio communications network. The contract is worth more than £100,000, and ensures that 365 days a year support is provided to the service’s microwave links, VHF system and wide area paging network. The service’s link network is routed through the headquarters in Aberdeen, which will provide a central locus of system interrogation. Arqiva will also provide a fully outsourced mechanism for Grampian’s own communications engineers to call on if assistance is needed. Grampian has six full-time and 33 part-time stations, covering an area of 9,600 square km, some of which is extremely remote. Communications and IT Manager at Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, Mike Clark said: “The fact that the Arqiva team is based locally reassures us of the consistent support we will be receiving. The strength of Arqiva’s reputation in the public safety sector confirms that the team working with us will be highly skilled within the fixed and mobile radio arena.”
Managing Director of Arqiva’s Public Safety division, Alastair Davidson said: “Our extensive experience in providing managed services for private radio networks has enabled us to deliver a low risk, cost-effective maintenance package to Grampian Fire and Rescue Service. We are able to deliver the flexibility that enables it to focus on its critical operations while we service the organisation’s communications systems. We are confident that the partnership will be an ongoing success and hope that, as the radio and paging services develop, so will our working relationship.”
For more information, log on to www.arqiva.com

New appliances for Notts firefighters
Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service has taken delivery of eight new Scania P270 fire appliances. The equipment is part of a threeyear, £5 millon investment in equipment, which also includes breathing apparatus, as well as a further 20 custom-built vehicles at a cost of around £190,000 each.
Features on the new appliances include two 90-metre hose reels, full air suspension, a 1,700-litre water tank and a 100-litre foam tank. Alongside these there will also be single-core Holmatro hydraulic cutting equipment, spreaders, two 20 tonne airbags, a pedal cutter, a door shut line opener, a Kevlar sharps protection kit and a Stabfast kit. Crew safety is ensured meanwhile via a roof-mounted lighting robot, and six recordable CCTV cameras. The appliances were presented to CFO Frank Swann and Chair of Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority Cllr Darrell Pulk at Nottingham’s Dunkirk fire station on June 26. The appliances will be based at Ashfield, Mansfield, Newark, Worksop, Retford, Carlton, Beeston and Dunkirk. Speaking of the appliances, Frank Swann said: “The new appliances and rescue equipment are part of a major, long-term investment in Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, and will bring 21^st century vehicle design and electronics to our firefighters. “This will improve greatly the ability of all our crews to rescue people from accidents or other incidents on arrival, and will equip them for an even quicker, more efficient and professional response to a variety of incidents.” Cllr Darrell Pulk said: “We are extremly proud to be able to bring the latest in design and operational technology to the communities we serve in Nottinghamshire. This latest investment will ensure that Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service remains an efficient and dynamic firstresponder organisation, ready to meet the challenges of a modern emergency service.”
For more information, contact Group Manager Trevor Tarlton-Weatherall on 0115 967 5950.

Kit support for flood rescue efforts
The recent flooding in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire resulted in Lion Apparel stepping up its emergency support operations for both brigades.
Lion’s operations team worked 24/7 to support their customers and ensure that their PPE needs were met during the response to the flooding, delivering an additional 134 sets of structural kit and 130 pairs of rubber boots to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue, and 50 additional sets of coats and trousers to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue. Jamie Foot, Operations Manager at Lion Apparel in Uxbridge, said: “Our customers know that in extreme situations Lion will respond to meet their needs for additional equipment and support – its all part of our normal service. Whilst the immediate challenge is now over, we expect to see a big increase in laundering and decontamination requirements over the coming weeks.” Since Lion first launched TotalCare in the UK, the company has sized over 16,000 individual firefighters. In that time there has not been a single reported instance of a firefighter being ‘off-the-run’ because they were without kit.

Pump it up: support services to the rescue
Water all around was the scene that greeted a special emergency team redeployed from AssetCo operations in Northern Ireland, Greater London and Lincolnshire to provide urgently needed drinking water for stranded Gloucestershire communities.
The team of nine were in action around the county during July and August operating 14,500 litre bulk water tankers, soon to be deployed for London Fire Brigade, around the clock, in the flood-stricken Severn Trent area. “The scenes here have been incredible,” said Ciaran McCrea of AssetCo. “From the moment we arrived we have been in demand. The great thing with these machines is the volume of water we can transport to cut-off areas, the speed with which we can distribute it, and the places we can reach. We’ve delivered over two million litres of drinking water this week.”
The bulk water tankers are shortly to be part of the fleet AssetCo provide for the London Fire Brigade. Their key benefit in such desperate situations is they have exceptional pumping power and reach. They can pump more than 14,500 litres of drinking water in just six minutes. 

Humberside say thanks to supplier

After what has been one of the most demanding months in its recent history, Humberside Fire and Rescue has recognised the vital contribution made through close co-operation and partnership with key suppliers in keeping its rescue teams operational when stretched near to breaking point. Bristol Care™, the in-house integrated care programme provided by Bristol Uniforms, was quickly focused on Humberside’s urgent need for an even swifter collect and return wash and decontamination service. The Bristol Care™ team were able to halve the response time to maintain a regular flow of clean PPE to Humberside by mobilising extra logistic and operational resources as part of its contingency planning for emergency scenarios. Steve Scrivener from the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said: “Those that support the Fire and Rescue Service are certainly not all employees. The modern Fire Service has to be dependent upon contractors providing services that are far too specialist to deal with in-house. Bristol Uniforms is one of our key contractors and their team worked round the clock to ensure that the firefighters of Humberside were provided with the best possible service throughout what can only be described as one of the most torrid times in recent history.” CFO Frank Duffield said: “I feel it is appropriate to express my gratitude for all the efforts made to support Humberside Fire and Rescue Service in the thousands of emergency and response activities undertaken since June 15. Fire and rescue crews worked flat out over lengthy periods to save and preserve life and property. Without your valued support, their efforts would not have been as effective as they were.
The support infrastructure of the Fire and Rescue Service in the affected areas was stretched, almost to breaking point and the formal and informal partnership arrangements developed during the floods helped to maintain and sustain our crucial service.” 

Hale Products Europe’s new vehicle mounted pump – the Godiva Prima
HALE PRODUCTS EUROPE IS
the home of the world famous Godiva fire pump, standard equipment for many fire services. In particular the Godiva vehiclemounted pump has featured at the rear of virtually all UK fire appliances since the mid 1950s.
From the start the Godiva pump brought operational reliability and versatility to the frontline firefighter. Many innovative features have been introduced with Godiva pumps – lightweight aluminium materials, one high and one low pressure stage on one drive shaft, automatic priming, modular pump construction and always the very best in performance. The successive Godiva models UMP, UMPX and the World Series, have all been a part of this design evolution and now a new design is about to be launched – the Godiva Prima. The Prima uses the existing core design of low and high pressure stages on a single shaft to improve the product reliability and performance – and all in full compliance with EN and NFPA standards.
The overall pump envelope is decreased, making it more compact, and easier for vehicle builders to install. External pipework has been eliminated and internalised. The piston primer system now occupies a reduced portion of the whole pump and there is no external pipe between the suction tube and the priming mechanism. Another space saver is the location of the round-thepump induction system between the suction tube and manifold – no longer projecting to one side, making it easier to install tank fill lines in the pump bay.
Concerns over corrosion caused by declining water quality due to ageing hydrant networks are addressed by changing the pump materials – the high pressure stage is now all stainless steel and all the main castings are of high strength, high corrosion resistant aluminium. There is still an all bronze pump option available if preferred. The Prima performance meets and exceeds EN and NFPA ratings.
The pump will be available in four capacity sizes, relating to the EN 1028 standard – 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 and 6,000 litres per minute at ten bar pressure and 250 litres per minute at 40 bars for the high pressure stage. There will also be a single stage, low pressure model to the equivalent EN standards. Other features that will interest the fire fighting community:
• The suction tube offers three possible tank-to-pump connection options to allow vehicle builders increased flexibility with their pipework installations, and now has a 25° angled droop to avoid suction hose collision with the pump bay floor. Also available is an integrated, direct-mounted, collecting head that makes no increase to overall pump length.
For the 3010 and 4010 models, the suction tube features a 125mm size tank to pump line to improve the through tank pumping performance for relaying operations.
• Mounting platform, with inbuilt anti-vibration mountings, fitted as standard to make the pump installation much easier as the platform is complementary to European truck chassis dimensions. It is supplied readyfitted with all the necessary water and oil drain points that workshop staff will need to service the pump. It also has forklift points for ease of handling when installing and removing the pump.
• Major improvements in priming performance. The piston primers are now engaged by activating an electro-magnetic clutch. In automatic mode, pump pressure will disengage the primer drive when priming has been achieved, but there is still a manually controlled option if preferred. The system uses a single priming valve and the priming system handles less water during the priming process ensuring a quicker, smoother operation, resulting in less load on moving parts and exposure to waterborne abrasives.
• More robust inlet and outlet rubbers are fitted, designed to give a two year minimum check period. For maintenance staff, the dismantling operations are kept to a minimum – for example the front oil seal replaces without need to remove the volute.
In summary, the Prima maintains and advances the Godiva reputation for reliability and innovation in vehicle mounted pumps. It has already undergone successful trials with several UK fire brigades in various environments and will soon be in full service.
About the Company:
Hale Products Europe is widely recognised as a leading supplier of front-line firefighting equipment. Their product range is focused on vehicle mounted, trailer mounted and portable pumps. Hale is also a leading supplier of compressed air foam equipment and positive pressure ventilation fans. They have a long established track record for supplying fire and rescue services in the UK and worldwide.
For further information about the Prima pump range, please contact:
Hale Products Europe
Charles Street
Warwick CV34 5LR
England.
Tel: +44 (0)1926 623600. email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it