London Fire Brigade has joined forces with Ghent Fire Brigade in Belgium in a project designed to make both fire and rescue services greener.
The FIRED-uP project is looking for innovative ways of reducing the environmental impact of the cities’ frontline fleet of fire engines and other vehicles.
Running until June 2015, the project provides the opportunity to investigate a range of new technologies and processes – from alternative fuels to components and power management to logistics.
Following initial research, the Brigade has now identified a number of areas for further investigation.
These include on-vehicle data logging systems for fire engines which can track fuel and water consumption, emissions, use of operational systems and equipment; and software which collates and analyses this data.
How the data can then be applied to vehicle design and use, driver training, the length of time vehicles remain in service and the type of vehicles used across the fleet will also be investigated.
London Fire Brigade’s Director of Finance and Contractual Services Sue Budden said:
“The FIRED-up programme reinforces London Fire Brigade’s commitment to responsible procurement and its aim of leading on sustainable development within the UK fire and rescue service.
“We hope that this project will also encourage all European fire and rescue services to consider more innovative vehicle designs which will help to reduce their impact on the environment.”
The Brigade has now launched a consultation, inviting potential suppliers to put forward their ideas on identifying ways of saving fuel, reducing emissions and vehicle wear and tear, while improving safety and operational efficiency.
The consultation runs until 29 May and will contribute to any future business case for the procurement of Brigade vehicles.
For more information about the FIRED-uP project and the consultation you can visit the FIRED-uP website.
The three year project is being funded by a European Grant of €1.39 million