East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service recently introduced a new Water Carrier vehicle, which is based at Uckfield community fire station.

The Water Carrier will be used to transport water reserves to areas with poor or restricted water supplies.

The vehicle is built by Angloco in Leeds on a 23 Tonne Volvo Chassis, which is the same as the Service's latest Ariel Ladder Platform. It is fitted with a Euro5 9-litre turbocharged engine and 12-speed semi-automatic gearbox.

The weight of the appliance is 20-tonnes fully laden and the Water Carrier is fitted with a rear wheel steering system, which greatly improves manoeuvrability.

Two 6,000-litre dams, and one 12,000-litre dam, are carried within the lockers along with Ask provision and an Otter lightweight portable pump.

The vehicle has the capability to:

• Deliver a full 12,000-litre load into a single dam in 6 minutes
• Deliver 3 dams to separate locations within the confines of an incident, or combine all three dams to provide maximum water provision for an incident
• Replenish Service Landrovers during operational incidents
• Remove flood water at 4,000-litres per minute down to a depth of 0mm
• Provide a 1 Bar damping down branch
• Lift a full 12,000-litre load from open water in 3 minutes

The Water Carrier is also fitted with scene lights and a fixed head mast light system to give plenty of lighting to any scene of operation.

If you would like further information relating to the Water Carrier, or wish to visit the station and view the appliance, please contact the duty crew at Uckfield community fire station.