A new £470,000 Unimog fire engine is now in use by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to deal with wildfires and rural emergencies across the area.
The specialist vehicle is based at Wareham fire station and replaces the previous Unimog, which had served the area for 16 years. It is already in action, having been used at three wildfire incidents last weekend.
With 4,500 litres of water and 162 litres of foam, the new vehicle is designed to respond to fires in hard-to-reach areas such as heathland and open countryside.
It includes advanced features like front, rear and roof-mounted monitors, and has been built with a low ratio gearbox, enhanced tyres, and terrain-adjustable tyre pressures.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Darren Langdown said the vehicle would also be used for other challenging incidents such as thatch fires and flooding. He added that wildfires had increased significantly across the service area in the past five years.
The investment follows three years of planning and collaboration with the vehicle’s supplier. Fire crews have now completed training and the Unimog is fully operational.
The new features are expected to support fire crews working in some of the most rural and rugged parts of Dorset and Wiltshire, providing greater reach and improved safety during large-scale incidents.
