Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority invests £1.7m in new kit after damning report

Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority will now share the same breathing apparatus sets as its neighbours in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

A joint £1.7 million investment means firefighters across all three counties are now using the same lighter and fully adjustable equipment when responding to emergency incidents, tackling fires or entering other hazardous environments.

The alignment between the services has seen more than 4,000 items of new kit, including new air tanks and a Bluetooth communication system, rolled out to firefighters at 60 stations across Thames Valley.

It comes after Bucks firefighters warned in December that they ‘did not have the resources to meet the demands of their communities’.

Their warning followed a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services that found Bucks Fire Service was ‘overly reliant’ on neighbouring services and was ‘inadequate’ at protecting the public.

Following the report, Louise Harrison was appointed as the new chief fire officer for the region. Her appointment was criticised by Fire Brigades Union due to the former directors lack of experience working in the fire service.

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service Station Commander Dave Tubbs, project lead, said: “BA is one of the key pieces of equipment used by all firefighters.

“Alongside alignment of the contracts and equipment used by the three services, firefighter safety and satisfaction were the key elements we aimed to deliver from this project.”