Firefighters in Portadown Station welcome new £300k state of the art appliance

The On Call station received the new Fire Appliance on Thursday as part of a major investment in the town’s fire service.

District Commander of Portadown District Gary Magwood, who took possession of the appliance last Thursday, said: “This is a major investment in the towns Fire service enhancing Community safety and providing the crews with the latest technology and equipment.”

Portadown Station has two pumping appliances and one Turn table ladder which was replaced in 2019.

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District Commander Magwood said: “The new appliances are a 300k investment, plus some new equipment costs.

He explained: “The new technology includes battery operated hydraulic cutting equipment (for cutting vehicles involved in road traffic accidents).

“It has all the latest storage facilities providing access for personnel to provide the best manual handling to remove equipment. It even has a kettle,” he added.

Southern Area Command provides emergency cover for County Armagh and most of County Down; an area of approximately 1,454 sq miles serving a population of around 595,000 people. The Southern Area Command is responsible for six fire stations including Armagh, Banbridge, Dromore, Keady, Lurgan and Portadown Fire Stations.