Tony Morris, a retired firefighter based in Devon, has claimed that the changes could put people at risk, with the vehicles’ ladders being unable to reach second-floor windows and not carrying all the vital equipment that could be needed.  

The fire service has responded that additional resources will be deployed to fires as needed, and that the public will be consulted over any plans to close stations or reduce the number of firefighters in their area.  

The smaller fire engines – known as Rapid Intervention Vehicles or RIVs – are initially being rolled out to Dartmouth, Porlock, Princetown and Tiverton.

The truck will replace the department’s current 1971 tanker and give the department a more versatile vehicle for fighting fires.
Fire Chief Kevin Flynn says that getting the money for the tanker presented no easy task for the NVFD. For many years, the department applied for federal grants to replace their tanker, but because the federal government has limited funds, its grants always went to larger districts where the fire department would serve a greater number of people. This did not stop Flynn from continuing to look for ways to find money for a new truck. “The folks that live in my district are just as important as people living in Muscatine or Burlington and deserve good equipment,” he said.